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Experts Available to Discuss Texas Governor's RaceOctober 12, 2009 AUSTIN, Texas — The 2010 Texas governor's race promises to be an historic contest as U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison challenges incumbent Rick Perry for the Republican nomination and several Democrats vie to run against the GOP candidate next November. The University of Texas at Austin has experts available to discuss various aspects of the race, from politics to policy, with members of the media. Below is a list of faculty members and their areas of expertise. For additional information or assistance, please contact Gary Susswein, director of public affairs in the College of Liberal Arts, at 512-471-4945, susswein@austin.utexas.edu. STATEWIDE POLITICS AND ELECTIONS James Henson Henson runs the Texas Politics Project, which seeks to educate students and Texans about state government, politics and history through a dynamic Web site and a speaker series. It also conducts quarterly statewide issues polls. Daron Shaw Shaw was an analyst and consultant in the 1992, 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. He has written two books on voters and election campaigns and teaches classes on survey research analysis, public opinion and voting behavior, campaigns and elections, political parties and American government. Bruce Buchanan Buchanan is a nationally renowned expert on politics and government. He has written multiple books on the American presidency and is frequently quoted in media stories about state and national politics. Sherri Greenberg Greenberg served for 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives, from 1991 to 2001. She chaired the House Pensions and Investments Committee and the Select Committee on Teacher Health Insurance and was a member on the House Appropriations Committee. Paul Stekler Stekler is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work includes "George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire," "Last Man Standing: Politics, Texas Style" and "Vote for Me: Politics in America," a four-hour PBS special about grassroots electoral politics. Sean Theriault Theriault's research includes American political institutions, primarily U.S. Congress. He also studies party polarization in the U.S. Congress. An award-winning teachers He has also published articles on subjects ranging from presidential rhetoric to congressional careers and the Louisiana. Andrew Karch Karch specializes in the study of American state politics and public policy. His projects examine the evolution of American preschool education, the politics of embryonic stem cell research and the impact of campaign advertisements on voter turnout. USE OF NEW MEDIA Homero Gil de Zuniga De Zuniga's research revolves around new media consumption (podcasts, blogs, etc.) and the role it plays in political and civic engagement among individuals. His work examines the implications of new media use at political and civic participatory levels and whether they will get someone to the polls. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP H.W. Brands Brands has written more than 20 books on such leaders as Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his most recent book "Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt." CAMPAIGN FINANCE Brian Roberts Roberts' research has focused on politics and financial markets, corporate political participation, and distributive politics. He teaches a course on money in U.S. politics and has published papers in political science, economics and finance. PUBLIC POLICY DECISION-MAKING Bryan Jones Jones' research centers on the study of public policy processes, American governing institutions, and the connection between human decision-making and organizational behavior. He is a director of the Policy Agendas Project, which is housed at The University of Texas at Austin. The project is the major resource for examining changes in public policy processes in American national institutions. TOLL ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION C. Michael Walton Walton researches intelligent transportation systems and studies engineering, planning, operations and policy analysis. He is chairman of the Texas Department of Transportation's "2030 Committee," which is overseeing a comprehensive update of Texas' transportation needs through 2030. Chandra R. Bhat Bhat conducts mathematical modeling of how people make decisions about travel. His models evaluate the effectiveness of alternative traffic congestion alleviation strategies such as telecommuting, work schedule changes, toll roads, ridesharing incentives and non-motorized travel such as bicycling and walking. ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT David Eaton Eaton teaches a course on environmental and energy policy and has written on rural water supply, international water resource conflicts, energy management and environmental problems of industries. Michael Webber Webber's research includes energy policy, energy and water, alternative and renewable energy, biofuels and energy in Texas. The Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy seeks to inform the energy and environmental policy-making process with scientific and engineering expertise. WATER ISSUES Daene McKinney McKinney develops methods to simulate, optimize and analyze environmental and water resource management problems. He concentrates on trans-boundary water and environmental issues, including along the United States-Mexico border. He is interested in the relationship between economic development and environmental protection and is developing a comprehensive database about water quality and flow in the Rio Grande. David Maidment Maidment directs the Center for Research in Water Resources. His research includes water-quality modeling, water resources assessment, hydrologic simulation, global hydrology and the interaction between surface water and groundwater. HEALTH CARE John Mckiernan-González Mckiernan-González studies the intersection of public health, civil rights and social movements. He has done research on 19th and 20th popular mobilization and American public health policies at the Mexican border, race and cross-border labor politics, and Latino public history. David Warner Warner's major teaching and research interests are in economics, health policy and health finance. He has been a consultant to a number of organizations in the health sector, and is a former member of the Board of Directors of Austin's Brackenridge Hospital. EDUCATION Jane Lincove Lincove's research focuses on education policy and the economics of education in the U.S. and in developing countries. She has also worked for several non-profit children's advocacy organizations. Linda Ferreira-Buckley Ferreira-Buckley teaches courses in writing, histories and theories of rhetoric and literacy, writing pedagogy and Victorian literature. She has published on the history of rhetoric and is at work on a book on the rhetorical education of Barbara Jordan. ECONOMY AND LABOR Daniel Hamermesh Hamermesh is an expert on economic and labor issues. A regular contributor to the New York Times' Freakonomics blog, he has done research on labor demand, time use, social insurance programs and the American Time Use Survey. Michael Brandl Brandl is an expert on the Texas economy and economic issues relevant to a gubernatorial political debate. His research interests include economic growth, financial economics and labor economics. He was recently a source for the Economist's special section on the Texas economy. RACE AND RELIGION IN POLITICS Christopher Ellison Ellison's research into the role of religion in society has included studies on regional and religious variations in public opinion and policy preferences. He is co-editor of Religion, Families, and Health: New Directions in Population-based Research. BORDER AND IMMIGRATION Nestor Rodriguez Rodriguez's research focuses on Guatemalan migration, U.S. deportations to Mexico and Central America, the unauthorized migration of unaccompanied minors, evolving relations between Latinos and African Americans/Asian Americans and ethical and human rights issues of border enforcement. Peter Ward Ward is former director of the Mexican Center of the Institute of Latin American Studies. His principal research interests are Latin American urbanization, contemporary Mexican politics, housing policy and planning, Mexico City and colonia-type agencies. Neil Foley Foley's research centers on the changing constructions of race, citizenship and national identity in the American Southwest and Mexico, and comparative civil rights politics of African Americans and Mexican Americans. John Mckiernan-González HISPANIC HISTORY AND VOTING AND CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES Emilio Zamora Zamora has conducted research on the history of Mexicans in the United States and their relationship with Mexico, the history of the U.S. working class and Texas history. A native of the Texas-Mexico border region, Zamora speaks Spanish and is available for Spanish language interviews. BORDER AND IMMIGRATION Hector Dominguez-Ruvalcaba Dominguez-Ruvalcaba's areas of interest are queer Latin American Studies, gender violence in the U.S.-Mexico border and criminal organizations. A native of Mexico, he speaks Spanish and is available for Spanish language interviews. For more information, contact: Gary Susswein, College of Liberal Arts, 512 471 4945. Post a comment» Experts Available to Discuss Texas Governor's Race |
