Event Archives

Shepperd Town Hall Series

The Information Revolution: Getting Into Print

On Thursday, August 6, 2009, the Shepperd Institute hosted Patrick Canty, Publisher of the Odessa American and Dave Wedel, Publisher of the Midland Reporter. Mr. Bobby Burns moderated the discussion which focused on the challenges and opportunities facing today's print media in light of the digital revolution.

Midland-Odessa: Into the New Millennium Together

On August 7, 2008, The John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute launched a new program - The Shepperd Town Hall Series. The focus of the series is to engage the public in thoughtful discussion about current events and issues in an intimate setting. The series gives the local citizenry the opportunity to delve into the pressing challenges faced by the community and to interact with those individuals who are in a position to initiate change.

The Inaugural event for this program was: Midland-Odessa: Into the New Millennium Together. The evening featured Odessa Mayor, Larry Melton and Midland Mayor, Wes Perry.

POTUS 44

January 28, 2009, marked the first in a series of four lectures regarding the new Obama administration. John James, former Chair of the Texas Democratic Party State Organizing Committee and 2010 President-Elect for the Texas Lyceum, led the first interactive discussion.

In part two of the four-part POTUS 44 series, guest speaker Shirley M. Green addressed a group of students, faculty, staff and community members on February 18, 2009. Ms. Green shared numerous stories from her experiences as Deputy Press Secretary for the Office of the Vice-President under George H.W. Bush and as his Transition Office Director.

In part three of the four-part POTUS 44 series, guest speaker Cliff Angelo of the Public Strategies, Inc. described his experiences on the Bush transition team where he served as the first ever privacy officer for the US Department of Commerce. Angelo Currently serves as the Managing Director of the campaign strategies group for Public Strategies, Inc.

The final installment of the POTUS 44 series featured Steve Hildebrand, the Deputy Campaign Manager for President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Hildebrand explained how the changing demography of voters and the technological methodologies used to capture that vote was critical to the success of the campaign.

To visit the archives for the Shepperd Distinguished Lecture Series, click here.