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Request a DemoProfessor Audrey Haynes connects Georgia’s political leaders to the next generation
![](https://stateaffairs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Audrey-Haynes-and-Brian-Kemp-at-the-Applied-Politics-Breakfast-by-Kemp.png)
Audrey Haynes, left, and Brian Kemp at the Applied Politics Breakfast. (Credit: Office of Gov. Kemp)
Some of the state’s most influential politicians and political kingmakers are clamoring to be guest speakers in University of Georgia Professor Audrey Haynes’ Introduction to Applied Politics class.
Gov. Brian Kemp and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond have already made appearances as guest speakers at one of the most-sought after classes on campus.
“Professor Haynes is an inspiring, amazing educator,” Thurmond told State Affairs. “Her zeal, her love of her students and her command of the subject. She instructs. She brings a sense of the real world into the academic environment. If you’re invited to her class [as a guest speaker], it’s a high honor.”
Thurmond said he spoke to her class about “real politics — the world of politics, service and how to manage and maintain your dignity and your integrity in an extremely challenging environment.”
Guest speakers may have wide-ranging backgrounds and opinions, but they have one thing in common: inspiring the next generation of political leaders. UGA’s Applied Politics Certificate Program, directed by Haynes, has made a name for itself as a unique opportunity for Georgia’s political leaders to speak directly to the students who look up to them — and who may one day pursue similar careers.
Haynes has taught at UGA since 1999. Asked in 2016 to direct the applied politics program, she was more than happy to do it. With her passion for politics and experience researching and teaching about media campaigns, Haynes has transformed the program into a major draw at UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs.
Her work and reputation have earned her appearances on news programs such as Georgia Public Radio’s “Political Rewind” and The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s “Politically Georgia.” In addition to directing the Applied Politics Certificate Program and leading Introduction to Applied Politics, Haynes teaches other courses throughout the year.
“She [Haynes] cares for her students like nobody else I’ve met before,” said Maisy Hufford, a fourth-year student who completed the program this past year. “She has such a passion for her job — she was truly meant to be a professor. And not only does she care deeply, but she’s so well connected and so well-versed in politics.”
Since beginning the program, Hufford has secured two internships and credits Haynes’ connections and advocacy with helping her success.
![](https://stateaffairs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Audrey-Haynes-and-Houston-Gaines.png?w=300)
Hendley Jones, a fourth-year student who has also completed the program, just wrapped up an internship with Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, a member of the Georgia House since 2019. Jones connected with Gaines, who was in the first cohort of the Applied Politics program, after he spoke to Haynes’ class last year.
“She’s always interested in what we’re doing and what we’re up to, and [it] doesn’t even just have to be on the professional side,” Jones said of Haynes. “She’s interested in our everyday lives and is just a great asset to have who you can always rely on.”
Former students have gone on to work in Homeland Security, the White House, advocacy groups and more.
Haynes has already lined up appearances in the fall from state Attorney General Chris Carr and former state Sen. Jen Jordan. Carr and Jordan ran against each other for attorney general from opposing platforms, but for Haynes, party lines don’t matter when it comes to leadership and inspiring the next generation.
State Affairs met with Haynes to talk about why her class is so popular, how she secures the guest speakers and more. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Q. You’ve had big names speak in your classroom throughout the years. What do you think pulls in so many politicians and notables?
A. It’s certainly not me that draws them in. I think what really draws them in is their own internal desire to share what they’ve learned, and that stems from the experience they’ve had. Very often [for] people who work in the industries of public affairs, years ago there just really weren’t very many programs that taught them practical things. You’d have to learn either through an apprenticeship or an internship.
You have all these people who are practitioners who [think], “Oh my God, we didn’t have that when we were in school. Of course I want to help support it.” I also think they’ve seen and done things that they want to share with people. Everybody wants to tell their story.
Q. How do you go about selecting guest speakers each semester?
A. Some of it is quite random. I’ll meet people at a conference or I’ll meet people from doing the “Political Rewind” [podcast], which really was to me one of the best things I ever did. Because of that show, I used to go to Atlanta and I would meet all these people, like Michael Thurmond, who’s come and spoken to the class maybe three times total.
I look and see who the movers and shakers are. I look and see people who the students are interested in. I try to mix it up. Every year we try to be very balanced so that we have left, right, middle, different types of jobs, men and women, different races and ethnicities. That way, students can see people doing the work and that these people look just like them. The public affairs arena has a ton of jobs. You don’t have to go to law school. You can if you want to, but there are hundreds of jobs right around here that you could do that you are totally equipped to do. That’s what the program does.
Q. Applied Politics is not the typical political science course. What makes your program, and notably the introduction class, so special?
A. Every year it’s gotten better because there is no other program like this that is directed towards undergrads. There are some programs that are like the future of campaign management, and those are usually master’s programs. But this is unique.
We have a lot more opportunities for people to hear directly from people doing the job, and they may talk about how politics works on a very practical side. Maybe [our] literature hasn’t quite caught up with what’s really happening right now, or perhaps we’re finding that it’s confirmed. So in their readings, they may read some political science, but they’re also hearing from people who are saying it doesn’t quite work like that.
Think about the value of knowing how to run a focus group or how to write a bill memo or how to write policy analysis. Can you imagine going into your internship with those things already in your brain? That means you learn better. And not only do you learn better when you present yourself to these individuals who are looking to place people in jobs, but you have the basics in hand far earlier than most people. And most of our students are required to do an internship.
Q. Tell me a little more about some of the impactful speakers who have been in your class.
A. So, we’ve had the [late] speaker of the Georgia House, Speaker [David] Ralston. He was just so genuinely kind and talked about how his time with the students was so meaningful. It’s because he felt validated. He’s somebody who rarely did stuff just for himself. He really was truly a representative who cared about the state and the people in it.
We’ve had Brendan Buck, who [previously] worked for Speaker [Paul] Ryan. He heard about the program, he thought it was great, and he basically paid his own way to come back to Georgia and talk to students about the work he did in communications and as an adviser.
One of the things that we often don’t see is students thinking about the city of Atlanta as a place to work in terms of government, but there’s so much to do. A couple of years ago, I invited Valerie Mills, who works in the mayor’s office and does a lot with integrating international members of the community into Atlanta’s business. She is so great. She came and spoke, and it just opened up a door for people. One of my students actually got a job as assistant secretary in the mayor’s office.
Q. If you weren’t a professor, what would you be doing?
A. Teaching is my jam. I really don’t know what I’d be doing because I love this so much. It’s like a perfect mesh where I get to be creative, I get to think about things all the time and I get to challenge myself. I get to hang out with young people, old people and people who love ideas. It’s pretty cool.
There’s not going to be a statue of me in Washington, D.C. But if I think about all the little grains of sand that I have contributed to somebody else’s success, in the end when I die, I’ll feel like I’ve made a mountain.
![](https://stateaffairs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Audrey-Haynes.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
The Audrey Haynes Files
Titles: Director of the Applied Politics Certificate Program at the University of Georgia, Josiah Meigs distinguished teaching professor, associate professor of political science
Age: 59
Birthplace: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Residence: Athens
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Georgia, Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University
Hobbies: Painting and enjoying science fiction books and movies
Family: Haynes and her husband have two grown children
You can reach Nava Rawls at [email protected] or on X @navarawls.
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