Effective Advocacy for Influencing Federal Policymaking
Instructor: Emily Bhandari
Open to: All currently enrolled UT students and non-degree seeking professionals
Dates: May 13-17, 2025
Democracy functions best when policymakers receive information on the likely impacts of proposed policy. Located in Washington D.C., students learned effective advocacy strategies and skills directly from active professionals.
Students visited The White House, The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, The Brookings Institute, The Human Rights Campaign, and more!
Maymester 2024 Speakers
Viquar Ahmad, Special Assistant to President Biden and Chief U.S. Financial Officer
David Berteau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Professional Services Council
Matthew Cornelius, Managing Director, Federal Industry at Workday
Steve Eichenauer, Partner, Public Strategies Washington, Inc.
Rachel Hoff, Policy Director, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
Melissa Lazarin, Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Sean Mason, Deputy Director, Texas Office of State-Federal Relations
Ali McGuigan, Manager of Government Relations, National Grid
Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, Center for Sustainable Development, The Brookings Institution
Bill Shute, Executive Director, LBJ Washington Center
Jillian Smith, Legislative Assistant, Congressman Lloyd Doggett
Zoe Swarzenski, Project Manager, The Brookings Institution
Gretchen Tietje, Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
Marcus Towns, Director of Member Services and Coalitions, Committee on Foreign Affairs at U.S. House of Representatives
David Weinberg, Staff Director, Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee
JoDee Winteroff, Senior Vice President, Policy and Political Affairs, The Human Rights Campaign
Taryn Woody, Professional Staff Member, United States House Armed Services Committee