Project Lead
Joshua Busby is an Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Moral Movements and Foreign Policy (Cambridge, 2010) and AIDS Drugs for All: Social Movements and Market Transformations (Cambridge, 2013). He has written extensively on global climate governance and climate change and security for the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, the German Marshall Fund, and the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, among other outlets. He is the principal investigator of a new U.S. Department of Defense-funded project on Complex Emergencies and Political Stability in Asia (CEPSA) through the Robert S. Strauss Center. He is Life Member in the Council on Foreign Relations. He received his PhD in Government from Georgetown University and has previously held research appointments at the Brookings Institution, Harvard University, and Princeton University.
Jonathan Adams is a master’s student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He has bachelor’s degrees in political science and sociology from Utah State University, where he graduated cum laude. While at USU, he co-founded a secular student group, the first of its kind in Utah, and was awarded the Chinn scholarship for his LGBT activism. He contributed to The Utah Statesman as a political columnist and has written more broadly as a freelance blogger. Prior to his graduate studies, he coached high school debate and taught American history and civics. He currently works for eBay as a quality consultant.
Mariam Ahmed is a first year Master of Public Affairs student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She is from Spring, Texas and received a B.A. in Political Science from Rice University in 2014.
Lea Bogner is a first year MPAff student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She recently completed two years with Teach for America, teaching 6th grade English Language Arts at KIPP Believe College Prep in New Orleans, Louisiana. Before TFA, Lea attended Tulane University, majoring in International Relations and Development. At Tulane, she chaired the Community Action Council of Tulane University Students, the country’s oldest and largest collegiate service organization. For her service to the University and New Orleans community, she was award the Jim Runsdorf Award for Excellence in Service, and is a member of the 2012 cohort of the Tulane 34, Tulane’s award for 34 students exemplifying academic excellence, leadership and service.
Sabrina Bosiacki is a graduate student at LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated cum laude with honors from Baylor University, earning a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Sociology in 2013. She has worked with the Heart of Texas Council of Governments where she began the redrafting and initial research of the updated waste management plan for the six counties under HOTCOG jurisdiction. She lives in Austin, Texas with her boyfriend and newly adopted (and wonderfully perfect) kitten, Ripley.
Jessica Carrillo is a Masters of Global Policy Studies Candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Her specialization is in Regional International Policy in East Asia. This past summer Jessica served at the United States Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar as a Pickering Fellow. As a fellow, she contributed to the Human Rights Report and U.S. participation in the 2014 ASEAN Regional Forum. The previous summer, Jessica worked in the Regional Security and Policy Office in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department. While there, she handled tasks from The Bureau of Legislative Affairs (H); helped in the clearance of the 2013 Trafficking in Persons and Human Rights Report; and worked on LGBT decriminalization issues in the region. Jessica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and International Relations from St. Mary’s University. Jessica’s interest in wildlife largely stems from her family’s background in biology. While Jessica decided not to pursue veterinary school upon high school graduation, she continues to be interested in wildlife preservation and its effect on international relations and security.
Leo Carter is a first year Masters student in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School. After receiving a BA in English and Asian Studies at Rice University in 2009, Leo spent three years in China, first as a volunteer teacher and then as a manager in education consulting firm specializing in study abroad and developing English language curricula for Chinese students. Whether it was because of life in the smoggy, congested down-town of a Chinese provincial capital or his travels through the clear-cut rain forests of Malaysian Borneo, he realized fully the need for the world as a whole to work towards an environmentally sustainable future. For the past year he has worked in Austin, Texas as a free-lance journalist and as an activist with Texas Campaign for the Environment. Leo is interested in environmental and social movements in China.
Ana E. Ramirez Corte is a dual degree student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Asian Studies Department. She is also a Student Technician at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law. Before coming to Texas, Ana worked at the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico City. She graduated from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico with a B.A. in International Relations. Her current research interests include China’s environmental policies and Latin America-China relations.
Caitlin Goodrich is pursuing Masters degrees in Public Affairs and Business Administration from The University of Texas. Her policy interests include international trade and security with a specific interest in black markets and trafficking. Before beginning her graduate studies, Caitlin spent 6 years with Deloitte Consulting’s Human Capital practice. Caitlin helped organizations, both governmental and private, realize the full potential of changes in strategy, process or technology by engaging employees and leaders in communication and training programs. Caitlin’s expertise in implementing change allows her to bring practical experience to the policy creation process and reflects her belief that organizational, human and societal dynamics must be reflected in policy design and implementation. Caitlin received her Bachelors of Science in Astrophysics from Rice University.
LinhPhung Huynh is a Master of Global Policy Studies candidate and Powers Fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She specializes in global governance and international law, with a focus on the international human rights regime. Her recent research topics include education for the Roma, EU policy on minorities, and US-EU comparative immigration policy. She received her BA in Political Science and International Studies (with a minor in human rights) from the University of Washington. From 2010 – 2013, she taught English at public elementary schools in South Korea.
Clifford Kaplan is pursuing master degrees in Public Affairs and Community and Regional Planning, with a focus on environmental planning and policy. His primary research interest is the emergence and application, in the U.S. and several other countries, of rights of nature, a legal concept that recognizes ecosystems and natural communities as having certain rights that can be defended in court. As a graduate research assistant, he has contributed to research funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Cliff spent several years in Brazil where he worked as a teacher and climate activist. He maintains his connection to Brazilian culture by performing traditional Brazilian music in Austin.
Cameron Lagrone is a first year Master of Public Affairs student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She is a semi-native Ohioan with deep roots in Texas. She worked for two years in anti-hunger non-profits in Texas. She served for one year as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Texas Hunger Initiative. Cameron received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Baylor University.
Jamie Olson is a Masters candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin specializing in Energy and Environmental Policy. She is a creative problem-solver who thrives in a multicultural setting with diverse knowledge and practical work experience from both the non-profit and the public sector. An effective communicator with policy writing experience, Jamie recently completed an internship at CEBRI, the Brazilian Center for International Relations. Jamie holds her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
John Owens is a dual Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Public Affairs (MPAFF) student. Prior to attending the University of Texas, he served for six years as a military Intelligence Officer. While in the Navy, he specialized in National Security and traveled throughout South East Asia and the Middle East, where he supported the Global War on Terrorism and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He received a B.S. in International Relations from the United States Naval Academy.
Delfina Rossi studied economics in Barcelona and has Florence. She is formerly co-spokesperson of the Federation of Young European Greens (2010-2011) and she has been working as policy adviser in the European Parliament for Green MEP Raül Romeva (2011-2014). She is first year student of Master in Public Affairs at the LBJ School in the University of Texas at Austin.
Wade Tanner is a first-year MPAff student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He is a native Texan who graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science in 2010. For the past four years he has been working with several of the world’s leading immigration law firms assisting Fortune 500 companies and individuals with their wide-ranging immigration needs.
Tawheeda Wahabzada is a second year Master of Global Policy Studies student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, specializing in Security, Law and Diplomacy. Her regional interests are in South and Central Asia, as well as the Middle East. Over the summer, Tawheeda interned at the office of U.S. Senator Harry Reid, working on both foreign affairs and immigration-related issues. In 2012, Tawheeda received a BA in International Affairs and French at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a heritage speaker of Dari and is proficient in French.
