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On any given day in Washington, DC, policy proposals are created, debated, and decimated by tens of thousands of people and organizations working behind the scenes. Each week one of these advocates and I will visit a DC watering hole and distill the art of advocacy by pulling back the curtain a bit and taking a look at how they play their part in this sausage factory we call our federal government. So, if you’re at all interested in how the sausage is made, pull up a chair, grab a drink, and join us for the next 30 minutes or so. After all, what goes better with sausage than a tall cold one?
Creator / Host
Bill Shute is an executive management professional and government relations expert who has spent his professional career working in the federal policy arena and his entire personal life in federal politics.
In addition to creating and hosting 80-Proof Politics, Bill is the Executive Director of the LBJ School of Public Affairs Washington Center, a professor teaching public affairs to masters students, and COO of the high-tech startup, Dome Compass, Inc.
Previously, Bill was vice chancellor for federal relations with The University of Texas System from September 2001 to May 2019 where he was responsible for all UT System and campus activities in Washington, DC and managed a staff of 14 System employees. Under his supervision, the Office of Federal Relations was charged with facilitating and enhancing the federal research and development portfolio of the UT System, reviewing and advocating federal policy, and overseeing a multicampus undergraduate and graduate fellowship program.
Prior to that, Bill was Executive Director of Federal Relations at the Fortune-50 company, SBC Communications, Inc for 11 years and served as a legislative assistant to a Member of Congress upon passing the Bar in Texas.
He also provides strategic consultation to entities wishing to enter the Washington, DC environment or enhance their participation within the federal policy ecosystem.