James Henson

Biography

Dr. Henson directs the Texas Politics Project, and is Associate Director of the College of Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services. His current interests include politics and public opinion in Texas and the U.S. He received a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin, was an assistant professor at the University of Louisiana -Monroe, and collaborated on public interest Internet projects with The Benton Foundation in Washington, D.C. before returning to UT in 2000. He coordinates the Government Department's internship program.  With Daron Shaw, he co-directs the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, the only open-source statewide survey of public opinion in Texas.  The data sets from those surveys are available in the Polling section of the Texas Politics Website.  He also writes frequently about politics for The Texas Tribune.

Henson was appointed to the City of Austion Ethics Review Commission in 2009 by the Austin City Council, and was named Chairman of the Commission in 2010.