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Evan Smith

Evan Smith’s staff photo

Evan Smith is a co-founder and senior adviser at The Texas Tribune, where he served as CEO from 2009 to 2022. He’s also a senior adviser at Emerson Collective, where he works closely with the leadership teams of nonprofit news organizations around the country. Previously he spent nearly 18 years at Texas Monthly, stepping down in August 2009 as the magazine’s president and editor in chief. Evan is also the host of “Overheard with Evan Smith,” a weekly half-hour interview program that airs on PBS stations around the country. A native of New York, he is a graduate of Hamilton College and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Past Contributions

  • Video: Private Sector vs. Public Sector

    by Evan Smith

    At our 12/9 symposium on cybersecurity and privacy, I talked about what the public sector can learn about cybersecurity from the private sector with John Dickson, a principal at Denim Group; Vic Diaz, assistant vice president for Cyber Security Operations at USAA; and Paul Williams, director of business operations at Rackspace Hosting. Full Story 

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  • Video: The End of Secrets

    by Evan Smith

    At our 12/9 symposium on cybersecurity and privacy, I talked about the difficulty of keeping anything secret anymore — and whether that's a good thing — with Michelle Atchison, associate vice chancellor for federal relations for the University of Texas System, and Robert Chesney, associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Texas School of Law. Full Story 

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  • Video: The Medical Privacy Paradox

    by Evan Smith

    At our 12/9 symposium on cybersecurity and privacy, Edgar Walters talked about the risks and rewards of digitally accessible medical information with Suzanne Barber, director of the Center for Identity at the University of Texas at Austin; Nora Belcher, executive director for Texas E-Health Alliance; Deborah Peel, founder and chair of Patient Privacy Rights; and Sheila Stine, chief privacy officer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Full Story 

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  • Video: The Cybersecurity of Texas Cities

    by Evan Smith

    At our 12/9 symposium on cybersecurity and privacy, Gregory White of the University of Texas at San Antonio talked about the cybersecurity of Texas cities with Chris Cook, a director of the Cyber Texas Foundation; Mary Dickerson, chief information security officer for the University of Houston; David LaPlante, chief information security officer for the City of Houston; and Hugh Miller, chief technology officer for the City of San Antonio. Full Story 

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  • Video: Privacy, the Cloud and State Government

    by Evan Smith

    At our 12/9 symposium on cybersecurity and privacy, I talked about the cybersecurity of state agencies and government entities with state Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock; Todd Kimbriel, interim executive director of the Texas Department of Information Resources; Jesse Rivera, chief information security officer at the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts; and state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo. Full Story 

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  • Video: Higher Ed Access, Affordability and Diversity

    by Evan Smith

    At our 11/16 symposium on higher education, Matthew Watkins talked about higher ed access, affordability and diversity with Lisa Fielder, CEO of College Forward; Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio; Shirley Reed, president of South Texas College; and University of Texas System Regent Sara Martinez Tucker. Full Story 

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  • Video: Cracking the Higher Ed Completion Code

    by Evan Smith

    At our 11/16 symposium on higher education, I talked about the challenge of increasing higher ed outcomes with Chancellor Brian McCall of the Texas State University System; Elaine Mendoza, vice chair of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents; former University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers; and Wynn Rosser, CEO of the Greater Texas Foundation. Full Story 

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  • Video: A Conversation with Ken Starr

    by Evan Smith

    At our 11/16 higher education symposium, I talked to Ken Starr, the president and chancellor of Baylor University, about demographic change, campus carry, free speech, the intersection of a traditional culture with the modern world, and, of course, football. Full Story 

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