The LBJ School Alumni Board is accepting nominations for two alumni recognition awards — the Distinguished Public Service Award and the Rising Leader Award.
NOMINATE SOMEONE by July 31 at 5pm CDT to be considered for the 2024 Awards! Tap this link to nominate.
LBJ School and LBJ Alumni Board:
Distinguished Public Service Award
Established in 1989, the Distinguished Public Service Award is presented each year to an LBJ alum whose career and public service record best represents the values and mission of the LBJ School.
Selection Criteria
- Nominees should be a graduate of the LBJ School and must have made significant contributions to public policy, promoted the advancement of the public affairs vocation, been engaged in community service and/or volunteerism, shown commitment to the LBJ School and its mission, demonstrated leadership, worked well with diverse groups, and other attributes (honors/awards, etc.).
- This award is open to professionals from the public, private, or nonprofit sectors.
Past Distinguished Public Servant Award Recipients
| 2023: Peter McCanna (MPAff '86), Anne Stuhldreher (MPAff '96) | |
| 2022: Bird Runningwater, President & Executive Producer CloudWoman Media, MPAff 1996 | 2005: Jorge C. Garcés (MPAff '77), deputy managing director, North American Development Bank |
| 2021: Shamina Singh (MPAff '97), Founder and President of Center for Inclusive Growth, Mastercard | 2003: Michael Reyna (MPAff '82), chair and chief executive officer, Board of Directors, Farm Credit Administration |
| 2020: Alejandra Castillo (MPAff '98), Former CEO of YWCA | 2002: Dana DeBeauvoir (MPAff '81), Travis County Clerk |
| 2019: Stacey Abrams (MPAff '98), Former Democratic nominee for Georgia governor | 2001: Albert Hawkins (MPAff '78), assistant to the U.S. president and Cabinet secretary |
| 2018: Nancy La Vigne (MPAff '91), vice president for justice policy, Urban Institute | 2000: Bill Owens (MPAff '75), Colorado governor |
| 2017: Mark Zion (MPAff '80), executive director, Texas Public Power Association (retired) | 1999: Craig Pedersen (MPAff '81), executive administrator, Texas Water Development Board |
| 2016: Laura Huffman (MPAff '91), state director, The Nature Conservancy in Texas | 1998: Tim Delaney (MPAff '83), chief deputy attorney general, State of Arizona |
| 2014: Mike Naeve (MPAff '72), partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates | 1997: Ken Apfel (MPAff '78), U.S. Social Security commissioner |
| 2013: David Berteau (MPAff '81), senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies | 1996: Steve Spinner (MPAff '84), job training adviser, U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee (posthumous recognition) |
| 2012: Robert N. Campbell, III (MPAff '73), vice chairman and U.S. public sector leader, Deloitte LLP | 1995: Jesus Garza (MPAff '77), Austin city manager |
| 2011: John O'Brien (MPAff '81), director, Texas Legislative Budget Board | 1994: Susan Rieff (MPAff '80), Governor's Policy Council director and chief environmental policy adviser, Texas Governor's Office |
| 2010: Courtney Brown (MPAff '83), former director, LBJ School Office of Student and Alumni Programs | 1993: John Hall (MPAff '78), chair, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission |
| 2009: Edward E. Emmett (MPAff '74), Harris County judge | 1992: DeAnn Friedholm (MPAff '79), state (Texas) Medicaid director; deputy commissioner of Medicaid, Texas Health and Human Services Commission |
| 2008: Anne Dunkelberg (MPAff '88), associate director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities | 1991: Rodney Ellis (MPAff '77), Texas state senator |
| 2007: Rafael Fernández de Castro (MPAff '86), chair and full-time professor, Department of International Studies, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México | 1990: Jan Hart Black (MPAff '75), Dallas city manager |
| 2006: Sheila Wilson Beckett (MPAff '77), resident budget adviser, U.S. Treasury Department | 1989: Billy Hamilton (MPAff '75), director of state and local services, KPMG Peat Marwick |
Rising Leader Award
The Rising Leader Award recognizes the efforts of our more recent alumni who exemplify the LBJ mission of “improving the quality of public service in the United States and abroad at all levels of governance and civic engagement.”
Selection Criteria
- Nominees should be under the age of 40 or within the first 10 years of their graduation from the LBJ School and must have been involved in public service.
- For the purposes of this award, public service is defined as activities or contributions that are conducted in the interest of the common good and the welfare of the community or society. This can include, but is not limited to, direct service to the public, implementation of policies and regulations, engagement in community development, advocacy for social justice, volunteerism, and the advancement of the public affairs profession.
Past Rising Leader Recipients
| 2023: Drew Masada (MGPS '09) | |
| 2022: Chris Rodriguez, President & CEO at Ability360, MPAff 2012 | 2018: Rachel Hoff (MGPS '14), communications director and policy adviser, Senate Armed Services Committee |
| 2021: Erol Yayboke (MPAff '06), director of the Project on Fragility and Mobility at CSIS | 2017: Matthew Randazzo (MPAff '03), chief executive officer, The National Math + Science Initiative |
| 2020: Lauren Rose (MPAff '10), Public Policy Director, Texas Network of Youth Services | 2017: Vanessa Stotts (MPAff '13), foreign service officer, U.S. Department of State |
| 2019: Rudy Metayer (EMPL '16), Pflugerville City Councilmember |