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!
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)
2023: Anne Stuhldreher (MPAff '96)
2022: Bird Runningwater (MPAff '96)
President & Executive Producer CloudWoman Media
2021: Shamina Singh (MPAff '97)
Founder and President of Center for Inclusive Growth, Mastercard
2020: Alejandra Castillo (MPAff '98)
Former CEO of YWCA
2019: Stacey Abrams (MPAff '98)
Former Democratic nominee for Georgia governor
2018: Nancy La Vigne (MPAff '91)
Vice President for Justice Policy, Urban Institute
2017: Mark Zion (MPAff '80)
Executive Director, Texas Public Power Association (retired)
2016: Laura Huffman (MPAff '91)
State Director, The Nature Conservancy in Texas
2014: Mike Naeve (MPAff '72)
Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates
2013: David Berteau (MPAff '81)
Senior Vice President at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
2012: Robert N. Campbell, III (MPAff '73)
Vice Chairman and U.S. Public Sector Leader, Deloitte LLP
2011: John O'Brien (MPAff '81)
Director, Texas Legislative Budget Board
2010: Courtney Brown (MPAff '83)
Former Director, LBJ School Office of Student and Alumni Programs
2009: Edward E. Emmett (MPAff '74)
Harris County Judge
2008: Anne Dunkelberg (MPAff '88)
Associate Director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities
2007: Rafael Fernández de Castro (MPAff '86)
Chair and Full-Time Professor, Department of International Studies, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México
2006: Sheila Wilson Beckett (MPAff '77)
Resident Budget Adviser, U.S. Treasury Department
2005: Jorge C. Garcés (MPAff '77)
Deputy Managing Director, North American Development Bank
2003: Michael Reyna (MPAff '82)
Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors, Farm Credit Administration
2002: Dana DeBeauvoir (MPAff '81)
Travis County Clerk
2001: Albert Hawkins (MPAff '78)
Assistant to the U.S. President and Cabinet Secretary
2000: Bill Owens (MPAff '75)
Colorado Governor
1999: Craig Pedersen (MPAff '81)
Executive Administrator, Texas Water Development Board
1998: Tim Delaney (MPAff '83)
Chief Deputy Attorney General, State of Arizona
1997: Ken Apfel (MPAff '78)
U.S. Social Security Commissioner
1996: Steve Spinner (MPAff '84)
Job Training Adviser, U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee (posthumous recognition)
1995: Jesus Garza (MPAff '77)
Austin City Manager
1994: Susan Rieff (MPAff '80)
Governor's Policy Council Director and Chief Environmental Policy Adviser, Texas Governor's Office
1993: John Hall (MPAff '78)
Chair, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
1992: DeAnn Friedholm (MPAff '79)
State (Texas) Medicaid Director; Deputy Commissioner of Medicaid, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
1991: Rodney Ellis (MPAff '77)
Texas State Senator
1990: Jan Hart Black (MPAff '75)
Dallas City Manager
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.
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
2021: Erol Yayboke (MPAff '06)
Director of the Project on Fragility and Mobility at CSIS
2020: Lauren Rose (MPAff '10)
Public Policy Director, Texas Network of Youth Services
2019: Rudy Metayer (EMPL '16)
Pflugerville City Councilmember
2018: Rachel Hoff (MGPS '14)
Communications Director and Policy Adviser, Senate Armed Services Committee
2017: Matthew Randazzo (MPAff '03)
Chief Executive Officer, The National Math + Science Initiative
2017: Vanessa Stotts (MPAff '13)
Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State