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 will be able to develop an advocacy plan; frame an issue and present a cause to stakeholders; lead education campaigns; motivate decision-makers; recognize allies; and identify threats to success. Students heard from elected officials, legislative staff, interest group leaders, lobbyists, communication professionals, and think tank representatives.
Students attended sessions including, "Tech's Most Powerful Advocacy Group", "The Power of Convening Thought Leaders", "Disability Rights", "Federal Advocacy", "A Perspective from The White House", and more!
Maymester 2026 Speakers
Jonathan Buechner
Development Officer for Individual Giving at the Brookings Institution
Michael F. Cannon
Cato Institute’s director of health policy studies
Afton Cissell
Chief of Staff in Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s office
Kevin Corinth
Senior fellow, the Daniel C. Searle Chair, and the deputy director of the Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
Steve Eichenauer
Principal at Public Strategies Washington, Inc.
Karen Finney
Independent Consultant
Diana Paz García
Senior Research Assistant at the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology within the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution
Claudia Gordon
Disability Rights Attorney & Advocate; Former Associate Director of Public Engagement, The White House; First Deaf Black Female Attorney in the United States
Christopher Kim
Special Assistant, Member Services & Coalitions, House Appropriations Committee, U.S. House of Representatives
Eli Lehrer
President, R Street Institute
Mike Naeve
Counsel, Skadden's Energy Regulatory Group; Former Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Emmy Ruiz
Former Senior Advisor to the President; Former Director, Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, The White House
John Shelton
Vice President of Policy, Advancing American Freedom
Bill Shute
Executive Director, LBJ Washington Center; Former Vice Chancellor for Federal Relations, The University of Texas System
Richard Stern
Vice President, Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise, Advancing American Freedom
Hannah Stephens
Senior Research Assistant, Center for Community Uplift, Brookings Metro
Michele Stockwell
President, BPC Action, Bipartisan Policy Center
Nicki Sullivan
Associate Director, Special Events, The Brookings Institution; LBJ Alumni
Marcus Towns
Director of Member Services and Coalitions, Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives
Jeff Vanderslice
Vice President of Policy Partnerships and Government Affairs, R Street Institute
JoDee Winterhof
Senior Vice President, Policy and Political Affairs, Human Rights Campaign
Taryn Woody
Director of Member Services and Professional Staff Member, U.S. House Armed Services Committee; LBJ Alumni
Mike Zamore
National Director of Policy & Government Affairs, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)