About Bill
Bill is a Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas. Turning theory into practice has been the cornerstone of Bill Spelman’s career. He earned a Ph.D. in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, then spent seven years with a national association of big-city police chiefs; developing nationally recognized community-policing programs. After serving two years on the Austin Water and Wastewater Commission, he was elected and served from 1997 to 2000 as a member of the Austin City Council. While on the City Council, Spelman championed downtown development, neighborhood-based service delivery, performance measurement, and civilian oversight of police operations.
Spelman teaches courses in applied mathematics and statistics, urban policy and management, and criminal justice, and continues his research on police operations, prison policy, and urban economic development. As executive director of the Texas Institute for Public Problem Solving, Spelman helped to train 14,000 police officers and community residents throughout Texas in the practice of community policing.
Bill is currently Chair of the Waller Creek Citizens Advisory Committee. He is married to Niyanta Spelman. They have two sons.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., M.P.P., John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
B.A., political science, UCLA
BACKGROUND
Austin City Council (1997-2000), member
Police Executive Research Forum (1979-1988), senior research associate
Texas Institute for Public Problem Solving (1977-2005), executive director
LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT (1988-present), professor