David Freid is a third-year Masters of Public Affairs student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He earned his Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in Radio/Television/FIlm and Germanic Studies, along with a Business Foundations certificate. After working for several years throughout the advertising, film, and marketing industries he was drawn to the realm of public policy due to his time working at KUT Radio, Austin’s NPR station. He felt that his unique perspective could help governments better wrestle with the consequences of the ongoing digital integration of society. David has focused his graduate studies on the intersection of culture, technology, and forward thinking economic theory. He is a research associate in the McComb’s School Fintech Research Lab focused on tokenomics in the nascent blockchain industry. He is also planning to complete the Graduate Portfolio Program in Communication, Information, and Cultural Policy with a focus on digital public infrastructure. David is currently interning as policy analyst for State Representative Jon Rosenthal of HD-135 in the 88th legislative session in the Texas House of Representatives. He plans on graduating in May ’23.