John Daly (Ph.D., Purdue University) teaches the Advocacy and Politics: Success in Washington class for the Archer Fellowship Program, a course he has taught since the program’s inaugural class in spring 2001. He is the Liddell Centennial Professor of Communication, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and TCB Professor of Management at The University of Texas at Austin, as well as a University of Texas System Distinguished Teaching Professor. Dr. Daly's interests focus on practical ways of improving the communication skills of individuals. Thus, he has examined topics such as shyness, personality differences in communication, communication difficulties people experience in their personal and professional relationships, influence and advocacy skills, and interpersonal behavior in organizations. He has authored more than 100 scholarly articles, served as editor of two academic journals, and produced more than a dozen books, including "Advocacy: Championing Ideas and Influencing Others" (Yale University Press), and the "Handbook of Interpersonal Communication" (SAGE). He has also consulted with numerous organizations across the world, both public and private, on communication-related issues. He has worked in numerous political campaigns and with many local, state, and federal agencies, including the White House. While at UT Austin, Dr. Daly has been the winner of every campuswide undergraduate teaching award.
Shema Mbyirukira (J.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; B.S., Birmingham Southern College) leads the Politics of National Memory class for the Archer Fellowship Program. As vice president and deputy general counsel of information technology and artificial intelligence at Verizon, Professor Mbyirukira (m BEER ru keera) leads the legal team supporting the Global Technology Services and Artificial Intelligence organizations within Verizon Global Services. Prior to joining Verizon, Professor Mbyirukira held various positions in Deloitte’s Federal Cybersecurity Practice and Ernst & Young’s Technology Risk Services Group. Professor Mbyirukira also practiced as a corporate attorney, specializing in insurance litigation and international trade compliance. Throughout his career, Professor Mbyirukira has been active in criminal justice reform. While in law school, he worked with the Center for Death Penalty Litigation and helped launch Verizon’s Criminal Justice Reform Pro Bono Program, where he is currently working on re-sentencing cases for children sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Derek O’Leary (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley) serves as the academic director at the Archer Center, where he collaborates with staff and faculty to ensure Archer Fellows have a transformative educational experience. He is committed to helping Fellows deepen their knowledge, sharpen their skills, and feel empowered to engage with the public policy issues that matter most to them. Prior to joining the Archer Center, Dr. O'Leary served in both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he was a Presidential Management Fellow. An experienced educator, he has taught history, government, and civics at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of South Carolina, and Bard High School Early College in Washington, D.C. His recent book, “Archival Communities: Constructing the Past in the Early United States,” draws on research conducted at the Library of Congress and the National Archives. Dr. O'Leary holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. in international relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a B.A. from Amherst College. He welcomes conversations with Archer Fellows and Archer Fellow alumni as they explore graduate or academic pathways. Outside of work, he practices jiu-jitsu and volunteers with several local organizations, including Minds Matter. He loves living in our nation’s capital and looks forward to helping Archer Fellows experience Washington and explore volunteer opportunities in the city.
William (Bill) Shute (J.D., University of Houston; B.A., The University of Texas at Austin) teaches the Inside Washington: Policymaking from the Ground Up class for the Graduate Archer Fellowship Program. Starting in the Spring 2026, Shute will be teaching the Policymaking Process class for the undergraduate Archer Fellowship Program. Professor Shute is a government relations expert, executive management professional, high-tech start-up advisor, and podcast creator/host with thirty-two years of experience working in and around the federal government. He is currently chair of the Scholars Advisory Board for Dome Compass, Inc., a nonpartisan mobile platform for federal policymakers, and the creator and host of the podcast 80-Proof Politics – Distilling the Art of Advocacy (80ProofPolitics.com). Shute was most recently an executive officer with The University of Texas System, serving as the vice chancellor for federal relations for eighteen years, where he led the System’s Office of Federal Relations. Before joining the UT System in September 2001, Shute spent eleven years as the executive director of federal relations for SBC Telecommunications, Inc. He also worked as the senior vice president in the government relations firm R. Duffy Wall & Associates and was a legal fellow for the National Association of Broadcasters. Prior to working for SBC, he was a legislative assistant to former U.S. Representative Bob Whittaker (KS-5) and was responsible for several Commerce Committee and Judiciary Committee issues. Shute is a member of the State Bar of Texas having attained his J.D. from the University of Houston and a B.A. with honors from The University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves as the executive director of the LBJ School of Public Affairs Washington Center.
Lecturers
John Amaya, J.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he supervises Graduate Archer Fellows in the National Security and Global Affairs Policy Working Group and undergraduate Fellows in the Policymaking Process class. He is currently a partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP in their Washington, D.C., office and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. In this role, he represents companies, institutions, foreign sovereigns, and individuals in connection with federal investigations, global immigration, cross-border compliance, related litigation, and congressional inquiries. Prior to this role, Professor Amaya was an attorney with Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis in Washington, D.C., as a member of the firm’s litigation and investigations practice. Professor Amaya was previously appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as deputy chief of staff for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and as a counselor to the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He also served as senior counsel to the then-chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick Leahy (VT), and he began his career as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. Professor Amaya earned both his bachelor's degree and law degree from the University of Washington and his master's degree in law from the Georgetown University Law Center. Note: Professor Amaya is currently on leave.
Yvette Badu-Nimako, J.D., (Bae-doo Knee-MACK-oh) is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she supervises the Graduate Archer Fellows in the Domestic Policy Working Group. She is currently senior counsel at Capital One. Before joining Capital One, she served as counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where she helped formulate, implement, and interpret laws, regulations, and rules related to fair lending, artificial intelligence, and privacy. Professor Badu-Nimako also served as vice president of policy and interim executive director of the National Urban League’s Washington Bureau, where she led efforts to advance economic empowerment priorities for Black and underserved communities. Her background includes roles as senior counsel and democratic legislative director for the House Oversight Committee under the late Chairman Elijah E. Cummings, where she led investigations into the applications of artificial intelligence in both private and public sectors and its impact on consumers, as an attorney advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice, and as counsel for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Professor Badu-Nimako has also effectively managed government oversight and legislative priorities for the CFPB and Match Group (global technology parent company of Tinder, Match.com, and Hinge). Professor Badu-Nimako received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. in government and English from Georgetown University. Note: Professor Badu-Nimako is currently on leave.
Vanesa Browne, J.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she co-supervised the undergraduate internship course. Professor Browne is a senior professional development manager at Sidley Austin LLP, where she coaches, mentors, and trains lawyers. Prior to joining Sidley Austin LLP, Professor Browne was an officer at a bank and wealth management firm, where she designed and facilitated trainings for company employees at all levels. Professor Browne also practiced as a litigator, specializing in trusts and estates litigation. Professor Browne was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Florida. She received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Florida and her J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Note: Professor Browne is currently on leave.
Aaron Conrado, Ph.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he leads discussion sections in the Politics of National Memory class. Previously, Dr. Conrado was a Science and Technology Policy Fellow at The American Association for the Advancement of Science. In this role, he supported the Office of Stability and Humanitarian Affairs at the Department of Defense, working on peacekeeping policy, including UN reform, improving performance, and building partner capacity. As a Graduate Archer Fellow in the summer of 2018, Dr. Conrado interned at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he worked on policy topics such as STEM education, GMOs, AI, biomedical research, and biosecurity. Dr. Conrado holds a B.S. in microbiology from The University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in microbiology and molecular biology from The University of Texas at Austin. He has also published several peer-reviewed scientific research papers on horizontal gene transfer in Vibrio cholerae.
Allison Dembeck, M.A., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she supervises Graduate Archer Fellows in the Education Policy Working Group. Professor Dembeck is head of policy for Save the Children. She was previously the vice president of education and labor advocacy in the Government Affairs Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, focusing on education, labor, and workforce development issues. Before joining the Chamber in September 2012, Dembeck served as the education, labor, pensions, and welfare policy analyst on the Senate Republican Policy Committee—first under the chairmanship of U.S. Senator John Thune (SD) and then under the chairmanship of U.S. Senator John Barrasso (WY). Previously, she spent several years as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (NH), where she handled education, labor, pensions, and child and family issues. She was also the manager of government relations for Ceridian Corporation, focusing on pension, health care, and payroll compliance. In addition, Professor Dembeck served two stints with the House Education and the Workforce Committee—the first during the tenure of former Speaker of the House John Boehner (OH) as committee chairman and the second under U.S. Representative John Kline (MN). She has an M.A. from The George Washington University and a B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton (SUNY).
Neetha Devdas, Ph.D., is a lecturer with the Archer Center, where she works on incoming orientation trainings for Archer Fellows. Dr. Devdas is also an assistant professor of instruction in the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College at The University of Texas at Dallas, teaching undergraduate Introduction to Psychology and Abnormal Psychology classes. Dr. Devdas has been licensed in Texas as a psychologist since 2012 and has a private therapy practice, Devdas Psychological Services. Her past research and current clinical interests are in the field of trauma psychology, with a special interest in South Asian American populations. Dr. Devdas holds a B.S. in speech-language pathology and audiology from The University of Texas at Dallas and an M.A. and Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Texas Woman’s University.
Jennifer Diascro, Ph.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she supervises the undergraduate and graduate internship courses. As a political scientist, she has served as a faculty member at the University of Kentucky and American University, a senior staff member at the American Political Science Association, and, most recently, was the associate academic director and interim executive director at the University of California Washington Program (UCDC). She was also a Supreme Court Fellow at the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Dr. Diascro is the founder of The Confident Undergrad, a coaching and mentoring practice for college undergraduates that supports prospective, current, and graduating college students as they develop the confidence to navigate their lives on their own terms. Dr. Diascro earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science (with a focus on judicial politics) from Ohio State University and a B.A. in political science from the University of California, San Diego.
Waverly Gordon, J.D., is a lecturer with the Archer Center, where she supervises undergraduate Archer Fellows in the Policymaking Process class and Graduate Archer Fellows in the Health Policy Working Group. In previous semesters, she supervised the General Domestic Policy Working Group. Professor Gordon serves as deputy staff director and general counsel for the Committee on Energy and Commerce for the U.S. House of Representatives. In that role, she supports efforts on a range of policy issues, including telecommunications, health care, climate change, and consumer protections. Professor Gordon also provides counsel on procedural, jurisdictional, and legal issues. Previously, she served as health counsel for the Committee, where she focused on public health issues, including those related to the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Prior to that role, she served as a senior policy advisor for U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), covering Congresswoman Schakowsky’s Energy and Commerce Committee health portfolio and assisting with her work as co-chair of the Democratic Caucus Seniors Task Force. Professor Gordon joined Congresswoman Schakowsky’s staff after serving as a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Louis Stokes Urban Health Policy Fellow. During her Fellowship, she served in the Office of U.S. Representative Donna Christensen (VI–At Large) and with the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Professor Gordon received a Bachelor of Science from Claflin University, a Master of Health Administration from The Ohio State University, and a J.D. from Duke University.
Emmanual A. Guillory, Ed.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he supervises undergraduate Archer Fellows in the Policymaking Process class. Dr. Guillory is an advocate, policy expert, and motivational speaker currently serving as the senior director of government relations at the American Council on Education (ACE). In this role, he manages an extensive portfolio of legislative and regulatory issues, serving as the primary government relations resource for the broader higher education community, and liaising with the United States Congress, the White House, the United States Department of Education, and other relevant agencies as needed. His portfolio primarily emphasizes the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), particularly Title IV programs, as well as the budget and appropriations process. Other issues within his portfolio include accreditation, college costs, student aid, institutional accountability, institutional aid in Titles III and V of the HEA, oversight, privacy, technology, accessibility, and disability. Previously, Professor Guillory served as the director of student and institutional aid policy at the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), leading the private, nonprofit sector of higher education on policies such as student financial aid; institutional aid programs in Titles III and V of the HEA; and certain regulatory issues. Dr. Guillory also served as the director for public policy and government affairs at UNCF (United Negro College Fund, Inc.) for two years and served a decade in the House of Representatives, most recently as a professional staff member on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. He is a 2020 and 2021 recipient of the Hill’s Top Lobbyist recognition in Washington, D.C.; a recipient of the Top Executive Award from Marquis Who’s Who of America; a prior federal negotiator for the Department of Education in 2019 and 2022; and a former president of the Committee for Education Funding, the largest educational coalition in our country, in 2022. He has his own nonprofit organization, where he awards scholarships to students. Dr. Guillory received a Doctor of Education in higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Arts in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Texas A&M University.
Diedra Henry-Spires is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she supervises undergraduate Archer Fellows in the Policymaking Process class and Graduate Archer Fellows in the Health Policy Working Group. Since 2015, Professor Henry-Spires has been a frequent guest lecturer with the Archer Center. In 2021, she was appointed to serve as the senior advisor for COVID-19 relief programs to the administrator at the Small Business Administration. Prior to joining the Small Business Administration, she was the chief executive officer of the Dalton Daley Group. Additionally, she served as a professional staff member for Human Services and Income Security for the United States Senate Committee on Finance. Professor Henry-Spires began her tenure at the Senate Finance Committee in 2006 as a Brookings Institution LEGIS Fellow. She has extensive experience with the legislative process in the United States Congress and collaborating with federal, state, and local governments and organizations. As a member of the Committee's Health Team, she is credited as one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act and with the expansion of unemployment benefits and work supports during the Great Recession. Professor Henry-Spires also served for 10 years at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she was the principal public health advisor on Violence Against Women for the Office on Women’s Health. In this role, she developed national policies on violence against women, HIV/AIDS, and young women’s health. Professor Henry-Spires is a Pennsylvania State University graduate holding a B.S. in health policy and administration. She also received a certificate on shaping the healthcare delivery system from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Note: Professor Henry-Spires is currently on leave.
Josh Howard, Ph.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he leads discussion sections in the Politics of National Memory class. Dr. Howard is currently the assistant historian of the U.S. Senate Historical Office. Prior to working in the Senate, he managed Passel LLC, an applied history consulting company. Dr. Howard holds a Ph.D. in public history from Middle Tennessee State University, and specializes in applied history, Appalachia, sport history, and public memory. Previous courses taught include undergraduate and graduate courses in public history, U.S. history, and the history of both U.S. and U.K. sport. His debut book, “Hell's Not Far Off: Bruce Crawford and the Appalachian Left,” was published by West Virginia University Press in 2024, and his other research has been featured in The Journal of Sport History, The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, and The American Journal of Legal History.
Virginia Huth, MPP, is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she supervises undergraduate Archer Fellows in the Policymaking Process class. She is the president and founder of Vanalytix Advisory, a boutique consulting firm that provides insights to technology companies about the federal marketplace. Virginia previously served for 28 years in the federal government, including 18 years in the Senior Executive Service across five different roles. She began her career at the White House Office of Management and Budget, in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, then moved to the Department of Homeland Security, and later served for six years at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in several leadership roles. Virginia later spent 13 years in executive roles at the General Services Administration, including overseeing GSA’s acquisition rulemaking and leading the transition and modernization of the government-wide eRulemaking system from EPA to GSA. She concluded her federal career as general deputy assistant secretary for administration in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She is a 2025 National Academy of Public Administration Fellow and a 2024 American Council for Technology – Industry Advisory Council Fellow. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for Guardrails Technology. Virginia is the treasurer for the Alumnae-i Network of Harvard Women, a 14,000-member global organization. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the National Contract Management Association and the Senior Executives Association. She received her master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and her undergraduate degree in international relations and business from the University of Southern California.
Sandra LaMura J.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she supervises undergraduate Archer Fellows in the Policymaking Process class and Graduate Archer Fellows in the General Domestic Policy Working Group. Professor LaMura is a counsel and policy advisor for the Senate Republican Policy Committee. In this capacity, she advises Republican senators and their staff on education, labor, pensions, life, and values policy. Previously, Professor LaMura served as oversight counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for four years. In this capacity, she led the Committee’s work on education and labor oversight, as well as the nominations process. Additionally, she worked with education and labor policy teams on several key priorities, including higher education policy. A native of Venezuela, Professor LaMura was raised in Florida. She received her B.A. in political science and economics from the University of South Florida and her J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America.
Irene Newman, Ph.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she leads discussion sections in the Politics of National Memory class. She works as a records researcher for the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board. Newman previously worked for the Southern Oral History Program and the journal Southern Cultures. Her research focuses on white power organizing in the United States during the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Newman has a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mary Nugent, Ph.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she leads discussion sections in the Politics of National Memory class. Dr. Nugent was most recently an advisor at Save the Children, where she managed the organization's early childhood education government relations work. Prior to working with Save the Children, Dr. Nugent served as a policy advisor to former U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (NM-1) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Nugent has a Ph.D. in political science from Rutgers University, with expertise in legislative politics, women in politics, and theories of representation. She has taught undergraduate classes in political theory, UK politics, and women in U.S. politics. Dr. Nugent also served as an international debate coach and lecturer at the University of Vermont. Her research has been published in "The Journal of Politics," "The European Journal of Political Research," and "Party Politics."
John Piazza, J.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he supervises undergraduate Archer Fellows in the Policymaking Process class. He has served as chief counsel on the Democratic staff of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology since 2009, where he has been working since 2006. During his time working on the Hill, Professor Piazza has been involved in all aspects of the legislative process, from the initial formulation of a bill to shepherding legislation through the conference process for final passage. Professor Piazza has also been extensively involved in the investigation and oversight work of the Committee and the use of that work to effectuate policy change. During his time on the Committee, Professor Piazza has served under Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) and former Chairman Bart Gordon (TN-6). Prior to his work in Congress, Professor Piazza was a criminal prosecutor in Tucson, Arizona. Mr. Piazza holds a B.A. in environmental science from Columbia College and a J.D. from Washington and Lee University.
Sue Ramanathan, J.D., (Rah-ma-nah-thun) is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she co-supervised the undergraduate and graduate internship courses. Professor Ramanathan is a senior advisor on homeland and national security issues at Deloitte & Touche, LLC. In the Obama administration, Professor Ramanathan was appointed to serve as the deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Legislative Affairs and as counselor to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of the Secretary. She has also served as the director for homeland security and senior counsel for technology and innovation for the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, as well as chief counsel and deputy staff director for the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. She has served on the Obama-Biden and the Biden-Harris transition teams for the Department of Homeland Security. Professor Ramanathan is a graduate of Georgetown University (certificate in executive coaching), Georgetown University Law Center (LLM), Rutgers Law School (J.D.), and Rutgers College (B.A.). Note: Professor Ramanathan is currently on leave.
Adrian F. Snead, J.D., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he supervises undergraduate Archer Fellows in the Policymaking Process class. He is currently a partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP in their Washington, D.C., office and a member of the firm's Government & Regulatory Affairs and Litigation Practice Groups. Previously, Professor Snead was a corporate attorney with Amazon Web Services, where he focused on the intersection between law and public policy as it relates to the adoption of cloud infrastructure by highly regulated entities. He has experience working in all three branches of the federal government and as a trial preparation assistant with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Previously, Professor Snead has worked at a national and international law firm and served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. During law school, he served as a White House intern with the Domestic Policy Council and spent more than a year interning at the U.S. Department of Justice in both the civil rights and criminal divisions. From 2014 to 2017, Professor Snead served as counsel and foreign policy advisor to U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee member. Professor Snead is a proud son of Texas, born and raised in San Antonio. He graduated with high honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in government. He received his Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School. Note: Professor Snead is currently on leave.
Malcolm Warbrick, M.A., is a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he leads discussion sections in the Politics of National Memory class. He previously co-supervised the undergraduate internship course. He is currently the director of federal relations for Penn State’s advocacy efforts in Washington to increase federal funding for student financial aid and scientific research. Professor Warbrick’s experience includes various fellowships and more than two decades in the U.S. Army and National Guard, including roles in government affairs. He came to his current position after most recently participating in the 2021–2022 Asia-Pacific Military Fellowship Program at the University of Washington, where he engaged with students and faculty on foreign policy. During his military service, he was an adjunct professor at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, where he taught courses on the United States and Texas state government. Professor Warbrick's 27-year career in the Army and Texas National Guard, where he retired as a lieutenant colonel, included deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. He held multiple leadership roles, including command of a rocket artillery battalion, where he led over 600 soldiers through a Middle East deployment in 2020. He served as a military intelligence officer and was director of the government affairs office for the Texas National Guard, where he was responsible for the strategy, engagement, and policy of the Texas gubernatorial, federal, and state delegations. Professor Warbrick brings with him federal government experience, having served as a liaison officer for the secretary of the Army in the U.S. House of Representatives and an Army Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Senate. Having entered the military following high school, he maximized his education benefits by earning a master’s degree in legislative studies from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in education and language (Persian-Farsi) from the University of Central Florida. He and his wife enjoy spending time with their four sons and two dogs.
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