This past July, The Patman Center for Civic and Political Engagement proudly funded the annual Public Service Leadership Weekend (PSLW) at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. The program, designed to bring students and recent graduates from across the country to LBJ to explore learning and careers in public service, welcomed its largest cohort to date, with 52 students from 31 institutions.
With a focus on public policy and public administration, students were challenged to develop their personal and professional advocacy skills, explore bipartisan approaches to impacting change, and understand the nuances of governance in the modern age. Led by G. Christopher Cutkelvin, Director of Student Access and Civic Education at the LBJ School, the program brought in expert speakers to facilitate conversations on civic leadership, helping students build the professional skills they need to succeed as the next generation of leaders in their communities.
Students attended sessions on state and local policymaking like “Bipartisan & Nonpartisan Policymaking” with Pflugerville City Council Member Rudy Metayer and Founder of Morris StratCom J. Clint Morris where they learned best practices in policymaking from experts in the field. Metayer and Morris highlighted the need for bipartisanship at both the state and local level, and talked through the intricacies of maintaining bipartisanship when discussing policies that are complex and have a wide impact on constituents. Later attendees heard from The Honorable Larry Gonzales (R) former Texas State Representative. Representative Gonzales discussed what leadership looks like in the Texas Legislature, his experience in policymaking, and how students can get involved in the legislative process.
Jay D’Alessandro, a summa cum laude undergraduate graduate from Rutgers University, stated, “One of the biggest takeaways from the weekend was that effective public service requires more than strong policy ideas. It requires collaboration, listening, and a willingness to work across differences to solve complex problems.”
Beyond understanding the policymaking process, students heard from LBJ Alumni Brianna McBride, who serves as a policy advisor to Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard. Brianna spoke to her experience as an LBJ student, why she chose public administration, and what her career in public affairs looks like thus far. The opportunity to hear firsthand from someone who's career journey in public affairs began at the LBJ school served to inspire attendees to consider that there is a future full of diverse opportunities for those who pursue a degree in public affairs.
Maleeyah Frazier, a UCA Pre-Law Student, said her experience at PSLW helped her to learn about the many pathways into public service, which opened her eyes to opportunities she had never considered and challenged her to think more intentionally about her future.
Not only did the event expose students to speakers and experiential learning, but it also provided an opportunity for students to build a national network of fellow young people interested in pursuing roles in public service. These relationships are foundational for young professionals and will help them work through complex policy and governance problems together in the future. As attendees continue in their educational and career pursuits, they will build off this network and hopefully look back on the weekend as a catalyst for their professional life.
Public Service Leadership Weekend supports The Patman Center’s broader mission of strengthening democracy by expanding our reach beyond the students who attend the University of Texas at Austin. Access to the speakers, resources, and a peer network will continue to serve this cohort beyond just its immediate impact, instead acting as a stepping stone opportunity for participants to continue to learn as students and as citizens. Our continued support for the program helps cultivate capable leaders across the country who want to create change and understand the importance of approaching governance with civility and a service-leader mindset.
“One of the main takeaways I had from this event is how, as our political and policy environment become increasingly polarized, the antidote to that polarization is personal relationships and a willingness to build bridges with our neighbors. Connection and shared community are some of our best tools as we look to address the numerous policy issues facing us at the local, state, and federal levels. That sense of community was something I found to be in abundance in just four days in the program”.
- Josua Slatter, The University of Texas at Arlington
The Patman Center looks forward to continuing to support Public Service Leadership Weekend at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. We would like to thank G. Christopher Cutkelvin and LaShonda Thompson for all their hard work in organizing the event, all of the speakers who shared their time and expertise with the students, and our cohort for taking the opportunity to explore what LBJ has to offer.
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Iliana Flores-DuMond
Iliana is a proud UT Alumna who earned a bachelor's in Government at the university. After graduating she pursued a career in civic education, working with K-12 students from across the state to educate about the structure of government and the role youth play in engaging as citizens in their communities. As the Program Coordinator for YMCA Texas Youth and Government she helped to recruit and train volunteers, plan events for over 1,300 young Texans, and provide supports to educators across the state working to build the next generation of civic leaders. Along similar lines, she is now putting her experience in the civic education arena into practice as The Patman Center program coordinator.