Findhelp and LBJ School of Public Affairs Announce Post-Election Video Podcast on Fixing the Social Safety Net

Findhelp’s Glen Chambers will join Dr. Paul Stekler and Bob Wood on Nov. 13 in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Findhelp, a leading social care software company dedicated to connecting all people in need and the programs that serve them, and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin will continue their American Compassion video podcast series focused on the social safety net, with the second episode being recorded in front of an audience on November 13 from noon to 1:30 p.m. CST in the LBJ School’s Bass Lecture Hall. 

Titled “What Happens Now?,” the episode will explore what the election outcome means for social care and the future of the American safety net. It will feature a conversation among Findhelp Senior Vice President Glen Chambers, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Paul Stekler, and BGR Group Chairman and CEO Bob Wood. American Compassion Host Rebecca McInroy will moderate the discussion.

“What can elections change, and what can they not influence? Is the election outcome good or bad for social safety net reform? Where will it be on the agenda of the new administration and Congress?” said Findhelp’s Glen Chambers. “Those are some of the questions I look forward to addressing with our expert panelists in the week immediately following Election Day.”

Findhelp aims to help fix the social safety net by using technology and data to deliver social care services to individuals in need with speed, efficiency, and dignity. The company addresses the problem of information asymmetry that plagues healthcare, government, education, and other organizations in the social care sector, where people often lack awareness of and access to community services.

“If we are going to fix the safety net, we have to understand what it is and why decisions were made in the first place because, and only if we understand that we can avoid mistakes that have been made in the past and actually make material progress,” said Findhelp Founder and CEO Erine Gray.

“The expansion of government from the New Deal greatly reduced poverty in this country. Governmental policies from the Great Society have reduced other disparities,” said documentary filmmaker Paul Stekler. “Without a safety net, we’d risk going back to the 19th century.”

Founded in 1970, the LBJ School of Public Affairs is America’s preeminent educational institute for training leaders and improving the quality of public service in the United States and abroad at all levels of governance and civic engagement.

The podcast series will feature experts from academia, the public and private sectors, and practitioners who are innovating America’s social safety net.

Glen Chambers oversees the Government Relations teams at Findhelp. The first 20 years of his career were spent as a staffer in the United States Senate, where he served as Chief of Staff to Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri. After leaving the Senate, Glen was the SVP of Federal Affairs at a Fortune 5 health care company and a major Association. He lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife, three sons, two gerbils, a cat, a dog and three chickens.

Dr. Paul Stekler is a filmmaker and educator who makes nationally acclaimed documentaries about American politics and history. They include George Wallace: Settin’ the Woods on Fire, Vote for Me: Politics in America, Last Man Standing: Politics Texas Style, Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics, and Getting Back to Abnormal, about race, culture and politics in post-Katrina New Orleans. He also co-produced a nine-part series, Postcards from the Great Divide, done in association with the Washington Post. He has a doctorate in American politics (Harvard ’82) and taught documentary filmmaking at the University of Texas for 25 years, where he was former chair of the Department of Radio, Television and Film.

Bob Wood is Chairman and CEO of BGR Group, a bipartisan lobbying and communications firm based in Washington, D.C. He has led numerous campaigns for public policy efforts, using his state and federal experience to engage lawmakers and activate community-based support. He served as Chief of Staff for Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, helping to steer the passage and implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act. Bob previously served as Chief of Staff to Thompson while he was Governor of Wisconsin.

The series includes a total of four episodes. Dates and topics are:

Sept. 18, 2024: The Broken U.S. Safety Net. A big picture look at the modern safety net — how did we get here, what’s broken, and what are the biggest challenges standing in the way of Americans who need help?

Nov. 13, 2024: What Happens Now? After the results of the U.S. presidential election, we explore what the outcome means for social care and the future of the safety net — for the next four years, at least.

Feb. 12, 2025: Social Care in the Digital Age: Given the flaws in the safety net and the political realities that exist in 2025, we explore how we can modernize the system, and discuss the roles played by AI, health insurance companies, and social determinants of health tech.

March 26, 2025: Who’s Doing It Best? As we continue to examine ways to improve America’s safety net, we look for those who are innovating to create modern solutions.

“American Compassion: The Safety Net Podcast” series is free and open to the public and the media – register to attend in person.

About Findhelp:
Building healthier and happier communities starts with supporting the whole person. That’s why Findhelp was founded in 2010: to connect all people in need to the programs that serve them with dignity and ease. Our software platform enables community organizations, governments, and businesses across industries to easily manage and coordinate care. From screening and closed-loop referrals to outcomes tracking and actionable health equity insights, Findhelp is leading the modernization of the social safety net.

Learn more: https://company.findhelp.com

About the LBJ School of Public Affairs:

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is committed to improving the quality of public service in the United States and abroad at all levels of governance and civic engagement. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson, in 1965, came to an agreement with The University of Texas’ president and Board of Regents to establish the LBJ Library and Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Today, LBJ School’s more than 4,700 alumni across the nation and the globe are making a difference. As leaders in local, state, national and international government, nonprofits and the corporate sector, as well as in think tanks and academia, these alumni reflect the LBJ School’s success in preparing generations of thoughtful leaders and scholars.

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SOURCE Findhelp