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February Newsletter
February is Black History Month and to celebrate, the Hobby School is hosting policy discussions, broadcasting interviews and recognizing leaders past and present. We want to commemorate the Black experience in our communities and country and honor the work, legacies and transformational impact of our fellow citizens. Please visit the Black History Month 2021 section of the Hobby School website for profiles, perspectives, highlighted events and interviews with notable leaders.

Community Contributors and Rising Stars
Troy Allen, Kristingail Robinson, Matthew Lair

Trailblazers
Barbara Jordan, Lee P. Brown, Rodney Paige, Margaritte Ross Barnett, Wallace B. Jefferson, Teneshia Hudspeth

Read the Dean’s Message on Black History Month

February Hobby Hour
Texas Legislature 2021: The House Agenda
Texas lawmakers are working in earnest to keep the business of Texas moving during a challenging time in our state and country. Don’t miss this insightful conversation about the Texas House of Representative’s 2021 priorities with Rep. Jim Murphy, chair of the House Republican Caucus, and Rep. Chris Turner, chair of the House Democratic Caucus. The conversation will be hosted by Hobby School Dean Kirk Watson.  The February Hobby Hour takes place at noon, Wednesday, Feb. 17, via Zoom.
Register

Research
Taking the Pulse: Texas Policy and Politics 2021

The Hobby School has released the first three of six reports polling Texans’ views on a variety of state issues on the table this legislative session.

Report One examines the views of Texans on issues that the Legislature is currently considering: election reforms, marijuana legalization, gambling, Medicaid expansion and criminal justice reforms, among others.

Report Two examines the views of Texans on ways to generate more state tax revenue, such as by eliminating sales tax exemptions or using the state’s Rainy Day Fund to cover the current biennial budget’s $1 billion deficit.

Report Three evaluates opinions about COVID-19 vaccinations and local and state leadership combatting the pandemic.
 
The surveys are being shared widely with legislators, advocacy groups and the business community and have received much positive feedback for their value.

News release about Reports One and Two
News release about Report Three
FOX26 Houston • Houston Chronicle • KRLD Newsradio • Off The Kuff • Forbes.com
 
Report Four (to be released Feb. 4) analyzes Texans’ attitudes about election fraud, January’s insurrection in Washington DC, and energy sources. Report Five (to be released Feb. 9) takes a deep dive into Harris County issues. Report Six (to be released Feb. 11) compares Harris County residents’ reponses to those of Texans generally.  
Carbon Management Research Captures Headlines
Texans took note of the recently released UH Energy/Hobby School report on public opinions toward climate change and carbon management. This article used the report as a basis for a conversation with Climate Cabinet Action’s Caroline Spears.

The UH Energy/Hobby School report shows legislators, community leaders, industry professionals and concerned citizens how Texans feel about issues such as carbon capture and environmental legislation. See more coverage of the report at:

Fort Worth Star Telegram • Houston Public Media • Forbes.com • Science Daily
 

Program News
The Governor and the Colonel: A Look Back at Texas’ Premier Power Couple
Don’t miss this signature event with author Don Carleton to explore his newest book The Governor and the Colonel – A Dual Biography of William P. Hobby and Oveta Culp Hobby. The event is part of the Hobby School’s Women’s Month activities in March to highlight gender diversity in public service. The event will tackle the couple’s impact on local, state and national events; and how their marriage and media empire helped shape 20th century journalistic and political history. It will include a special focus on Col. Oveta Culp Hobby, the first woman to be sworn into the U.S. Army, the first director of the Women’s Army Corps and the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In 1919, it was Governor Hobby who signed the Texas Woman Suffrage Resolution even before the U.S. Congress approved the 19th Amendment, establishing (white) women’s right to vote.

The event is co-sponsored by the Hobby School and the Center for Public History at the University of Houston

Save the date: 5 p.m., Tuesday, March 9, via Zoom. Sign up here.
The Hispanic Republican in Historical Perspective
Happening Today: Hobby School Dean Kirk P. Watson hosts a conversation with two premier historians: Geraldo L. Cadava, associate professor of History, Northwestern University and author of The Hispanic Republican: The Shaping of an American Political Identity, from Nixon to Trump (New York: Ecco, 2020) and Nancy Beck Young, Center for Public History’s Moores Professor and professor of History at the University of Houston. Hosted by the Hobby School Center for Public Policy and UH Department of History  2:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 2
 
Cadava will discuss the history of the complicated dynamic between Latino liberalism and conservatism, offering insight into one of the most discussed and debated constituency in American electoral politics. Following the presentation, Cadava and Nancy Beck Young will discuss how this unique combination affects politics in our time.
Manifesto Makes Care a Policy Priority
The COVID-19 pandemic plunged the health care crisis into the spotlight, exposing critical gaps in care – not just health care - but mental health, parenting, elder care, the poor, the environment and crime. Authors of the Care Collective’s book The Care Manifesto, one in a series of Coronavirus pamphlets, propose putting the practice of care at the center of policy, politics and practice, in part by focusing on the interdependency of societies. Join the authors for a discussion hosted by the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership at the Hobby School, noon, Friday, Feb. 5, via Zoom.
Racial Capitalism and Its Negative Consequences
Racial capitalism is the process of deriving value from the racial identity of others, harming the individuals affected and society as a whole. The UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership at the Hobby School are co-sponsoring a discussion with Ruth Wilson Gilmore, professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences, and American Studies and the director of the Center for Place, Culture and Politics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. In her lectures, Gilmore explains that the only way to dismantle systems and logics of control and punishment is to change questions, categories and campaigns from the ground up. Mark your calendar for 3:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 18.

Student and Alumni News
Alumna Continues to Rise
 
Hats off to former Leland Fellow and Civic Houston intern Mary Davis for completing the University of Texas LBJ Women's Campaign School. She was in the inaugural cohort of 50 women from across the country accepted into the rigorous program. Previously on U.S. Rep. Pete Olson’s district staff, Davis is now the new deputy district director for the recently elected U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls. We can’t wait to see where she goes from here!
Students Rewarded for Leadership
 
Congratulations to the first group of students chosen for the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Student Scholarship.  The awards are part of the $6.5 million endowment from the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Foundation to help fund the new Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership. Students receive a $1,500 scholarship for their demonstrated ethical leadership and merit. We are very proud of Sondos Moursey, Sakethram Desabhtla, Cassidy Lee, Marco Garcia, Kryss Schofield and Jane Onouha, and we look forward to celebrating your accomplishments!
Public Managers Advance in their Fields
 
Congratulation to these Hobby School Certified Public Management (CPM) Program students and alumnus for their professional achievements.
  • Jeremy Edge is the new assistant Chief of Police for the City of Webster Police Department.
  • Charlene Warren accepted the assistant city manager emergency management coordinators position for the City of La Marque.
  • Dalton Rice is now the city manager for Morgan Point Resort in Bell County.
  • CPM alumnus Pete Bacon becomes the new chief of police for the City of Webster Police Department.
The CPM program is for public service employees, working professionals, administrative staff, faculty and students in the government and nonprofit sectors who are interested in enhancing their skills and abilities. Public managers learn to build and apply best practices and theory in real time.
 
Kudos to all!
Alumna Accepts Position in D.C.
 
Former Mickey Leland Congressional Intern and Civic Houston Intern Ilhaam “Illy” Jaffer has accepted a new position as the director for federal government relations for the American Cancer Society in Washington, D.C. She previously worked in the office of U.S. Rep.  Eddie Bernice Johnson as an advance team member for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and most recently in governmental affairs for the City of Houston. In addition to her new job, Jaffer is finishing her work in the Hobby School’s Certified Public Manager program and is participating in the League of Women Voters Rising Stars program. We wish you well, Illy!

Media Activity

Mark Your Calendars
Feb. 2, 2:30 PM 
Hispanic Republicans in Historical Perspective, sponsored by the Hobby School, UH Department of History, and UH Center for Public History | Register

Feb. 4, 10 AM
TexPIRG Legislative Briefing: Defending Democracy in the Texas Legislature, moderated by Dean Kirk Watson on Facebook Live | Register

Feb 5, 12 PM 
Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence, hosted by the EDR Center | Register
             
Feb 10, 5:30 PM
Graduate School Information Session Hobby School of Public Affairs | Register

Feb. 18, 3:30 PM
Racial Capitalism with Ruth Gilmore, City University New York, sponsored by the EDR Center and CLASS Ruth Gilmore (CUNY) | Register
 
March 9, 5 PM
The Governor and the Colonel: An Inside Look with Author Don Carleton | Register
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