The Barbara Jordan Panel: Women Who Master the Rules
Woman Who Mastered the Rules is the kickoff event to the Barbara Jordan National Forum, sponsored by the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation. This event is inspired by one of Barbara Jordan’s most enduring lessons: “If you’re going to play the game properly, you’d better know every rule.”Rooted in this charge, the event centers the power of preparation, strategy, and principled leadership as essential tools for effective public service.
This program brings together accomplished women leaders from across public policy, governance, and civic life to share the often-unspoken rules that shape success in public service. Through personal stories, professional journeys, and hard-earned insights, speakers illuminate how navigating institutions, power structures, and decision-making spaces with clarity and integrity can open doors—and create pathways for others.
This program will feature commentary by:
Sherri R. Greenberg is Assistant Dean and professor at the LBJ School, advancing ethical AI, housing, and local governance through applied research and public engagement. A former Texas legislator and mayoral advisor, she bridges policy, technology, and community impact via funded initiatives shaping equitable public systems.
Terri R. Broussard is a nationally recognized public affairs leader, lobbyist, author, and storyteller with more than two decades of experience advancing policy, building coalitions, and shaping outcomes at the state and local level across all 50 states. She currently serves as Head of State and Local Government Relations in the financial services sector, where she leads multi-state advocacy strategies at the intersection of public policy, business objectives, and community impact.
Terri earned her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University, where she built the foundation for her career in communications, public policy, and civic leadership. In recognition of her professional impact and contributions to the field, she was inducted in 2025 into the LSU Manship School of Mass Communications Hall of Fame. She later completed her master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania, where her academic focus centered on social impact and leadership. While at Penn, she was selected as Commencement Speaker and received the university’s Excellence in Social Impact Award.
In parallel with her policy work, Terri is the creator and host of Roots + Rebirth™, a podcast and storytelling platform exploring leadership, resilience, and self-alignment. She is also the author of Find Your Fire, a book on purpose-driven leadership and living with intention that was named #6 on Cosmopolitan magazine’s Top 20 Nonfiction Books of 2020.
Vanessa Fuentes is working to build an Austin where every resident can access what they need to thrive. Since joining City Council in 2021, she has focused on delivering concrete results for Austinites, including a $22/hour minimum wage for City employees, Texas’ first-ever Trauma Recovery Center supporting crime victims, expanded paid parental leave, and air conditioning requirements for every Austin apartment.
Vanessa has made housing stability and reducing homelessness a top priority, championing family stabilization grants, supporting rapid rehousing, and investing in services that help people move from crisis to stability with dignity. She has also expanded childcare access by reducing barriers to opening new centers and bringing dual-language, full-day pre-K to the Eastern Crescent.
Before taking office, Vanessa worked on criminal justice reform at the Texas Capitol and healthcare policy at the American Heart Association. Raised in Central Texas, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UT Austin and calls Southeast Austin home.
This event is sponsored by the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation.