State Senator Roland Gutierrez, Marty Golando, and Manny Garcia join the LBJ School to share a powerful case study on leading in moments of crisis following the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. Together they will reflect on the demands of public leadership amid tragedy—comforting grieving families, uniting a shaken community, and helping families organize to advocate for change. The conversation will examine how sustained civic leadership advanced both accountability efforts with the Texas Department of Public Safety and secured $34 million in funding for a new Behavioral Health Center in Uvalde.
St. Senator Roland Gutierrez, District 19 (Uvalde)
Senator Gutierrez, his wife Sarah, and their daughters Izabella and Victoria live in the Mission San Jose neighborhood. They are members of the Mission San Jose Parish and are active in a variety of community projects.
As a state representative, Gutierrez served as Chairman of the Defense and Veterans' Affairs Committee during the 85th legislative session. In the 85th legislative session, Gutierrez established the National Warrior Resiliency Center in San Antonio focusing on PTSD treatment across the state. He also successfully passed measures protecting our Texas military bases from closure during the 2017 special session. In 86th legislative session, Senator Gutierrez fought for state funding of the San Antonio State Hospital; as a result of his tireless work, San Antonio will be building a new state hospital.
During his tenure on the San Antonio City Council, Senator Gutierrez was instrumental in establishing Texas A&M University at San Antonio and securing federal resources to fund the San Antonio River project without increasing the tax burden on middle-class families and small businesses. Senator Gutierrez’ efforts led to the construction of the first library on the south side of San Antonio in more than 30 years, Mission Branch Library.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Senator Gutierrez is a 1989 graduate of Central Catholic High School. He earned his BA in Political Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1995 and his law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1998. He is the Founder and President of the Gutierrez Law Firm, specializing in immigration law.
Marty Golando, General Counsel for Senator Gutierrez and one of the few people deputized to watch body cam footage from the day
Martin Golando is an attorney and legislative professional with extensive experience in Texas politics, public policy, and election law. He previously ran for office as the Democratic nominee for Texas House District 116, where he advocated for accountable governance and responsive representation. Following his campaign, Golando continued his public service and now serves as General Counsel to State Senator Roland Gutierrez. Previously, he spent more than a decade working in the Texas Legislature, including as chief of staff to State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, where he played a central role in legislative strategy and policy development. Golando holds a J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law and brings a unique blend of campaign, legislative, and legal expertise to his work.
Manny Garcia, Communications and advocacy consultant hired to help the community
Manny Garcia is a co-founder of Seeker Strategies, a Black- and Brown-owned communications and advocacy firm working on high-profile issues in Texas and beyond. With nearly 20 years of experience in Texas politics, policy, and communications, he previously served as Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party, managing a $25 million budget and a team of over 250 operatives. Garcia also led communications for Leticia Van de Putte’s lieutenant governor campaign and served as Director of Policy for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. He began his career as an education policy researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned degrees in Government and Mexican American Studies, later becoming the first graduate of UT Austin’s Mexican American Studies Master’s program.
Moderated by:
Dean JR DeShazo, LBJ School of Public Affairs
As the 12th dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, JR DeShazo leads one of the nation’s premier public policy schools, ranked No. 1 in Texas and uniquely positioned within a top-tier research university in one of America’s most innovative hubs of government, commerce and technology. Founded in 1970 by President Lyndon B. Johnson to expand access to the halls of power, the LBJ School offers a range of nationally ranked degree programs that prepare students to take on society’s most pressing challenges.
Since arriving in Austin in 2021, DeShazo has bolstered the LBJ School’s reputation as a center for impactful policy education and research – mirroring the rising global profile of UT Austin. His focus on expanding academic reach, enhancing faculty research and enriching the student experience has driven growth in enrollment, research output, financial stability and academic programming.
Under DeShazo’s leadership, the LBJ School will launch its first undergraduate program – the Bachelor of Public Affairs – in fall 2025. This landmark initiative represents the school’s inaugural foray into undergraduate education after over 50 years of exclusively graduate-level offerings. The new program aims to build on the school’s legacy of cultivating public service leaders by equipping students with essential skills in policy analysis, data analytics, communication and organizational leadership.
A distinguished scholar and public policy expert, DeShazo specializes in clean technology policy, environmental equity and environmental economics. His expertise has made him a sought-after advisor for prestigious international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations, as well as U.S. federal agencies like the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Before joining UT Austin, DeShazo spent two decades at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he led both the Department of Public Policy and the Luskin Center for Innovation, a research center dedicated to addressing challenges local to California through actionable research in collaboration with impacted communities and policymakers. During this time, DeShazo and the Luskin Center played a critical role in helping state and civic leaders develop new policies in a variety of areas, including energy, transportation, environmental issues and water resources.
DeShazo’s academic career and leadership journey have been shaped by his experiences overcoming a childhood learning disability, which continues to fuel his passion for expanding educational access and opportunities. DeShazo holds a doctorate in Urban Planning from Harvard University, a Master of Development Economics from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary, where he was the first-ever Rhodes Scholar for America’s second oldest university.