For Juli McShay, civic education isn’t just about elections or government. It’s about equipping everyday people with the knowledge and confidence to shape their communities’ futures.
The Lakeland, Florida, native has spent a lifetime preparing for that work. A graduate of the historic Piney Woods Country Life School in Mississippi, Talladega College, Miles Law School, and Texas Southern University, McShay has built a career at the intersection of public service, law, and education.
Since returning to Houston in 2015, the self-described “southern socialite” and professor has become one of the city’s leading voices for civic engagement. Today, as founder and executive director of the Houston Civics and Leadership Campaign School, she’s working to ensure more Black Houstonians understand not only how government works, but how to influence it.
Service over status
Ask McShay who she is, and she doesn’t begin with her résumé.
“I’m my mama’s child and my daddy’s twin,” she said. “Professionally, I’m a professor. But at my core, I’m a servant leader. I believe our strength is not for our status but for service—for what we do for others.”
That philosophy guides everything from her classroom to her social media presence, where she’s known for passionate commentary on politics and public policy.
“I’m the pretty professor of pretty petty politics,” she joked. “Sometimes you may catch me going off on TikTok or Facebook, but while I’m going off, I’m educating.”
Building tomorrow’s leaders
McShay launched the Houston Civics and Leadership Campaign School following the death of former Houston Mayor and U.S. Congressman Sylvester Turner. After attending Turner’s funeral in March 2025, she realized Houston needed a stronger pipeline of informed civic leaders.
“We have to do something so we have people ready to run for office,” she recalled sharing with current Houston Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex Tatum during Turner’s repast.
That vision became reality in November 2025.
The school trains aspiring candidates and campaign workers and provides civic education for everyday residents.
“Our mission is to equip our community with leaders,” McShay said. “But my favorite part is doing civics in the community because we have to equip everyday people with knowledge about how politics, voting, and elections work.”
The school’s first cohort has already produced tangible results. Two participants, Brandon Taylor and Justin Boyd, were recently elected to the State Democratic Executive Committee of the Texas Democratic Party.
“We don’t endorse candidates,” McShay said, “but we’re very proud of those two.”
Lessons from the South
McShay’s journey has taken her across much of the South, experiences she says have strengthened rather than discouraged her.
“I’ve lived and traveled throughout these Confederate states,” she said. “It’s taught me the resilience of our people, the strength of our people, the endurance of our people, and the willingness of our people to not give up on our people.”
“More Black Americans live in the South than anywhere else,” she added, reiterating the importance of the South’s Black vote. “We’re not going to be dismissed because everybody depends on Black voters.”
That reality, she says, means candidates seeking Black support must earn it through accountability, not assumptions.
“You have to show us who you are, not just who your opponent is,” she said.
Education built brick by brick
McShay credits her parents, Yvonne and the late Aubrey McShay, with laying the foundation for her life of service.
She chose to attend Piney Woods Country Life School after seeing a 60 Minutes feature about the historic Black boarding school and asking her parents to let her enroll.
“Piney Woods wasn’t the foundation,” she said. “My parents gave me that. But Piney Woods was that next brick.”
From there, she attended Talladega College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration, became a student leader, and joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She later moved to Houston to attend Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law, then earned a Master of Public Administration from TSU’s Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs. She eventually completed her Juris Doctor at Miles Law School in Alabama before returning to Houston permanently in 2015.
“My favorite part is doing civics in the community because we have to equip everyday people with knowledge about how politics, voting, and elections work.”
Juli McShay
Professionally, McShay has worked in county and municipal government, as well as for a school board.
“I know government from the inside out,” she said. “When the law isn’t working, we have to change the law.”
Looking ahead
McShay and her organization continue expanding their reach through civic education, voter engagement, and leadership development.
On Aug. 1, the Houston Civics and Leadership Campaign School will host the “It’s On Us Summit” at TSU’s School of Public Affairs.
The summit is designed for parents and students in grades 5-12 and explores the connections between elections, public policy, and the criminal justice system.
“It’s on us to educate our community,” McShay said of the event that was inspired by the Karmelo Anthony case.
Asked what Black communities can do immediately to strengthen civic engagement, McShay offered three priorities: Support organizations that provide civic education, build stronger coalitions rather than work in silos, and make voting a point of neighborhood pride.
“Let’s compete,” she said. “Let’s see which area can turn out the most voters. That’s the kind of time I’m on.”
Away from politics, McShay unwinds by listening to PJ Morton and rereading her favorite novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, a tradition she’s maintained every year since she was 13.
Eyes on McShay
And revered Houston movers and shakers are watching McShay.
“Juli McShay exemplifies the highest standards of civic leadership and community engagement,” said Annie Johnson Benifield, founder of Houston Voting Initiative. “Throughout her distinguished career, she has consistently used her platform not only to inform the public but to elevate the voices, concerns, and aspirations of communities that are too often overlooked.
“Her vision reflects a deep understanding that an informed citizenry is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy, and her insightful continues in the classroom where she fosters meaningful dialogue on the issues that matter most.”
“An intellectual powerhouse in the local, state, and national political arena, Juli McShay is one to be reckoned with,” said Black Gold Nation founder Tamani Mwandani. “Deeply knowledgeable of political history, theory, and practice, she brings a level of understanding and know-how most will never achieve because they lack what Ms. McShay has in abundance; and an overwhelming thirst for information, understanding, knowledge, and excellence.”
