Facebook pixel SPP New Spring Adjuncts Bring Diverse Policy Experience | Newsroom | School of Public Policy Newsroom Skip to main content
Pepperdine | School of Public Policy

SPP New Spring Adjuncts Bring Diverse Policy Experience


sample

The Pepperdine School of Public Policy (SPP) welcomed three new adjunct faculty members for the Spring 2018 semester. Brad Rowe, Primo Tapia, and Ashley Trim (MPP ’09), will be teaching Master of Public Policy elective courses in the American Policy and Politics and State and Local Policy specialization areas, bringing a diverse background of policy expertise to the program.

Rowe, former chief executive officer of BOTEC Analysis, will lead a course on criminal justice and drug policy; Tapia, vice president of Envicom Corporation, is holding a course focused on land use; and Trim, executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership, is co-teaching a course on leadership through public engagement with SPP dean, Pete Peterson.

"We're excited to have these new faculty engaging with our students this semester,” said Peterson. “Each brings significant experience as a policy practitioner and researcher, and they expand our course offerings in to new areas."

SPP is also welcoming its Spring 2018 William E. Simon Distinguished Visiting Professor, Jeffry Sikkenga, professor of political science and co-director of the Ashbrook Scholar Program at Ashland University. Sikkenga will be teaching a course on religious liberty.

Brad Rowe is the chief executive officer of BOTEC Analysis. He has recently overseen the completion of projects on violence reduction for the Mississippi Office of the Attorney General, cannabis and hemp policy for Jamaica, community supervision for the Office of the Commissioner of Probation of Massachusetts, medical cannabis market measurement for the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, field research in lower income neighborhoods for Uber Technologies, and the Cannabis Science and Policy Summit for NYU. Rowe had a multi-faceted career in the entertainment industry for seventeen years with a filmography that includes almost 100 titles. Rowe’s content production spanned multiple platforms, including serving as producer and host of MIPtalk.com’s “Conversations with the World’s Most Interesting People” and producing two dozen documentary tribute films for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and philanthropic organizations. Rowe received an MPP from the University of California, Los Angeles where he was awarded the Ann C. Rosenfield Fellowship for his work with the United Way of Greater Los Angeles on educational attainment.

Primo Tapia is a professional environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, and entitlement consultant with over 27 years of experience. He is the vice president of Envicom Corporation, a Southern California-based professional services consulting firm that specializes in environmental impact assessment, urban planning and design, real estate development and entitlement, land valuation, and habitat restoration. He has extensive experience in the preparation of environmental constraints analyses and development impact analyses pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as well as in the acquisition of resource entitlements and permits and in the implementation of mitigation compliance programs during construction and operational phases of projects. Tapia has served as analyst, lead author, and project manager for several complex, large-scale CEQA projects that require the coordination of diverse, multidisciplinary teams that include scientists, planners, engineers, and environmental attorneys, as well as federal, state, and local agency personnel. Paramount among these are his work on the Pepperdine University Campus Life Project and Malibu Institute Development. Tapia has also processed residential, commercial, and utility infrastructure projects located on federal, state, and privately-owned land throughout California. Additionally, he has successfully coordinated the acquisition of resource permits from various agencies, including the US Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the California Coastal Commission. Tapia received a BA in geography from California State University, Northridge.

Ashley Trim (MPP’09) is the executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy. She began her career in public engagement as communications specialist for the City of Lancaster, California, where she worked with various city departments on public engagement and information efforts. This experience provided insight and understanding into the challenges and fears facing local government officials who wish to engage their residents. In her current position, Trim writes and speaks about public engagement and transparency issues for local and online news organizations, Davenport Institute trainings, and national conferences. She also coordinates Davenport's grant programs, training seminars and events, and oversees the Institute's research and engagement projects. She co-designed and serves as an instructor for the Professional Certificate in Advanced Public Engagement for Local Government, launched in 2017. Trim spearheads Davenport Institute collaborative partnerships with various organizations committed to improving engagement between citizens and government. In this capacity she is currently serving as chair of the University Network for Collaborative Government for the 2016-2018 term. Trim received a BA in government from Patrick Henry College and an MPP from the Pepperdine School of Public Policy.