Recent Republican candidate for California secretary of state, Pete Peterson, has been named the Interim Dean of Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy.
Peterson, who is currently the Executive Director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the School of Public Policy in Malibu, will start in the new position at the beginning of Pepperdine’s upcoming fiscal year (August 1) continuing through July 31, 2016. While Interim Dean, Peterson will remain Executive Director of the Davenport Institute.
In the 2014 election cycle, Peterson finished second to Democrat Alex Padilla in the race for California secretary of state, earning the most votes of any Republican in the state while being outspent 8-to-1. Along the way, Peterson earned the endorsements of many of the state’s largest newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, Fresno Bee, Bakersfield Californian, and others.
Peterson is excited by the challenge to lead the School of Public Policy during this transition period: “Pepperdine offers America’s most unique graduate program in public policy – an education I was grateful to receive about a decade ago, and one that directly informed my own run for statewide office.” Peterson added, “I’m looking forward to bring my experiences in civic engagement and technology learned through my Davenport Institute work to this new position, as my recent campaign taught me the importance of these issues in addressing today’s public problems.”
Since Election Day, Peterson has joined the advisory councils to both the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), and the bi-partisan reform organization, California Forward. He continues to speak and write on issues related to public engagement and the use of technology to make government more transparent and responsive.
