Tina Moroney-Ebarb is a broadband program coordinator in the Texas Broadband Development Office within the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. More recently, Moroney-Ebard obtained her Texas contract manager certification and helped her office apply for ARPA and IIJA funds, which could make them eligible for up to $4 billion in federal funds for broadband development and digital equity programs. A big part of her job is to work with her team to formulate and execute a vision for evaluating upcoming broadband deployment application submissions.
Tell us about your experience at the LBJ School.
TME: Going to the LBJ school was the best decision of my life. I have always dreamed of a career in public service but wasn’t getting very far in my career with a BA in political science and without the right connections. The professors at LBJ are extremely talented and passionate, which makes all the difference in a learning experience, especially when we were almost completely virtual during my first year in 2020. I feel so lucky that I attended a school where people believe in your success and was lucky enough to become a teaching assistant for my favorite professor in public financial management. The faculty and staff care about cultivating an environment that is supportive, engaging, and welcoming, and I’m proud to call myself an LBJ alum!
Tell us about your professional journey after you left the LBJ School.
TME: After graduating, I started working at the Texas Broadband Development Office at the Comptroller's Office. My experience interning at the state legislature, interning at the comptroller's office, and TA-ing gave my resume the strength it needed to secure a job in the field I have always wanted--making big, infrastructural changes and improvements for the everyday person who may be struggling and feeling left behind. Our office is working hard to secure and deploy federal funding through a grant program we are building from the ground up.
What is one skill you learned at the LBJ School that you still use in your professional career today?
TME: So much of what I learned becomes useful on a daily basis, but one example is my in-depth knowledge of public finance, federal funds, and how federalism has shaped how we spend and distribute funding at all levels of government.
What advice would you give current students as they prepare to graduate and go out into the policy arena?
TME: Get out of your comfort zone, take the Pat Wong class everyone cries about, and invest in your learning! Don’t do something because it is easy.
What was your most treasured memory from your time at the LBJ School?
TME: I have so many fond memories of being in "State and Local Finance" with Dr. Luby, and "American Welfare State" with Dr. Wong, where the lightbulb goes off over your head. Their classes challenge you to learn complex material, and it’s a great feeling when everything starts to come together.