Pete Peterson

Pete Peterson is the Braun Family Dean of Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy (SPP), and is a leading national speaker and writer on issues related to civic participation, viewpoint diversity in higher education, and the use of technology to make government more responsive and transparent. Prior to this role, Peterson served as executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at SPP. There he co-created and continues to lead the training seminar, "Public Engagement: The Vital Leadership Skill in Difficult Times" a program that has been attended by over 5,000 municipal officials. In the fall 2025, he led the creation of a new graduate program in Middle East Policy Studies at their campus in Washington, DC. The two-year degree is a unique partnership between a university and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 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). He was the Republican candidate for California Secretary of State in 2014.