Pete N. Peterson is the Braun Family Dean’s Chair and Dean of the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where he co-created the Pepperdine-TWI master's program alongside Robert Satloff. A prominent advocate for civic engagement, he is a leading national speaker and writer on civic participation and the application of technology to improve government responsiveness and transparency, as noted by the Karsh Institute of Democracy at the University of Virginia. Previously, Peterson served as executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Entrepreneurship at Pepperdine and founded the university's Civic Technology Initiative, focusing on deliberative democracy and civic tech innovations. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego; a Master of Public Affairs (M.P.A.) from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; and a B.A. from the University of Virginia. His work emphasizes fostering public deliberation, policy innovation, and technology-driven solutions for democratic challenges, positioning him as a key figure in academic public policy circles with influence in networks promoting civic renewal.