2025 Patman Center Speakers

In the 2025 academic year, The Patman Center welcomed 26 distinguished speakers from across the political spectrum. From Republican to Democratic elected officials to legislative staff and campaign professionals, our events bring real-world insights from leaders shaping politics today.

Fall 2025

James Aldrete

James Aldete

President of MAP Political Communications

Colin Allred

Colin Allred official portrait

Former U.S. Representative

Brencia Berry

Brencia Berry headshot

Former Political Director of the Democratic National Committee

John Bucy

John Bucy

State Representative

Greg Casar

Congressman Greg Casar

U.S. Congressman

Liz Chadderdon

Liz Chadderdon

Former President and Creative Director at Chadderdon, Lestingi, Creative Strategies

Henry Cuellar

Henry Cuellar

U.S. Representative

Lisa Davis

Lisa Davis headshot

Austin Police Chief

Drew Darby

Drew Darby

State Representative

John Drogin

John Drogin headshot

Founder and CEO of Drogin Group

Sarah Eckhardt

Sarah_Eckhardt

Texas State Senator

The Honorable Larry Gonzales

Larry Gonzales headshot

Former State Representative (Round Rock)

Tony Gonzales

Tony Gonzales.jpeg

U.S. Congressman

Elliot Griffin

Elliott Griffin Headshot

Chief of Staff in Senate and House

Roland Gutierrez

Roland Gutierrez Headshot.jpg

Texas State Senator (District 19)

Vincent Harris

Vincent.png

CEO of Harris Media

Noah Hawley

Noah Hawley Headshot.jpg

Writer, Director, Novelist

Gina Hinojosa

Gina Hinojosa

State Representative

Donna Howard

Donna Howard

State Representative

Rob Johnson

Rob Johnson headshot

Political Strategist

Nathan Johnson

Nathan Johnson

Texas State Senator

Jeff Leach

Jeff Leach

State Representative

Amanda Litman

Amanda Litman

Author, CEO, and Co-Founder of Run For Something

Dr. Molly Beth Malcolm

Molly Beth Malcolm

Chair of the Texas Democratic Party

Brian McCall

Brian McCall Headshot

Former State Representative and Texas State University System Chancellor

Ryan Micik

Ryan Micik headshot

Political Research and Communications Consultant

Mike Morath

Mike Morath

Texas Commissioner of Education

Tyler Norris

Tyler Norris

Campaign and Public Affairs Consultant

Beto O'Rourke

Beto O'Rourke

Former U.S. Congressman

Tyler Pager

Tyler Pager Headshot.png

White House Coorespondent for the New York Times

Joey Parr

Joey Parr headshot

Partner and Creative Director of Catalyst Advisors Group

Chris Perkins

Chris Perkins Headshot

Expert Quantitative and Qualitative Analyst

Mihaela Plesa

mihaela-plesa-headshot.jpg

State Representative (D-Plano)

Scott Pollard

Scott Pollard

Director at Burson

Aaron Reitz

Aaron Reitz

Republican Candidate for Attorney General

Sam Robles

Sam Robles

Political Strategist

Emmy Ruiz

Emmy Ruiz headshot

Former White House Political Strategist

Karl Rove

Karl Rove

Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff

Wynn Rosser

Wynn Rosser

Texas Higher Education Commissioner

Jenifer Sarver

Jenifer Sarver

Communications Strategist

Johnny Sutton

Johnny Sutton Headshot

Former United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas

James Talarico

James Talarico Headshot.png

State Representative (D-Austin)

Tariq Thowfeek

Tariq Thowfeek headshot

Communication Professional

Mykle Tomlinson

Mykle Tomlinson

Campaign Staffer

Cliff Walker

Cliff Walker.jpeg

Former Deputy Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party

Kirk Watson

Kirk Watson

Mayor of Austin

John Wittman

John Wittman Headshot

Communication Professional

Nancy Zdunkewicz

Nancy Zdunkewicz Headshot

Pollster and Founder of Z to A Research

Spring 2025

Trent Ashby

Trent Ashby headshot

State Representative (R-Lufkin)

James Barragán

James Barragan headshot

Politics Reporter for The Texas Tribune

The Honorable Dennis Bonnen

Dennis Bonnen

Former Speaker of The Texas House of Representatives

Mack Brown

Mack Brown headshot

Former Head Football Coach at the University of Texas

John Bucy

John Bucy

Representative of House District 136

Greg Casar

Congressman Greg Casar

U.S. Representative (D-Austin)

Sheryl Cole

Sheryl Cole

State Representative in House District 46

Lisa Davis

Lisa Davis headshot

Austin Police Chief

Robert Duncan

Robert Duncan headshot

Chief of Staff for Speaker Dustin Burrows

Former Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System 

Jay Hartzell

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Former President of The University of Texas at Austin

Karen Brooks Harper

Karen Brooks Haper

Texas Politics Journalist

The Honorable Nathan Hecht

Nathan Hecht headshot

Former Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court

Gina Hinojosa

Gina Hinojosa

State Representative (D-Austin)

The Honorable Wallace Jefferson

Wallace Jefferson headshot

Former Chief Justices of the Texas Supreme Court

Brad Johnson

Brad Johnson

Senior Reporter and Managing Editor for The Texan

Nathan Johnson

Nathan Johnson

State Senator (D-Dallas)

Renard Johnson

Renard Johnson headshot

El Paso Mayor

Daniel Lubetzky 

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Founder of Builders and KIND Snacks

Mayes Middleton

Mayes Middleton headshot

State Senator (R-Galveston)

Ron Nirenberg

Ron Nirenberg headshot

San Antonio Mayor

Dade Phelan

Dade Phelan headshot

State Representative and Former Speaker of the Texas House (R-Beaumont)

Chip Roy

Chip Roy headshot

U.S. Representative (Congressional District 21)

Karl Rove

Karl Rove

Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush and Deputy Chief of Staff

James Talarico

James Talarico Headshot.png

State Representative (HD 50) 

Kirk Watson

Kirk Watson

Mayor of Austin

Gene Wu

Gene Wu

State Representative (D-Houston)