John Shaw
Paul Simon Institute DirectorJohn T. Shaw joined the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute as director in January 2018. He established the Institute’s “Better Politics, Smarter Government” agenda with its Restoring American Statesmanship, Renewing Illinois, and Understanding Our New World programs.
Shaw was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois. He received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and his master's in History from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He began his career as a Governors Fellow in Springfield, Illinois, worked in state government, and later participated in a training program with the European Union in Brussels before moving into journalism with a position at the Wall Street Journal Europe.
Shaw worked as a reporter in Washington, DC for more than twenty-five years, covering Congress for Market News International, a global financial wire service, and the diplomatic community for the Washington Diplomat, a monthly magazine.
Shaw is the author of five books: Rising Star, Setting Sun: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and the Presidential Transition that Changed America (2018); JFK in the Senate: Pathway to the Presidency (2013); Richard G. Lugar, Statesman of the Senate (2012); The Ambassador: Inside the Life of a Working Diplomat (2006); and Washington Diplomacy: Profiles of People of World Influence (2002).
Shaw has been a guest on the PBS NewsHour and C-SPAN, contributed to a weekly segment on Congress for KPCC public radio in Los Angeles for many years, and was a media fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He has published articles in the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, The American Interest, and other publications.
He serves on the Board of Directors of Forefront, an association representing Illinois grantmakers and nonprofits, and is a member of Hall of Fame of Historic Illinoisans Committee of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. He has taught classes at SIU on the U.S. Congress and American Statesmanship.
Shaw and his wife, Mindy, live in Carbondale, Illinois.
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Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw examines potential opportunities for civic engagement among young people -
The latest in the "Better politics, smarter government" series
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Editor’s Note: This op-ed was distributed by Capitol News Illinois on behalf of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own.
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John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and host of Simoncast, becomes the focus of today's interview with Alee Quick.
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Novelist Jennifer Close talks about the long and winding novel-writing process, how she encourages young writers as an instructor, and why politics snuck into her latest novel
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Tanisha Fazal, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota, talks about why she studies war — "my motivation is usually about trying to mitigate war's worst effects," she says.
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New York Times global economic correspondent Peter S. Goodman talks about his book "Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World," which explores the contradictions on display at the World Economic Forum.
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Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long talks about his book "The House That Madigan Built," which covers the long and powerful career of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and serves as an unofficial primer on Illinois politics.
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Journalist Melinda Henneberger talks about her work at the Kansas City Star, including a series of columns about a retired police officer who was accused of rape, for which she won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.
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East St. Louis, Illinois Mayor Robert Eastern III talks about his philosophy for economic development in the city he leads, which he describes as "intentional." He also talks about the impact of COVID-19 on his Mississippi River city.
