Pamela Foster Brady was named director of Executive Education at The LBJ School of Public Affairs in June 2023, tasked with reimaging and leading the Governor’s Center for Management Development.
Brady has a unique professional background in both academia and the corporate realm. She was formerly director of the Executive MBA program at UT Dallas and has held senior leadership positions in business development, marketing and program management. These experiences have provided her with a deep understanding of the multiple functions within an organization and a holistic approach to critical problem-solving. She is particularly interested in helping state organizations navigate tricky areas by providing them relevant skills in leadership, strategy, management and understanding how public policy drives the day-to-day world.
“I am honored to take leadership of the Governor’s Center for Management Development,” said Brady, going on to express her excitement about this program for state employees to learn management skills.
The center is mostly tied to clients in the US but has a growing international component that brings public officials to the school from nations across the globe for skill enrichment and educational development in subjects that are both timeless like management and trending like artificial intelligence (AI). A list of current and upcoming courses can be found on the Governor’s Center course calendar.
Brady looks forward to the opportunity to refresh current offerings and grow new programs within existing ones. This includes “taking away the fear of the unknown” by exploring AI and using it to improve day-to-day efficiencies.
She said AI is “an opportunity to understand public policy to become more effective and efficient in our operations,” such as scenario evaluation and automating processes like writing job descriptions and reporting.
She also noted that cybersecurity is the top issue in any organization and sourcing guidelines are an important factor to maintain academic integrity. Curriculum involving AI will emphasize these principles and focus on how to refine searches to make them more robust while giving credit to accurate sourcing.
In addition to this, Brady also emphasized health and wellness programs, speaking about dealing with burnout, mental wellness issues and the importance of positive health when it comes to professional performance.
She personally finds joy and relaxation tending to her garden, kayaking, and spending time with family. When asked what makes The LBJ School stand out from other public affairs schools, she spoke about both the supportive leadership, excellent ranking and name recognition.
“Dean JR DeShazo and Assistant Dean of Executive Education Trent Thurman are strong leaders who are literally a phone call away,” said Brady. “This not only creates resources for me but makes sure that all our plans continue to follow through.”