Public Management

Free advice for Tony Evers: How he could make Wisconsin state government work better

Dec. 14, 2018
Republicans control the Legislature, so passing new legislation is likely to prove contentious. Tony Evers should focus on making existing programs and policies work better, says LBJ Professor Don Kettl.

Cities hold the key to food sustainability

Dec. 12, 2018
Today, it is cities that that can solve our toughest challenges, including poverty and hunger, but only if their governments can prevail over the powerful interests that cities generate, says LBJ Professor Raj Patel.

Brenda Eivens

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Since 2006, Brenda Eivens has served as city manager of the city of Cedar Park, a dynamic suburb located northwest of Austin, Texas, with a population over 65,000. As the chief executive officer for the city of Cedar Park, Brenda has led the development of programs and implementation of projects that have improved city services and the quality of life for the Cedar Park community, including development and upkeep of critical infrastructure, enhancement and maintenance of parks and community amenities, and addition and expansion of economic development projects.

Brenda earned a Master of Public Administration from Texas State University in 1995 and has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Sam Houston State University. She is an active member of International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the Texas City Management Association (TCMA) and has served on various committees. Brenda received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Texas State University Masters in Public Administration in 2014. In 2012, she was named Public Administrator of the Year by Central Texas American Society of Public Administrators. She was recognized as a Profiles in Power & Women of Influence Winner by the Austin Business Journal in 2010.

Angela Evans

Dean Emeritus

Angela Evans was dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs from 2016 to 2020. She joined the School as a professor of practice in 2009 after 40 years in public service to the U.S. Congress, including 15 as the deputy director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a legislative branch agency that provides nonpartisan research and public policy analysis to Congress.

During her tenure, the LBJ School's U.S. News and World Report ranking rose from 14 to 8. She strengthened its commitment to producing dynamic, actionable research to inform real-world policymaking; attracting and retaining the best talent to teach and engage with the School's communities; and giving diverse cohorts of students the knowledge and skills to influence and lead in the civic sector. She refreshed the School's academic programming, expanded its intellectual leadership; streamlined systems and operations; and raised over $57 million in funding. She was instrumental in creating three centers: the LBJ Urban Lab, the Prison and Jail Innocation Lab (PJIL) and The Impact Factory (an initiative with Dell Medical School). She championed the inauguration of the LBJ Women's Campaign School, and created leadership positions including an associate dean for students, an assistant dean for community engagement, and an assistant dean for academic strategies.

Evans's numerous teaching awards include the 2012 Texas Exes teaching award, the most valuable class (2010 and 2012) and the most helpful professor (every year between 2010 and 2015).

Evans is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration; past president of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) (2013–14); and served on the executive committee of National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Analysis (NASPAA). She is a visiting fellow with the IBM Center for the Business of Government, where she is working on reimagining public affairs education.

Subscribe to Public Management