AUSTIN, Texas — Angela Evans has been appointed dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. Evans is a former deputy director of the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service and has served as a clinical professor at the LBJ School since 2009.
“Angela is the right person to lead the LBJ School at this time,” said Gregory L. Fenves, president of UT Austin. “Her deep knowledge of the school provides a strong basis for increasing its impact by educating public affairs leaders through scholarship and research in domestic and international affairs. I am especially excited about her ideas for growing the presence of the LBJ School in Washington, D.C.”
Evans will begin on Jan. 16, 2016, and, as dean, will be a fellow of the J.J. “Jake” Pickle Regents Chair in Public Affairs.
During her 40 years of working for the United States Congress, Evans worked directly with congressional members and their staffs on major legislative deliberations and supported them as they confronted some of the nation’s most critical and complex problems. As deputy director of the Congressional Research Service, which supports policy research and analysis, she led major organizational changes that enhanced its research capacity and improved operations and infrastructure.
“I am honored to be part of this amazing community and to serve as its dean,” Evans said.
“More than ever, the research and instruction of the faculty and the skills and expertise of the students of the LBJ School of Public Affairs are critical to the quality of public policies and their successful implementation. It is in the school’s DNA to be relevant not only by supporting innovative research of the highest academic quality, but also by tackling complex, real problems. By exploring ideas and unveiling discoveries that enhance policy deliberations, and by developing the talents of the next generations of policymakers, the LBJ School stands as a premier policy school.”
Evans earned a B.A. in sociology/psychology from Canisius College, summa cum laude, and an M.A. in experimental psychology with honors from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Since joining the LBJ School, Evans has earned various teaching accolades including the Texas Exes Teaching Award. She also has been awarded research grants from the National Science Foundation and the Dirksen Congressional Center, among others.
Evans is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. She recently served as president of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. She also served on the governing board of the Network for Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration.
“Angela Evans has lived her entire professional life at the intersection of scholarship and policy. She embodies the LBJ School’s mission of applying sophisticated research to policy challenges, and training the next generation of public servants and policy leaders,” said William Inboden, associate professor of the LBJ School and director of UT Austin’s Clements Center for National Security, who chaired the search committee for a new dean.
Evans will replace Robert Wilson, who has served as interim dean since Robert Hutchings stepped down earlier this year
Founded in 1970, the LBJ School educates students in public service and promotes cutting-edge research on important public policy challenges. It has about 325 master’s students and 30 doctoral students.
