Institute Staff
Dr. Roderick P. Hart, Director
Dr. Hart is the Dean of the College of Communication and holds the Allan Shivers Centennial Chair in Communication and Government at The University of Texas at Austin. His area of special interest is politics and the mass media, about which he has written numerous books and articles. He has been named a Research Fellow by the International Communication Association, a Distinguished Scholar by the National Communication Association, and has received the Edelman Career Award from the American Political Science Association. He is also a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at the University.
Email Dr. Roderick P. Hart
512-471-1959
Dr. Hart's Web site and Bio
Dr. Sharon E. Jarvis, Associate Director
Research
Dr. Jarvis studies political communication from quantitative and qualitative perspectives. As an Associate Professor for the Department of Communication Studies, she teaches a variety of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels including political communication, campaign communication, and persuasion theory. She has published in such journals as Political Psychology and The American Behavioral Scientist.
Email Dr. Sharon E. Jarvis
512-471-1961
Chuck Courtney, Associate Director
Administration
Mr. Courtney brings over thirty-one years of government experience. He worked as the Administrative Assistant to former Texas House Speaker Gibson D. “Gib” Lewis. For twenty-three years, Mr. Courtney advocated for the retail industry in Texas. For six of those years, he was President/CEO of the Texas Retailers Association, a statewide non-profit trade organization. Mr. Courtney received his Master of Arts degree in History with a minor in Government from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is also a certified association executive (CAE), demonstrating his knowledge of non-profit and foundation management.
Email Chuck Courtney
512-471-7208
Dr. Talia Stroud, Assistant Director
Research
Dr. Stroud studies the media's role in shaping people's political attitudes and behaviors. Utilizing quantitative approaches, she is currently investigating people's political information seeking behavior and the effects of people's political media consumption patterns. Prior to joining the faculty, she was a member of the 2004 National Annenberg Election Survey team at the Annenberg Public Policy Center. She has published or forthcoming work in the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, American Behavioral Scientist, and the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. As an assistant professor with the Department of Communication Studies, she teaches courses in public opinion, political communication, and research methods.
Email Dr. Talia Stroud
512-471-1934
Veronica Inchauste, Program Manager
Office of Survey Research
Ms. Inchauste has more than fifteen years experience in survey research. She has directed and managed projects requiring complex methodological designs. Ms. Inchauste has extensive experience working in national and statewide surveys, as well as projects requiring special populations, hard to reach populations, bilingual and multilingual surveys. Also, Ms. Inchauste has extensive experience working with computer-assisted telephone interviewing technology and web survey technology. Ms. Inchauste holds a BA in Economics and Spanish Language Literature from the University of Texas at Austin.
Email Veronica Inchauste
512-471-2101
OSR Web site
Emily Balanoff, Project Manager
Ms. Balanoff directs the New Politics Forum a nonpartisan campaign training program for young adults. She studies the rhetoric of nonprofit organizations and has presented her research at the National Communication Association where she was awarded Top Paper in Political Communication in 2005. Ms. Balanoff has taught courses on American government, public administration, and public policy at Texas State University. Prior to coming to the Strauss Institute, she served as a staff member for Texas State Representative Kenny Marchant. Ms. Balanoff holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin, MA from Texas State University and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin.
emily.balanoff@austin.utexas.edu
512-471-7214
www.newpoliticsforum.org
Deborah Wise, Director of Educational Outreach
Ms. Wise manages the production of the American Trustees film series, produces curriculum materials and presents professional development to both pre-service and in-service teachers. Prior to joining the Annette Strauss Institute, Deborah worked with the City of Houston and the County of San Diego conducting program evaluation. Deborah received a Masters of Public Affairs from the LBJ School at The University of Texas at Austin and holds a BA in Political Science from Arizona State University. Ms. Wise serves on the Austin “Ready by 21” coalition.
deborah.wise@austin.utexas.edu
512-471-7210
www.americantrusteesproject.org
O'Neil Provost, Project Manager
Office of Survey Research
Mr. Provost has more than ten years experience in survey research. He has extensive experience in questionnaire design, managing projects that require data collection statewide and nationwide with RDD, list and stratified samples. Mr. Provost has extensive experience managing the day to day operations of a survey research call center, training and supervision of interviewing staff as well as conducting statistical analysis for large and complex data sets. Mr. Provost holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Email O'Neil Provost
512-471-2142
OSR Web site
Jeannette Bellemeur, Project Manager
Speak Up! Speak Out!
Ms. Bellemeur draws upon her experience as a classroom teacher, instructional specialist and lead mentor teacher to manage the Speak Up! Speak Out! project. In addition, she holds a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction and is currently a PhD. student in the Cultural Studies in Education program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include urban education and the life history of schools.
Email Jeannette Bellemeur
512-471-7142
Speak Up! Speak Out! Web site
Melissa Huebsch, Sr. Administrative Associate
Ms. Huebsch joins the Institute after working at the Texas Memorial Museum of Science and History. She brings her administrative experience, as well as her design and photography skills to the Institute. Ms. Huebsch holds a B.A. in History and Vocal Performance from the University of Texas.
Email Melissa Huebsch
512-471-1959
Beth Van Riper, Administrative Associate
Office of Survey Research
Ms. Van Riper has provided administrative support for The George Washington University and Northwestern University before joining the Office of Survey Research at the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Van Riper holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
512-471-4980
b-vanriper@mail.utexas.edu
OSR Web site
Institute Fellows: Liz Chadderdon and Jenifer Sarver
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Colene Lind
Ashlyn Gentry
RESEARCH INTERNS
Emily Einsohn
Sarah Mahin
Alicia Pekema - Undergraduate Intern
FACULTY RESEARCH GROUP
The Faculty Research Group is composed of faculty from the Colleges and Schools of Communication, Education, Law, Liberal Arts, Social Work, and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Their research and teaching range broadly in the areas of political participation, civic volunteerism, media and politics, and social studies curricula in the nation's schools.
David Anderson, Law
Ronald Angel, Sociology
Bruce Buchanan, Government
Garry Chapman, LBJ School
Richard Cherwitz, Communication
John Daly, Communication
Meme Drumwright, Communication
Betty Sue Flowers, LBJ Library
James Galbraith, LBJ School
John Higley, Sociology
Sharon Jarvis, Communication
Michael Lauderdale, Social Work
David Leal, Government
Robert Luskin, Government
Maxwell McCombs, Communication
Curtis W. Meadows, Jr., LBJ School
Marvin Olasky, Communication
Jamie Pennebaker, Psychology
H. W. Perry, Government
Scott Powe, Law
Stephen Reese, Communication
Todd Reimer, Education
Lodis Rhodes, LBJ School
Elspeth Rostow, LBJ School
Nancy Schiesari, Radio-Television-Film
Jay Scribner, Education
Daron Shaw, Government
John Sides, Government
Bartholomew Sparrow, Government
Calvin Streeter, Social Work
Sean Theirault, Government
Craig Watkins, Sociology
