About Us
The University of Texas Global Challenges Initiative (UTGCI) is an initiative born of the work of a group of distinguished graduate students the LBJ School of Public Affairs, led by Professor Francis J. Gavin, in collaboration with the LBJ Presidential Library and the LBJ Foundation. After intensive study of the universe of international policy education and practice, these students concluded that the future of policy education lies in comprehensive study in the theory and practice policy across national borders and academic disciplines. Consequently, these students propose the formation of the University of Texas Institute for International Policy Studies (UTIIPS) as a center of excellence that will drive the future of policy education.

UTGCI Team Members
Michelle Christ—Michelle is a Master’s student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, class of 2005. She graduated in 2001 from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in Economics. Michelle is interested in international economic development and poverty reduction strategies. By participating in UT-GCI, Michelle hopes that there will be more opportunities in international development for future LBJ students.

Kelty Garbee—Prior to attending the LBJ School of Public Affairs, where she is currently pursuing a Master of Public Affairs degree, Kelty worked in development at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Ms. Garbee earned her Bachelor's degree in English and Studies in Women and Gender from the University of Virginia. Her interests include education policy and development and upon completion of her degree, she plans to pursue a career in higher education. UTGCI provides Ms. Garbee with an opportunity to participate in the creation and implementation of a university-wide project.

Ellen Grantham—Ellen received her bachelors from The University of Texas in Art History before entering the LBJ School of Public Affairs to pursue a Masters in Public Affairs. Her interests include international relations, cultural diplomacy and cultural policy. UTGCI was an opportunity for her to examine the study of international relations as well as the role of foundations and private philanthropy in education. Ms. Grantham hopes that within the field of international relations the study of culture will play a more prominent role, and the UTGCI project enabled her to explore the many coalescing opportunities in IR education.

Elizabeth Green—Elizabeth graduated from Texas A&M University with a BA in political science and speech communication. Prior to graduating, she completed the Ralph Bunch Political Science Institute at the University of Virginia and attended Texas A&M University affiliate in Castoglion Fiorontino, Italy. During the following years, she moved to Austin and worked for a law firm. She then served as intern for Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis in the Texas Legislative Internship Program during the Spring 2001 session. In September 2001, she entered the University of Texas School of Law and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She was Barbara Jordan Scholar for the LBJ School from 2002-2004. She will be graduating from the dual program in May 2005.

Matthew Harriger—Matthew earned a B.A. in English and a minor in Business from the University of Texas at Austin. He then spent a year living in England working and talking about ideas, because that is what defines Oxford, England. He then returned to the LBJ School of Public Affairs and began work on the UT-GCI because of his interest in international affairs and his desire to propel this study into the 21st century. In the spring of 2005 he works as a legislative aide for State Representative John Smithee and looks forward with only a slight reluctance to return to the life of a full-time student.

Cesar Martinez—Cesar is a Master’s student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Class of 2005. He graduated with honors from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico, earning a bachelors degree in Economics. Cesar worked for the Mexican Social Security Institute in budgeting, planning and health economic areas. He is interested in international economic development, macroeconomic policy, international security policy, Mexico-USA relations and electoral processes. While studying at the LBJ School, Cesar has been involved in different projects to strengthen the position of the school and is interested in helping build policy centers so the LBJ School is a leading producer of ideas for the globalized world.

Mike Mastrangelo—Mike is a former CIA Case Officer, Marine Corps Officer, and Bioterrorism Preparedness official. He has a BA, MA, and MBA from the University of Texas. He was co-founder of the Texas Health Alert Network. He is currently a Mid-Career Student at the LBJ School. His involvement in the GCI centers on his interest in new global issues such as proliferation, terrorism, and disease epidemics. Mr. Mastrangelo believes that many of tomorrow's global issues will require interdisciplinary approaches that include policy, science, and technology professionals, and that a future UT Institute for International Policy Studies can be an ideal place for this interaction to take place.

Masharika Prejean—Masharika graduated from Tulane University as a pre-med student with a bachelor’s degree in Political Economy. Deciding to focus on the policy angle of healthcare, she entered the LBJ School of Public Affairs to study issues surrounding international health care policy and U.S.-sponsored global humanitarian aid relief initiatives. The University of Texas Global Challenges Initiative provided Ms. Prejean with an opportunity to examine how the United States of America and other nations are evolving, culturally, politically, and economically speaking, as we enter an era of an increasingly global society. UTGCI also afforded Masharika the opportunity to integrate herself into various entities across the University of Texas-Austin campus and the community of Austin, at large. These collaborations have served to cultivate the link between the LBJ School and the intellectual and professional entities that are vital to ensuring that the University remains on the cutting edge of academia.

Micah Sagebiel—Micah Sagebiel graduated with honors from Colgate University with a B.A. in International Relations. As an undergraduate, he attended universities in Cuba and Turkey to study history. After college, Micah joined Teach for America and worked as a middle school teacher in the Rio Grande Valley. He was nominated for campus teacher-of-the-year in his second year of teaching. Micah has also guided trips for Putney Student Travel in Vermont leading development projects and adventure travel for U.S high school students abroad. In addition, Micah has worked as a reporter for his hometown newspaper in Seguin, Texas and as an intern with Public Strategies, Inc. of Austin. Micah chose to attend the LBJ School to work on the Global Challenges Initiative. He sees the project as a link of two of his passions international affairs and providing a quality education for all Texans.

Janay Sam—Janay is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics. She is a proud member of Golden Key International Honour Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. One of her summer highlights included attending the Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems at Georgetown University where she focused on academics while interning for a leading political action committee. This experience led her to LBJ School of Public Affairs where she is pursuing a Masters in Public Affairs. Her interests include international, economic and social policy.

John Seale—John is a first year Master's Student at the LBJ School. John grew up in Houston and attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. He received a B.A. in International Studies/Political Science and a minor in Spanish. Before coming to LBJ, John spent three years in Washington, DC as a legislative assistant for Congressmen Bill Archer and John Culberson. John chose UTGCI as away to braoden his knowledge of international affairs and further develop his interest in international energy policy.

Laura Spagnolo Mecle—In 2000, Laura graduated from Torcuato Di Tella University in Argentina with a major in International Relations and a minor in International Economics. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked at the Federal Investments Council, a public agency involved in decentralization and economic development of the Argentine provinces. Her experience achieved through the completion of her master’s in Public Affairs at the LBJ School helped her to further define her interests. Her interests are international relations, international development and social policy. UTGCI gave her the opportunity of exploring how September 11 impacted the role that universities play in the public arena and international affairs realms.

Jack Waite—Jack began working with nonprofit groups at the Charles Dana Center, an educational research group. After three years pushing for equity in teaching minority students, Jack began work with a grant-funded center (CIBER) at UT’s McCombs School of Business that helped students and faculty gain international experience. As an officer in an international, cultural nonprofit (www.romanculture.org), he sees the complexity of operating nonprofits in different cultures. His interest in International Affairs brought him this year to Russia, to research the struggles of NGOs in the still-developing democracies of the former Soviet Union. Jack earned his BA from the University of Texas and now is a Master’s candidate at the LBJ School working towards the Portfolio Program in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies. His wife, Meghan, and 5 year-old daughter, Nora, live in South Austin.

Will H. Ware—Will has a B.A. and M.P.Aff. from the University of Texas. He has spent several years working on homeland security and defense issues on Capital Hill in Washington and with the Texas Legislature in Austin. He is interested in UTGCI because of the obvious void in international policy courses offered at UT. He feels this is a relevant and worthwhile project because of the increasing need for international policy experience in today’s workforce.

Michael D. Zezas—A first year Master’s Degree student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Michael serves as the President of the Graduate Public Affairs Council, the school’s student government. Michael graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he published an article on the history of Christian terrorism and completed a thesis on arms trade between enemy states. His professional portfolio includes policy work with the office of Congressman Mike Ferguson, the U.S. Department of State, and a term as a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs at the Coro New York Leadership Center where he consulted public and private organizations on public service programs. Michael believes that this project is real opportunity to bolster the quality of education available to international policy professionals.

UTGCI Professor
Professor Francis J. Gavin