Public Policy Fellows

Katie Knobloch, Ph.D.

Katie Knobloch, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and the Associate Director of the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University. Her teaching and research focus on public participation and deliberative democracy, particularly the design and impact of community engagement programs. She earned a B.A. and M.M.C. from the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University and Ph.D. from the the Department of Communication from the University of Washington. She has received National Science Foundation funding to study the expansion of the Citizens' Initiative Review and the implementation of deliberative pedagogy in chemistry classrooms and has led the development of local programs that center underrepresented communities in public decision making. Her work has appeared in The Journal of Applied Communication Research, Political Studies, American Politics Research, Public Administration, and The International Journal of Communication. With John Gastil, she is the author of Hope for Democracy: How Citizens Can Bring Reason Back into Politics (Oxford, 2020).

As the 2021 Public Policy Fellow, Dr. Knobloch is spearheading The Community Collaborative: By the Community, For the Community. The Community Collaborative is a community capacity building project designed to enhance citizens' ability to actively engage in community planning and decision making for the betterment of local well-being. For more information click here.

Torrie Fields, MPH

Torrie Fields was the Fall 2019 Reilly Center Public Policy Fellow. At the time of her visit, Torrie served as Head of Palliative Care for Blue Shield of California where she led the development and implementation of programs and processes at Blue Shield of California that support people with serious illness and their families. Torrie visited Baton Rouge September 10 through September 12, 2019. In that time, she participated in several events, including a public talk and panel discussion on September 12 at LSU Health New Orleans. Continuing her work with the Reilly Center in the Spring of 2020, Torrie joined a virtual panel conversation on Advanced Care Planning and COVID-19 as part of the Reilly Center’s Communications & COVID-19 Virtual Event Series.

Gavriel Salvendy

In partnership with LSU's College of Engineering, the Reilly Center invited Gavriel Salvendy, Professor of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, to be part of the Public Policy Fellows program. In addition to his public lecture, “How to Increase Research and Economic Impact on a Regional, National and International State,” Salvendy met with students and leaders in the university, community, government and relevant industries to discuss how to select high impact research for increased economic development. 

Robert Litan

Lessons for the Nation from Hurricane Katrina
In collaboration with the LSU Law Center, the Reilly Center hosted Robert Litan, an economist and vice president of research and public policy for the Kauffman Foundation. During his visit he presented “Lessons for the Nation from Hurricane Katrina,” which explored the economic impact of mega-catastrophes and the insurance industry.

Robert Entman

When Policy Fails: a Discussion of Media and Democratic Accountability in the Iraq War
Robert Entman, the J.B. and M.C. Shapiro Chair in the School of Media & Public Affairs at George Washington University, presented “When Policy Fails: A Discussion of the Media and Democratic Accountability in the Iraq War” during his visit to the Manship School. His research focuses on how the media “frames” coverage of public policy and social issues.

Richard Moose

Iraq and Its Implications for US Foreign Policy
Richard Moose, a former senior staff member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former under secretary for Management in the Department of State from 1993-1996, acted as a Public Policy Fellow during the 2004-2005 academic year. In partnership with LSU's Department of Political Science, the Reilly Center invited Moose on the eve of the 2004 presidential debates to present "Iraq and Its Implications for US Foreign Policy."

Jonathan Schell

The American Empire in the Second Nuclear Age
Jonathan Schell, The Nation's peace and disarmament correspondent and author of The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People, visited LSU as a Reilly Center Public Policy Fellow program participant during the 2004-2005 academic year. He presented on "The American Empire in the Second Nuclear Age."

Marina Vashakmadze

Marina Vashakmadze, Associate Director of the ProMedia II project for the International Center for Journalists, Editor-in-Chief of STUDIO magazine and an associate professor in the Tbilisi State University Journalism Department (Republic of Georgia), visited LSU as part of the Reilly Center's Public Policy Fellows program during the 2003-2004 academic year.

Bill Shore

Creating Community Wealth and Lasting Change
Bill Shore, founder of Share Our Strength and author of the book, The Cathedral Within, visited Baton Rouge during the 2003-2004 academic year to serve as a Reilly Center Public Policy Fellow and the keynote speaker for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s Marcia Kaplan Kantrow Community Lecture Series, where he discussed Building Community Wealth and Creating Lasting Change.

Bill Fox

Three Characteristics of Tax Structures have Contributed to the Current State Fiscal Crisis 
Bill Fox, research professor and director of the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, Economics, Leadership, and Global Supply Chain at the University of Tennessee, participated in the Public Policy Fellows program with a visit to LSU centered on the future of sales tax. He presented "Three Characteristics of Tax Structure have Contributed to the Current State Fiscal Crisis."

James Carey

The Contradiction of Free Media, Democracy, & Globalization
James Carey, a professor of journalism at Columbia University who is credited with originating the ritual view of communication in mass communication theory, visited LSU as a Public Policy Fellow in the 2003-2004 academic year. He presented "The Contradiction of Free Media, Democracy, and Globalization."

John Lombardi

Competing for Quality: The Public Flagship Research University
Dr. John Lombardi, Chancellor and Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, served as co-editor of The Center for Measuring University Performance's Top American Research Universities project on measuring university performance during his visit to LSU as a Public Policy Fellow. His visit focused on the economic significance of a land-grant research university could have for the state, as well as what increased investment in LSU can mean. 

Curtis Wilkie

An acclaimed journalist and historian of the American south, Curtis Wilkie visited LSU as a Public Policy Fellow during the 2002-2003 academic year. He is the author of the book Dixie: A Personal Odyssey through Events that Shaped the Modern South and focused his presentations during his time at LSU on covering civil rights.

Guido Stemple

Guido Stemple is a distinguished professor emeritus at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio State University, co-editor of the Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, and senior research editor of the Newspaper Research Journal. He shared his expertise on mass communication research concepts during his Public Policy Fellow tenure at LSU.

Michael M. Crow

Louisiana State University and the New Knowledge Economy: Leapfrogging Louisiana From the 19th Century Economy to a 21st Century Economy 
The University of Arizona's Michael Crow visited LSU as a Public Policy Fellow to discuss the state of Louisiana's economy and methods by which it could be improved.

Keith Woods

Democracy and the J-School Professor
During his time as a Public Policy fellow at LSU, Keith Woods served as the dean of faculty at the Poynter Institute. He wrote in various capacities, previously, for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Eric Hanushek

Economics and the Finance of SchoolsIn conjunction with LSU's Political Science Department, Eric Hanushek of The Hoover Institution at Stanford University visited LSU as a Public Policy Fellow to discuss the pressing issues in higher education of economics and financing for schools. 

Bill Josephson

Repairing the Electoral College
Bill Josephson of the New York Attorney General's Office and Charities Bureau visited LSU as a Public Policy Fellow to discuss repairing the electoral college and his book, Oklahoma City, New York City and Baton Rouge: Lessons for Philanthropy from September 11th.

Donald Boesch

Consequences of Climate Change in Louisiana 
David Boesch visited LSU as a Public Policy Fellow during his time serving the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. His timely presentation and essay addressed the results of climate change for the future of Louisiana.

Gary Cornia

Sales and Use Tax Simplification and Voluntary ComplianceGary Cornia visited LSU from Brigham Young University during the 2001-2002 academic year. The topic of his visit centered on "sales and use" tax simplification and compliance.