Pete Peterson

Biography

Pete Peterson is a leading national speaker and writer on issues related to civic participation, and the use of technology to make government more responsive and transparent. He was the first executive director of the bi-partisan organization, Common Sense California, which in 2010 joined with the Davenport Institute at the School of Public Policy to become the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership.

Peterson has co-created and currently co-facilitates the training seminar, "Public Engagement: The Vital Leadership Skill in Difficult Times" a program that has been attended by over 4,500 municipal officials, and he also helped to develop the program, "Leading Smart Communities," which explores the ways in which technology is changing local government processes. Peterson has served as the chair of the Governance Committee for the Public Interest Technology-University Network.

Peterson writes widely on public engagement for a variety of major news outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle, as well as numerous blogs. He contributed the chapter, "Place As Pragmatic Policy" to the edited volume, Why Place Matters: Geography, Identity, and Civic Life in Modern America (New Atlantis Books, 2014), and the chapter "Do-It Ourselves Citizenship" in the volume, Localism in the Mass Age (Wipf & Stock, 2018).

Peterson serves on the boards of the Jack Miller Center and the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, as well as the National Advisory Council for the Ashbrook Center, and on the Scholars Council for Braver Angels. He represents the School of Public Policy in the Public Interest Technology-University Network (PIT-UN).  Peterson has served as a member of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, organized by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the nonprofit, Sophos Africa. Peterson has served on the Leadership Council of the bipartisan reform organization, California Forward, and has been a public affairs fellow at The Hoover Institution.

Peterson was the Republican candidate for California Secretary of State in 2014.

 

Panels and Presentations (2021-Present):

• Interview: “What One Policy Dean Envisions for Civics Education.” Hosted by Interfaith America. (WEBINAR, December 16, 2025)
• Moderator: “Faith Free Speech: From Campus to Capitol Hill” (with Robby George). Hosted by Faith and Law, American Enterprise Institute. (Washington, DC, OCT 10, 2025)
• Moderator: “2025 Economic Outlook for Los Angeles.” Hosted by Pepperdine SPP and Beacon Economics. (Los Angeles, OCT 6, 2025)
• Moderator: “A Faithful Response to Homelessness in California.” Hosted by Pepperdine SPP. (Malibu, SEP 8, 2025)
• Moderator: “Revitalizing Los Angeles: Lessons from New York’s Historic Comeback.” Hosted by Pepperdine SPP (Malibu, April 16, 2025)
• Moderator: “Going Forward: Planning the Region’s Transportation Future in a Time of Crisis.” Hosted by Pepperdine SPP (Los Angeles, FEB 5, 2025)
• Moderator: “Making Men Moral through Civil Society and Subsidiarity.” Hosted by Pepperdine SPP (Malibu, NOV 21, 2024)

• Moderator, "Confronting the Major Challenges Facing the West" (with Ambs. Robert O'Brien and Jacques Pittelous) / Hosted by Pepperdine SPP (Chateau d'Hauteville, Switzerland, May 17, 2024)
• Moderator, "Bipartisan Approaches to International Religious Freedom" (with Ambs. Sam Brownback and Rabbi David Saperstein) / Hosted by Pepperdine SPP and Sudreau Global Justice Institute (Malibu, MAR 26, 2024)
• Moderator, "The F.R.E.E. Program to Promote Economic Opportunity" (with Ian Rowe) / Hosted by Pepperdine SPP (WEBINAR, FEB 19, 2024)
• Moderator, "Religious Freedom, Elections, and Free Speech Online" (with Knox Thames and Paolo Carozza) / Hosted by Pepperdine SPP and the Meta Oversight Board (Washington, DC, JAN 31, 2024)
• Moderator, "Why should Our Leaders Care about Human Flourishing?" (with Dr. Byron Johnson) / Hosted by Faith & Law (Washington, DC, DEC 15, 2023)
• Panelist, "Building Connected Communities" conference / Hosted by the Human Flourishing Program (Harvard) and the Einhorn Collaborative (Cambridge, MA, OCT 13, 2023)
• Moderator, "Africa in Context: Aid, Entrepreneurship, and US-Ethiopia Relations" / Hosted by King's College (NYC) and SOPHOS-Africa (New York City, FEB 18, 2023)
• Panelist: “Our Common Purpose Higher Ed Roundtable” / Hosted by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences – WEBINAR (June 29, 2022)
• Moderator: “Inside Modern-Day Slavery with Siddharth Kara” / Hosted by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council (West Los Angeles, June 22, 2022)
• Moderator: “Internet: Challenge or Opportunity” / Free Speech 2022 Conference. Hosted by Pepperdine SPP (Malibu, May 23, 2022)
• Speaker: “Thinking Historically in Challenging Times” / Hosted by Young America’s Foundation (Santa Barbara, CA, December 3, 2021)
• Panelist: “Bridging a Polarized Politics: Where Do We Go from Here?” / Hosted by USC Gould School of Law and LACBA – WEBINAR (DEC 1, 2021)
• Speaker: “Can the Conversation Hold” / Hosted by the Philadelphia Society (Fort Worth, TX, OCT 22, 2021)
• Panelist: “Voting Rights and Wrongs” / Hosted by the Dornsife Center for the Political Future at USC – WEBINAR (OCT 12, 2021)
• Panelist: “The Calling to Servant Leadership” (with Os Guinness) / Hosted by Faith & Law (Washington, DC, SEP 10, 2021)
• Panelist: “Building Public Trust in Government Institutions” / Hosted by The Council of State Governments – WEBINAR (JUN 25, 2021)
• Panelist, "Public Governance and Civic Engagement" / Hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration and American Academy of Arts & Sciences - WEBINAR (May 12, 2021)
• Moderator: “Meeting of the Mayors: San Diego’s Kevin Faulconer and Dallas’ Eric Johnson” / Hosted by Pepperdine SPP – WEBINAR (APR 1, 2021)
• Moderator: “Comparing Data Dashboards” / Co-hosted by Pepperdine SPP, Legatum Institute and California Forward – WEBINAR (MAR 3, 2021)
• Moderator: “Racially Diverse Leaders for Racially Diverse Cities” / Hosted by Pepperdine SPP – WEBINAR (FEB 22, 2021)
• Panelist: “The Public’s Role in Policymaking” / Hosted by Harvey Mudd College – WEBINAR (FEB 1, 2021)

Education

• MPP, Pepperdine University, 2007
• BA, History, George Washington University, 1989

 

Selected Essays

• “A Bold Answer to the Decline of Middle East Studies in America” (with Rob Satloff) RealClear Policy. June 18, 2025
• "How Civics Can Counter Antisemitism" (with Jack Miller) RealClear Education, January 23, 2024
• "The Power of Neighborhoods: A Conversation with an Expert on Fragile States" (with Pooja DiGiovanna) Public Management Magazine, December 1, 2023
• "These states are finding creative ways to support free speech on campus" FoxNews.com, June 7, 2023
• "College Climate Surveys Needed to Understand Free Expression on Campus" James G. Martin Center, January 26, 2020
• "It's Time for a 'Conservatism of Connection'" RealClear Policy, November 9, 2018
• "How the Top Two Primary Can Strengthen Parties and California Voters" California Forward, June 1, 2018
• "Where Bernie-nomics Goes to Die." RealClear Policy, November 22, 2016
• "An Inverse Prop 8 for California?" RealClear Policy, October 18, 2016
• "The Greatest Public Leadership Transition in American History" Real Clear Policy, July 1, 2016
• "Trump, Sanders, and the Populist Anti-Policy Surge" Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2016
• "DMV: Department of Motor . . . Voting?" Fox and Hounds Daily (blog), September 24, 2015
• "The Alinsky Way of Governing". Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2015
• "Top-Two Fracturing" City Journal California (blog), February 27, 2015
• "A Party for Citizens and Customers" Fox and Hounds Daily (blog), February 2, 2015
• "Republicans Need Their Own Rhetoric of Reliance" Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2015