Keynote Speaker
Eric Johnson, MPA/JD '03
Eric Johnson represents Dallas-based District 100 in the Texas House of Representatives. He was first elected in a special election in April 2010 and was re-elected to his position in November 2010 and again in November 2012. Today, he serves on four prominent House committees: the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Higher Education, the Interim House Committee on Manufacturing, and the House and Senate Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence, and Transparency.
In 2011, Representative Johnson was selected to participate in the Emerging Leaders Program by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation. He was also awarded the 2011 Achievement Award by the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program. In September 2011, the Texas Junior Chamber of Commerce named Representative Johnson one of its "Five Outstanding Young Texans" and in October 2011, the Dallas Regional Chamber bestowed upon him its first ever "Courage in Public Service Award" for his work in higher education.
In 2012, Representative Johnson was named to the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) and joined an ACYPL delegation that visited Israel and the Palestinian Territories, meeting with current and emerging leaders in the region. Representative Johnson also serves on the Executive Committee of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.
Representative Johnson is a graduate of Harvard University, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in History. He then went on to earn a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and master’s degree in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
In addition to his work in the Legislature, Representative Johnson owns and operates The Law Office of Eric L. Johnson, P.C.
Representative Johnson lives in Dallas with his wife, Nakita. They are members of the Skillman Avenue Church of Christ. In his free time, he enjoys reading, bonsai, blues and jazz guitar, sports, and spending time with Nakita and their two dogs, Nina and Bailey.
Access to Finance: Empowerment or Entrapment?
Panel Description: All solutions to the problem of inequality include an element of facilitating increased access to finance to the worse off. The Access to Finance panel will delve deeper into this potential solution, understand its efficacy and the risks it poses within the US and internationally. Bowl 016, Robertson Hall
Speaker: Ms. Shaista Ahmed, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Speaker: Ms. Aishwarya Ratan, Innovations for Poverty Action
Speaker: Mr. Tom Vogl, Assistant Professor of Economics and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School
Speaker: Ms. Sashi Selvendran, Program Manager/Senior Consultant, MEDA
Empowering Communities of Color Through the Ballot Box
Panel Description: The recent passage of controversial voter identity laws has highlighted the need to eliminate all obstacles to political participation for communities of color. The political disenfranchisement panel will examine the current state of civic engagement among communities of color--from voting and interacting with political representatives to running for office--and offer policy proposals for empowering this segment of the population to become more politically active. Bowl 016, Robertson Hall
Speaker: Ms. Astrid Garcia, MPA-URP '08
Speaker: Mr. Eric Johnson, MPA/JD '03
Speaker: Dr. Marc Meredith, Woodrow Wilson, Visiting Professor
Speaker: Ms. Myrna Pérez , Brennan Center for Justice
Increasing Access to Opportunity through Education, Vocational Training, and Employment Creation
Panel Description: Employment opportunities in communities of color have been consistently lower both in times of economic growth and contraction. This panel presents policy leaders who have applied various tools to address this disparity from investment in education to job creation in disadvantaged communities. Bowl 016, Robertson Hall
Speaker: Ms. Linsey Edwards, PhD candidate, Sociology, Princeton University
Speaker: Mr. Richard Roper, Former Senior Executive at the Port Authority of NY and NJ
Speaker: Mr. Leo Chyi, Deputy Budget Director at San Francisco Mayor's Office
Speaker: Martin Johnson, Founder and President of Isles in Trenton
Place Matters: Investing in Neighborhoods to Create Opportunity
Panel Description: When and where are place-based initiatives most effective and whom are they helping? This panel will focus on highlighting the key successes and challenges of place-based initiatives in exploring how neighborhoods can promote equal access to opportunities. Bowl 016, Robertson Hall
Moderator: Professor Hugh Price, Woodrow Wilson
Speaker: Mr. Perris Straughter, City of Newark
Speaker : Mr. Ralph Rosado, Woodrow Wilson Alum