Angela Evans, dean of the LBJ School, interviews top-level female staffers from both parties in the U.S. Senate. Beth Jafari is chief of staff for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). A Houston native, she earned degrees in journalism and political science from Texas A&M University, and her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law before beginning her […]

In a special live recording of Policy on Purpose, former mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu addresses a crowd of 300+ UT students, urging them to stay engaged with today’s most pressing issues.

New LBJ School professor Admiral William McRaven speaks candidly on lessons learned throughout his distinguished career. William McRaven, M.Sc., former UT System Chancellor and a retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral, will join the school as a professor in national security, drawing on his experiences. He helped create and launch the Special Operations and Low Intensity […]

As the 2018 fall semester begins, Donald Kettl, a new LBJ School professor and academic director of the LBJ Washington Center, joins Dean Angela Evans to discuss the future of public policy schools. In this episode, they explore new challenges to public policy, how best to prepare students for cutting edge problems and the important […]

Award-winning journalist, author and philanthropist Soledad O’Brien talks all things journalism and public policy with Dean Angela Evans. From current-day tensions to the media’s influence to bridging real-life voices with policy, Soledad O’Brien talks candidly about the role of media and public policy.

Dr. Abigail Aiken, an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Fellow of the Richter Chair in Global Health Policy at the LBJ School, joins Dean Angela Evans to discuss a historic referendum on abortion in Ireland. Ireland’s law on abortion is among the strictest in the world. Dr. Aiken presented her research findings in testimony […]

Texas Senator Kirk Watson joins Dean Angela Evans for this episode of Policy on Purpose. First elected to the Texas Senate in 2006, Senator Watson represents Senate District 14, which now covers most of Travis County and all of Bastrop County. In this interview, Senator Watson discusses his top legislative priorities, including ready access to […]

The Honorable Julián Castro, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act signing by LBJ. He sits down with Dean Angela Evans to talk about how far we’ve come since the act was signed, and what challenges remain in making housing fair and available for […]

Ruth Wasem returns to Policy on Purpose for continued discussion on immigration in America, focusing on the four pillars presented by President Donald Trump in his State of the Union address. Wasem is a clinical professor of public policy practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and served as a domestic policy specialist at […]

In this inaugural episode of Policy on Purpose, we sit down with Ruth Wasem, clinical professor of public policy practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. For more than 25 years, Ruth Wasem was a domestic policy specialist at the U.S. Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service, and in this interview, she offers her […]