The LBJ School alumni network continues to play an important role at the School. This year, a number of LBJ School graduates shared their job experiences with first-year students eager to explore career options, and another group participated in the Barbara Jordan Memorial Forum on Diversity in Public Policy (see story).
Speaking to recently arrived first-year students during orientation week, four LBJ School graduates discussed their career paths as well as other topics. They spoke about the growing influence of cities and states in the global economy and the need for public affairs professionals with innovative management skills and international experience. They also compared private and public sector employment, emphasizing the tangible rewards of policymaking on the local level.
Organized by the Office of Student and Alumni Programs, the panel included Laura Barrientos (LBJ Class of 1996), vice president and senior analyst for Moody's Investors Service in Dallas; Greg Montes (LBJ Class of 1995), a management assistant for the Phoenix, Arizona, Public Works Office; Mike Reyna (LBJ Class of 1982), chairman of the Farm Credit Administration Board and chief executive officer of the Farm Credit Administration; and Kristen Vassallo (LBJ Class of 1997), chief of staff for Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.
Speaking to undergraduate students interested in public affairs careers, the alumni who participated in the Barbara Jordan Forum moderated and served on panels that looked at a variety of public service topics. They also spoke formally and informally about their relationship with Barbara Jordan and their experiences as LBJ School students.
Among those who participated in the Jordan Forum were former U.S. Social Security Commissioner Kenneth Apfel (LBJ Class of 1978), who now holds the Sid Richardson Chair in Public Affairs at the LBJ School; Courtney Brown (LBJ Class of 1983), director of the LBJ School Office of Student and Alumni Programs; DeAnn Friedholm (LBJ Class of 1979), who is the incoming Texas director of the Children's Defense Fund; and Kim Smith (LBJ Class of 1994), Austin chapter president of the LBJ School Alumni Association.
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DeAnn Friedholm (LBJ Class of 1979) (right), shown here with second-year student Amy Thompson at the Barbara Jordan Forum on Diversity in Public Policy, was recently named Texas director of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). In summer 2000, Thompson interned for the CDF, a privately funded entity that advocates quality health care, education, and safe communities for children through public outreach and legislative initiatives. Photo by Megan Scarborough |
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May 14, 2001
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