Spring 2026 Fellow
The Honorable Garret Graves was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Between 1990 and 1996, he attended the University of Alabama, Louisiana Tech University, and American University. After college, Graves moved to Washington, D.C., to begin working toward a political career. He started as an intern for Sen. John Breaux, and later took a position working for Rep. Billy Tauzin. Graves also held positions working for Sen. David Vitter, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. In 2008, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Graves Chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. In this position, Graves created a $50 billion, 50-year master plan to promote coastal restoration and improve hurricane protection. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District from January 2015-January 2025.
One of his hallmark achievements in Congress was the enactment of the FEMA Accountability, Modernization, and Transparency Act of 2017 (Public Law No. 115-87), which required FEMA’s modernization efforts to include an online interface where applicants can complete forms, submit materials and access the status of applications, as well as include mechanisms to eliminate the duplication of benefits and enable the sharing of information among agencies with state and local governments, where appropriate. He believed it was wrong for disaster victims to be revictimized by FEMA inefficiencies.
Study Group: “Focused on Outcomes: Overcoming Political Polarization – From Disasters to the AI Revolution”
The study group discussed the fallout of Hurricane Katrina, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, energy/climate policy, national debt and evolving changes related to artificial intelligence and how political parties and polarization affect outcomes. It focused on identifying common denominators among diverse ideological views. Students had the opportunity to engage speakers, including governors, Members of Congress, current and former federal executive branch officials, and others, to discuss how leaders have learned from their experiences. Through past events, the study group compared and contrasted effective approaches to governing and those that did not have the intended outcomes.
“I appreciate that CPF brings in folks with different views. When you hear people talk with different views, you begin seeing those common denominators or those pathways where you actually agree on a number of things, and that can be the basis for some type of path forward or some type of positive outcome.” – Garret Graves
AND FROM THE STUDENTS IN GARRET’S STUDY GROUP:
“This study group was one of my favorite experiences this semester. Congressman Graves and his wide variety of guests helped to challenge and strengthen my previously held beliefs, which allowed me to develop more nuanced and informed perspectives.” – Halley Hoellwarth
“I gained invaluable experience talking to a lifelong civil servant. My perspectives were challenged and through that challenge I realized the biggest obstacle to effective governance is the inability to reach across the aisle. I know now that building genuine relationships is the key to being a successful public servant.” – Max Buchko