Trent Thurman, Assistant Dean
Executive Education
LBJ School of Public Affairs | University of Texas at Austin
Trent Thurman is a seasoned higher education leader and educator with a passion for shaping the future of undergraduate, graduate, and executive education. Currently serving as the Assistant Dean and Director of Executive Education at the prestigious LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, Trent is dedicated to empowering individuals to become exceptional public leaders.
In this role, Trent leads the Executive Master's in Public Leadership (EMPL) degree program and oversees the Governor's Center for Management Development, where he drives innovation and excellence in executive education through a combination of custom and open enrollment programs for public sector and non-profit leaders.
As an award-winning lecturer, Trent has taught undergraduate, graduate, and executive students in the areas of organizational behavior, leadership, and global business. His dynamic teaching style has earned honors from the McCombs Undergraduate Business Council, the Canfield Business Honors program, the Texas Asian Business Students Association, and the MS in Technology Commercialization program.
Trent's influence extends beyond the classroom through his leadership of graduate-level global seminars to diverse regions around the world. Trent has led more than 30 global study tours to Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East.
Prior to his current role at the LBJ School, Trent led the professional MBA portfolio at the McCombs School of Business for nine years, where he successfully propelled the program to the #6 ranking in the U.S. News & World Report's part-time programs category, the highest ranking in program history. He also directed McCombs’ pioneering master's program in Technology Commercialization (MSTC) for nearly five years. Trent has also held leadership positions at the business schools at the University of Tennessee and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Recognized for his contributions to the campus community, Trent was awarded the President's Outstanding Service Award from the University of Texas and the Student Services Excellence Award from the McCombs School of Business.
Beyond his professional achievements, Trent actively engages in the community, having served as president of the Austin chapter of the University of Tennessee Alumni Association, a board member of the Trail Conservancy, the educational advisory board for Galvanize Austin, and the SXSW EDU Launch Advisory Council. Trent previously served as President of the Memphis, Tennessee chapter of the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association and was later elected to the National Board of Governors. Trent is also an advisor to Safely, Inc., an Austin, Texas-based start-up.
Pamela Foster Brady, Director Executive Education
Governor’s Center for Management Development
LBJ School of Public Affairs | University of Texas at Austin
Pamela is currently responsible for leading the Governor’s Center for Management Development – a 40-year-old program created to provide professional development for managers and leaders at all levels of the state government and institutions of higher education to improve individual and organizational effectiveness.
Previously, Pamela oversaw the executive MBA program at The University of Texas at Dallas, Naveen Jindal School of Management. She closely collaborated with faculty on curriculum and ensured AACSB accreditation requirements were achieved. She has led and coordinated international study tours to Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Ireland, Malaysia, Norway, Panama, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, Uruguay, and Vietnam.
Prior to this position, Pamela served as a vice president, senior business development director at Atkins, an international civil engineering firm. She has over 25 years of business experience managing large domestic and international projects; directing strategic pursuits and winning multi-million-dollar projects; developing, instructing, and sponsoring a nationally recognized marketing and business development training program and managing a number of international toll collection system projects in Argentina, Chile, China and Panama.
Pamela received an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee, an executive MBA and an masters of science degree in international management studies from The University of Texas at Dallas.
Melissa Drexler, Leadership and Organizational Development Training Coordinator and Instructor
Governor’s Center for Management Development
LBJ School of Public Affairs | University of Texas at Austin
Since 2022, Melissa Drexler has served as a Leadership and Organizational Development Training Coordinator and Instructor leading the Governor’s Center for Management Development programs – the three day Management Development Program and Excellence in Leadership courses. She brings over a decade of experience training business professionals in Germany and 12 years in teaching and leadership roles within Texas school districts.
A Texas native, Melissa holds a B.S. in Business and Marketing, has completed graduate coursework in Education (Curriculum & Instruction), and holds multiple Texas teaching certifications. She is actively involved in professional organizations, including the Association of Texas Professional Educators and the International Association of Facilitators. She has served on the Executive Board of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas and currently serves on the Executive Board of the National Council of Jewish Women.
Melissa is currently pursuing an Executive Master of Public Leadership at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, reinforcing her dedication to civic engagement and leadership effectiveness. She combines global insights with business and education expertise to deliver training sessions that are known for their engaging, impactful approach, equipping participants with the tools to lead with confidence and purpose.
Outside of work, Melissa enjoys hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her family—her husband Mark, son Coltrane (a UT honors student), and their rescue dog, Chewbacca. She and her son will both graduate from UT in May 2025.
Guest Lecturers
John A. Daly, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Texas at Austin
John Daly teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on advocacy and influence, interpersonal communication and organizational behavior. While at UT he has won every major award given on campus for undergraduate teaching.
Dr. Daly has been the President of the National Communication Association, Chair of the Council of Communication Associations, and served on the Board of Directors of both the International Customer Service Association and the International Communication Association. He has been the editor of two academic journals and served on the editorial boards of numerous journals. He is one of less than 60 scholars in the world who is a Fellow of the International Communication Association. Fellows are recognized for their major scholarly contributions. His work appeared in any number of popular outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Investor’s Business Daily, and the New York Times.
On management and communication-related topics (e.g., advocacy and influence, leadership, teamwork, sales, customer loyalty), Dr. Daly has worked with numerous firms such as Goldman Sachs, JP MorganChase, Morgan Stanley, Roche, Amgen, Merck, Pfizer, Bayer, Astra-Zeneca, State Farm, Prudential, Essilor, Union Pacific, LG, Kraft, Apple, HP, IBM, NOV, BP-AMOCO, PetroChina, CNOOC, Shell, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, AGIP, AT&T, Home Depot, Texas Instruments, UPS, McCarthy, Zachry, Boeing, Lockheed, American Airlines, Southwest, United Airlines, 3M, Frito-Lay, Dell, and Samsung, among many others.
In the governmental arena he has worked with the White House (Clinton--Executive Office of the President) designing and implementing a major customer service initiative, the Office of Vice President on the National Performance Review, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (on communication effectiveness), the GSA (on crisis management), the Department of Veteran Affairs (on customer service and communication), U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (on customer service), Department of Interior (communication, leadership, advocacy), Bureau of Land Management (on customer service and communication), U.S. Department of Education (on communication skills), the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and Acquisition Corp (on communication, leadership, and advocacy), 1st Calvary Division (advocacy and communication), DCAA (on influence and communication skills), AMC (mentoring, communication), TRANSCOM (teamwork, customer service, change management), and the U.S. Air Force (communication, advocacy, and customer focus), among many others. He has worked with a variety of state and local agencies including virtually every major state agency in Texas on communication, leadership, and customer service related issues as well as variety of municipalities in Texas and elsewhere.
Professor Daly has published more than 100 research articles and chapters in scholarly periodicals and produced eight books including the Handbook of Interpersonal Communication (SAGE) and recently, Advocacy: Championing Innovation and Influencing Others (Yale)
Gray Garmon
Director, Center for Integrated Design
Assistant Professor of Practice, Design
University of Texas at Austin
Gray Garmon is an Assistant Professor of Practice and Director of the Center for Integrated Design in the School of Design and Creative Technologies at The University of Texas at Austin. Garmon holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, where he received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Henry Adams Medal and was a University of Pennsylvania Social Impact Fellow. Before arriving at UT in 2018, Garmon served in Peace Corps Ghana and was a faculty member and co-founder of the Master of Arts in Design and Innovation program at Southern Methodist University.
Garmon practices human-centered design (HCD): a problem-solving approach widely used in industry, governments, schools and NGOs. HCD puts people first, using qualitative research methods to understand the human contexts, behaviors, emotions and motivations that can lead to better design solutions. His recent design work includes advising the Aga Khan Foundation on a global HCD toolkit that was honored with a Fast Company Innovation by Design Award, being a Designer-in-Residence with the Design Science Studio at the Buckminster Fuller Institute, and a National Endowment for the Arts-funded interactive art project called the WonderPhone. At UT, he teaches human-centered design courses to B.A., B.F.A., M.A., and M.F.A. students in Design, as well as design courses from across campus through the Design Strategies “Bridging Disciplines” certificate program.
Melissa L. Murphy, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Instruction | Director Undergraduate Entrepreneurship
McCombs School of Business, Department of Management | University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Melissa Murphy is an award-winning teacher and scholar at The University of Texas and is Founder and Chief Communication Coach of The Pitch Academy. Dr. Murphy is a faculty member in the department of management at the McCombs School of Business as well as Director of Undergraduate Entrepreneurship, whose programs rank #2 in the nation. In this role, she leads the Entrepreneurship Minor, the Harkey Institute for Undergraduate Entrepreneurial Studies, and the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute. She holds a BA in Corporate Communication from University of Cincinnati, and an MA and PhD in Organizational Communication and Technology from The University of Texas. Prior to academia, she worked in digital sales and marketing for the music industry in Los Angeles.
Dr. Larry Schooler
Assistant Professor of Practice
Department of Communication Studies
Communication and Leadership Degree Program
Moody College of Communication | The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Larry Schooler is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Moody School of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin and a senior fellow at the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life and the National CIvic League. He is also past president of the International Association for Public Participation and a current board member of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation. Outside of UT, he has spent the past 15 years designing and facilitating public engagement for the City of Austin, other cities across Texas and the U.S., state and federal agencies such as the Texas Department of Transportation, and nonprofit organizations.
Jeremi Suri, Ph.D.
Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs
Professor of Public Affairs and History
LBJ School of Public Affairs | University of Texas at Austin
Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University's Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Professor Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on politics and foreign policy, most recently: Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy.
His other books include: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office; Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; and Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente.
His writings appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, Wired, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other media. Professor Suri is a popular public lecturer and comments frequently on radio and television news. His writing and teaching have received numerous prizes, including the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas and the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. Professor Suri hosts a weekly podcast, “This is Democracy.”