Policy Fellows
Susan Hackwood
Senior Policy Fellow
Dr. Susan Hackwood is a Senior Policy Fellow at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy and Director of the Science to Policy (S2P) initiative. She is Professor Emerita of Electrical and Computer Engineering and former Executive Director of the California Council on Science and Technology.
At UC Riverside, she leads S2P, a program that trains graduate students to engage effectively with policymakers through a certificate course, fellowships, and partnerships with legislative offices and government agencies. Since its launch, S2P has trained over 100 students and established a strong record of engagement with policy institutions at the local, state, and federal levels.
Dr. Hackwood is Principal Investigator or senior leader on several federally funded initiatives, including SPOKES (Science to Policy: Operationalizing Knowledge from Education to Society), SPEAKS (Science to Policy Education: Activating Knowledge for Sustainable Transportation), and CORE (Civic Openness, Reasoning, and Engagement), a U.S. Department of Education–funded program that supports training for both PhD and Master’s students within the SPP.
She is also a founding leader of the Science Policy Collaborative, a national effort to strengthen science-policy training programs and partnerships across universities and organizations.
Lloyd Levine
Senior Policy Fellow
Lloyd Levine is a former California State Legislator and nationally recognized authority on technology and public policy, now serving as National Senior Executive for State and Local Government Technology Strategy at T-Mobile. In addition, Mr. Levine is Senior Policy Fellow at University of California, Riverside School of Public Policy, and co-chair of the school’s advisory board.
As a Legislator, Mr. Levine served as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce where he authored landmark legislation that modernized utility, broadband, and telecommunications policy.
Through his work as a Sr. Policy Fellow, Mr. Levine has published multiple peer reviewed articles and book chapters on technology, utilities, broadband and the digital divide, and their intersection with government. Mr. Levine’s first book, “Technology vs. Government: The Irresistible Force Meets the Immovable Object," published in March of 2024, explored the challenges confronting governments in their efforts to procure and implement technology. In 2025, Mr. Levine served as guest host of Policy Chats for an 11-part series based on the book, extending his influence on the national dialogue at the intersection of innovation and government.
Behrooz Mortazavi
Senior Policy Fellow
Dr. Behrooz Mortazavi is a Principal with Water Resources Engineers Inc. (WRE), and serves as the Hemet-San Jacinto Watermaster Advisor. He has nearly fourty years of experience in the field of water resources management in California, and has developed and implemented numerous innovative cost-effective water resources management programs in Southern California. Dr. Mortazavi has developed different comprehensive groundwater management programs, participated in groundwater basin adjudication cases, and has worked with different legal counsels in drafting of stipulated judgments. He was a key participant in negotiation and resolution of a Tribal Water Rights case which required action by the U.S. Congress and signing of a Public Law by the President. Prior to forming WRE, Dr. Mortazavi was the Assistant General Manager of Resource Development at Eastern Municipal Water District, in charge of operation for different departments, divisions, and all water management projects of the District. He has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles, and two Master of Science degrees. He is registered as a professional civil engineer in the State of California.
During the past several years, Dr. Mortazavi has been managing the groundwater basins in the Hemet-San Jacinto region. As the Advisor to the Watermaster, Dr. Mortazavi assists policymakers in the Hemet-San Jacinto region to implement policies focused on reducing the overall groundwater production in this region and improving basin sustainability. He has continued researching and enhancing the groundwater model that is utilized for this region, which is considered as one of the most advanced groundwater models in the state.
Herb Schultz
Senior Policy Fellow
Herb K. Schultz’s career includes decades of recognized leadership as a bipartisan strategic leader of public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations at the local, state, and national level.
Currently, Mr. Schultz serves as President of HKS Strategies LLC, a health policy and strategy consulting firm. He started the company more than 7 years ago. Before leading HKS Strategies, Herb was the CEO of both the Desert Healthcare District (a local government agency) and its affiliate, the Desert Healthcare Foundation. Together, they serve as one of the largest funders of health and wellness programs and services in the Coachella Valley.
Other positions Herb has held in the public sector include senior-level roles in the Administrations of President Barack Obama and former Governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the Davis Administration, Herb served as a member of the Governor’s Cabinet at the Labor Workforce Development Agency. In Governor Schwarzenegger’s Administration, Herb served as senior advisor to the Governor. He was appointed by President Obama to serve as the Regional Director (Region 9) of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Herb has a bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington DC and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University, also in Washington DC.