Larry Brewster
Coalition Member
Dr. Larry Brewster is Professor Emeritus of public and nonprofit administration and a former dean at the University of San Francisco. He is best known for his work evaluating California prison fine arts programs, beginning with his 1983 cost-benefit analysis of Arts-in-Corrections, often referred to as “The Brewster Report.” Over the past decade, Larry interviewed formerly incarcerated men and women who participated in Arts-in-Corrections during their time in prison to learn of their experience in the program, how it affected them while inside, and how it has impacted their lives as free men and women.
Larry also conducts quantitative evaluations using pre-and-post survey instruments. He has worked in support of demonstration projects in prisons that were facilitated by California Lawyers for the Arts with the William James Association, Jail Guitar Doors, The Actors’ Gang, Marin Shakespeare in California and the Woodstock School of Art in New York.
Before joining USF, Professor Brewster was academic dean at Menlo College, and prior to that, dean of the School of Liberal Studies and Public Affairs at Golden Gate University and professor and associate dean at San Jose State University. He has taught courses in public administration, program evaluation, leadership ethics, and organizational development.
He is the author of numerous journal articles and books, including The Public Agenda: Issues in American Politics, 5thedition, Wadsworth & Company, 2004; A Primer of California Politics, 2nd edition, Wadsworth & Company, 2004; and Paths of Discovery: Art Practice and Its Impact in California Prisons, 2ndedition, 2015. which documented the voices of prison artists through their letters, poetry, and testimony.