By Alexis Lee
Dr. Lori Taylor, head of the Public Service and Administration department at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, has been selected for the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellowship.
This year, Texas A&M selected four professors to participate in the development program, which includes workshops and a competitive fellowship fostering academic growth opportunities for program alumni.
Dr. Taylor has a combination of academic and practical experience which makes her a strong fit for the ALDP Fellowship. Dr. Taylor moved to Texas after finishing her doctorate from the University of Rochester. She worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas where she was responsible for conducting economic analyses in the State of Texas, Northern Louisiana, and Southern New Mexico. In that position, she served in the Texas Legislature for a year.
Dr. Taylor spoke about her time in the legislature and what it meant for her time at the Reserve, “I had the opportunity to work for the Texas Legislature one year, I took a leave of absence and worked for the joint select committee on public school finance, and it was just an amazingly wonderful thing to do. It was impactful, it was important, it was interesting. And when I went back to the Federal Reserve, they said ‘we’re really proud of you, you did great work, but let’s not do that again, it looks like meddling in local government.’ And, I like meddling! So, I heard about an opportunity at the Bush School, and jumped on it with both feet, and have never regretted that choice.”
Dr. Taylor began working at the Bush School in 2003 as an assistant professor in the Department of Public Service and Administration. She also served as the director of the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy. She has received the Silver Star Award for Excellence in Teaching multiple times, the Association of Former Student’s Distinguished Achievement Award twice, and the Distinguished Research and Practice award from the National Education Finance Academy. She is proud of the accomplishments she has made at the Bush School, but when asked about her proudest moments, she did not identify these awards, but rather the interactions she has with students and faculty.
“Moments that I’m most proud of…the first graduation where I was department head and got to shake everybody’s hand on the stage. The graduation when my kid graduated from Texas A&M. The work my capstone students have done over the years,” said Taylor.
Over her years of service at the Bush School, she has enjoyed many aspects of the role.
“I most enjoy the little lightbulb that comes on in the back of a student’s eye when they get it. When it clicks and they finally understand what I’m trying to teach. I enjoy encountering students in the hall and hearing about some of the most exciting things that they’re doing. I really value my colleagues, so the opportunity to be together with the faculty at the Bush School is so inspirational and so satisfying. It’s just a really great group of people to be with day in and day out.”
