Life and Leadership with Mayor Eric Johnson *03

How do high-profile leaders balance life and career in public service, especially during these politically charged times? What is like behind the scenes for politicians seeking to enact change? How can your time at Princeton prepare you for a rewarding life of public service? What advice would today's politicians give to future public servants? Join us for the third annual Life and Leadership event, where a distinguished alum shares their experiences and perspectives.

In this event, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson *03 will be in conversation with SPIA Dean Amaney A. Jamal, discussing his career, life and time at Princeton.

Mayor Eric Johnson Biography
Eric Johnson is the 60th Mayor of Dallas, Texas, elected in June 2019. Prior to becoming mayor, Johnson served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives where he represented the City of Dallas from April 2010 to June 2019. During his tenure in the Texas Legislature, Johnson served on several legislative committees, including Appropriations, Ways and Means, Higher Education and Natural Resources. He also served as chairman of the Dallas Area Legislative Delegation.

Johnson was born in Dallas and attended Dallas Independent School District schools through first grade before earning a scholarship to Greenhill School through the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. He attended Harvard College, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in History. Johnson also holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a master's degree in Public Affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He is an alumnus of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government's Senior Executives in State and Local Government program and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mayor Johnson lives in Dallas with his wife, Nikki, their three children, William, George, and Lela, and their dog, Penny. He is a member of the Mountain View Church of Christ.

Dean Amaney Jamal Biography
Amaney A. Jamal is Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics, and Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. She is the former Director of the Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice. Jamal directs the Workshop on Arab Political Development and the Bobst Center-American University of Beirut Collaborative Initiative.

Her book, "Barriers to Democracy" (2007), which explores the role of civic associations in promoting democratic effects in the Arab world, won the 2008 American Political Science Best Book Award in the Comparative Democratization section. Her other books include "Of Empires and Citizens" and her co-edited volume "Arab Americans Before and After 9/11." Jamal’s articles have appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Comparative Politics, Perspectives on Politics, International Migration Review, and other venues.

In 2006, Jamal was named a Carnegie Scholar. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (2003). Her areas of specialization are the Middle East and North Africa, mass and political behavior, political development and democratization, inequality and economic segregation, Muslim immigration (U.S. and Europe), gender, race, religion, and class.

To request accommodations for this event, please contact wintersession@princeton.edu at least 3 business days in advance.

Sponsored by the Office of Campus Engagement and the School of Public and International Affairs

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