Environmental and Energy Policy

As the 12th dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, JR DeShazo leads one of the nation’s premier public policy schools, ranked No. 1 in Texas and uniquely positioned within a top-tier research university in one of America’s most innovative hubs of government, commerce and technology. Founded in 1970 by President Lyndon B. Johnson to expand access to the halls of power, the LBJ School offers a range of nationally ranked degree programs that prepare students to take on society’s most pressing challenges.

Since arriving in Austin in 2021, DeShazo has bolstered the LBJ School’s reputation as a center for impactful policy education and research – mirroring the rising global profile of UT Austin. His focus on expanding academic reach, enhancing faculty research and enriching the student experience has driven growth in enrollment, research output, financial stability and academic programming.

Under DeShazo’s leadership, the LBJ School will launch its first undergraduate program – the Bachelor of Public Affairs – in fall 2025. This landmark initiative represents the school’s inaugural foray into undergraduate education after over 50 years of exclusively graduate-level offerings. The new program aims to build on the school’s legacy of cultivating public service leaders by equipping students with essential skills in policy analysis, data analytics, communication and organizational leadership.

A distinguished scholar and public policy expert, DeShazo specializes in clean technology policy, environmental equity and environmental economics. His expertise has made him a sought-after advisor for prestigious international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations, as well as U.S. federal agencies like the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Before joining UT Austin, DeShazo spent two decades at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he led both the Department of Public Policy and the Luskin Center for Innovation, a research center dedicated to addressing challenges local to California through actionable research in collaboration with impacted communities and policymakers. During this time, DeShazo and the Luskin Center played a critical role in helping state and civic leaders develop new policies in a variety of areas, including energy, transportation, environmental issues and water resources. 

DeShazo’s academic career and leadership journey have been shaped by his experiences overcoming a childhood learning disability, which continues to fuel his passion for expanding educational access and opportunities. DeShazo holds a doctorate in Urban Planning from Harvard University, a Master of Development Economics from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary, where he was the first-ever Rhodes Scholar for America’s second oldest university.

Aldo Flores-Quiroga is former deputy secretary of energy for hydrocarbons at Mexico's Ministry of Energy (2016–18), where he led a team of more than 180 government officials to implement the historic opening of Mexico's hydrocarbons sector. He launched an oil exploration strategy and production auctions, helped liberalize Mexico's markets for refined products and natural gas, helped create strategic inventories for gasoline, diesel and natural gas, and negotiated Mexico's role in the unprecedented OPEC-Non OPEC pact to stabilize oil markets.

Previously, Dr. Flores-Quiroga was secretary general of the International Energy Forum (IEF) (2012–17), assistant secretary for international affairs at Mexico's Ministry of Energy (2007–11) and assistant secretary for bilateral economic relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2001–05). He represented Mexico at the International Atomic Nuclear Agency (IAEA), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Energy Forum (IEF), the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLADE), and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He served as the executive secretary at the National Institute of Public Administration, as the director general for international affairs for Mexico's Secretariat of energy, and as the director general for bilateral affairs at Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs.

Dr. Flores-Quiroga taught courses in international political economy, comparative politics, economic theory, public policy and economic development at the School of Politics and Economics of the Claremont Graduate University in California (1996–2009). He has published books and articles in English and Spanish on Mexican trade, exchange rate and energy policy, and has been featured on CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and other media outlets.

Patrick Bixler is an assistant professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs with a joint appointment in the Community and Regional Planning program in the School of Architecture. His interdisciplinary appointment contributes to the work of Planet Texas 2050 and he serves as a core faculty member of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service. His current research focuses on climate and environmental governance, urban sustainability and resilience, hazard preparedness and response, and network science. Dr. Bixler is particularly interested in how public, private and nonprofit institutions collaborate to solve complex social and environmental problems and promote social innovation. Through his research and teaching he emphasizes the importance and impact of civic and community engagement.

Dr. Bixler co-leads a Planet Texas 2050 Flagship Project and leads the Austin Area Sustainability Indicators project, which won the 2020 Community Impact Award from the Community Indicator Consortium. His research has recently been published in Cities, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Environmental Science and Policy, Sustainability and Nonprofit Policy Forum.