Our Leadership
Maureen Tobin - Executive Director
As the Executive Director, Maureen infuses her passion for effective public engagement
in guiding the work of the Institute. Tobin comes to Davenport after 14 years in local
government where she served as the first Communications and Engagement Manager (subsequently
Director) for the City of Morgan Hill. In her role, she developed, implemented and
led several significant community engagement efforts including a complete street pilot
project that received national attention and the most significant infrastructure project
in the history of Morgan Hill. She also led and facilitated a year-long community
conversation regarding funding, priorities, and options for fiscal sustainability.
Maureen brings a breadth of perspective to the table from past leadership roles in
healthcare, medical transportation, education, and consulting work in the private
sector. She has a Bachelor's degree in Health Science from San Jose State University
and certificates in public participation. She has been a guest lecturer, speaker,
and trainer on many topics including public engagement, work-life balance, and municipal
budgets.
Robert Jordan (MPP '20) - Assistant Director
As the Assistant Director, Robert works on fostering relationships with strategic
partners, delivering conference presentations and assistanting in the certificate
programs. He brings with him years of experience in the local government and community
building space. He is a graduate from the Pepperdine School of Public Policy where
he was a graduate assistant with the Davenport Institute. When not at work you can
find him on the pool deck coaching or trying different resturants in his neighborhood.
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Hannah Loewen - Administrative Coordinator Hannah is a rising senior at Pepperdine, studying Integrated Marketing and Communications. She is passionate about cultivating community. Hannah is the academic chair for Delta Gamma and previously served as their philanthropy chair. She currently interns at the Office of Advancement for the University’s Engagement, Parents and Family Programs, where she focuses on engagement, fundraising initiatives and relationship formation. She is the 2024 recipient of the CAPIO Young Communicator Scholarship. She serves on the City of Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway Safety Focus Group which is collaborating with the city manager on a safety initiative for PCH through strategic communication, marketing and PR efforts to promote their “Cruise Malibu. Surf. Sand. Slow.” campaign.
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Fellows
Pete Peterson - Senior Fellow, Civic Engagement Training
Pete Peterson was the first executive director of the bi-partisan organization Common
Sense California (CSC). In 2010, CSC became the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement
and Civic Leadership at Pepperdine University. Currently, Peterson serves as dean
of Pepperdine's School of Public Policy. Along with teaching a class on the subject
at Pepperdine, Peterson co-developed the Davenport Institute's training seminars which
have been offered to more than 1,000 public sector leaders. He's also consulted on
many participatory governance projects throughout California on issues ranging from
budgets to water policy. Pete serves on the advisory boards of California's Institute
for Local Government, the Public Policy Institute of California, and the DaVinci Charter
Schools in Hawthorne, CA. Pete earned his BA in History from George Washington University,
and his Masters in Public Policy from Pepperdine's School of Public Policy. He was
the 2014 Republican nominee for California Secretary of State.