Class Faculty

The Honorable Larry Gonzales

The Honorable Larry Gonzales was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2010, serving a total of four terms before retiring from elected office in 2018. Gonzales has been featured in national publications, TV news programs, and radio talk shows. Rep. Gonzales served on the powerful House Appropriations Committee three times, twice serving as Subcommittee Chairman appropriating funds for forty-two state agencies. Chairman Gonzales was twice appointed to serve on the budget conference committee, one of only five House members to write the final version of the 2016- 2017 and 2018-2019 state budgets. Additionally, after having served as a Member of the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, Gonzales was appointment to serve as Chairman of that Commission. In that role, Chairman Gonzales oversaw the critical restructuring of twenty-four state agencies to ensure their stated mission was being met effectively and efficiently. 

In 2017, Larry founded Desk 138, LLC, a business consulting and public affairs company specializing in issue advocacy and business strategic planning. Current clients include global IT companies, various business entities, food banks, autism behavior therapists, primary care doctors, among others. Larry graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993 with a B.A. in Government, and in 2014, graduated from Texas State University with a master’s in public administration. Continuing his academic career, Larry earned his Certified Public Manager (2012) and Certified Mediator (2007) status from Texas State University and was nominated and participated in the UT Austin School of Law Fellows Program, Dispute Resolution (2012).  

Dr. Helen Lowman

Dr. Helen Lowman is Professor of Practice in the Political Science Department, Public Administration Program, at Texas State University. She also serves as the Director of the Center for Research, Public Policy, and Training. Before joining the faculty at Texas State University in 2022, she was President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. In this role for approximately five years, she ran the nonprofit, with more than 3 million volunteers and 650 affiliate organizations, that envisions every community to be a clean, green, and beautiful place to live.  

Dr. Lowman is an innovative and experienced leader in international development, environmental sustainability, and organizational change. In July 2010, Dr. Lowman was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region, where she oversaw Peace Corps programs in 21 countries. In 2014, Dr. Lowman became Associate Director of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection, overseeing the largest department in the Peace Corps, with staff in eight US-based recruiting offices and Peace Corps Headquarters who were tasked with recruiting, assessing, and placing between 3,000 and 5,000 volunteers in more than 60 countries annually. Dr. Lowman was then appointed by President Obama as Director of the Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the US Department of Homeland Security, in October 2015. In her role as Director of ICPD, she oversaw programs that partner at all levels of government, the private sector, and community organizations to increase citizen and community preparedness and encourage the development of disaster resilience across the United States.  

Dr. Lowman completed her undergraduate studies at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies and Spanish. She obtained a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. In 2022, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Austin College.