About

Hi, I’m Robert Ehlert.

Thought Leader Whisperer

I have a deep background in writing, editing and delivering communications strategies. As the principle of Op-Eds for Higher-Ed I function as a broker and a translator. My job is to consult with academics and translate what they want to say into plain speaking advocacy about their research and thought leadership. Writing for a mainstream audience often requires some translating and a crisp focus: What’s the problem? Who and how does the problem impact us? Who needs to do what to solve it? When we achieve an agreeable final draft we pitch it to preferred media outlets.

My background in newspaper writing and editing led to further experience in government and higher education media relations. I have a passion for advocacy and have achieved many accomplishments, including the distinction of being a Pulitzer Prize Finalist and hosting the SMU Perspectives podcast (give it a listen on Spotify!).

So, you want to opine?

What Clients are Saying . . .

  • “Bob amplified my voice without changing it. He was a great editor who would sharpen my writing without blunting the message. He knew which outlets to approach and how to get them to look at what I wanted them to publish.”

    —From Professor Michael Davis, an economist for the Cox School of Business, SMU Dallas. Davis collaborated with Robert Ehlert on nearly two dozen op-eds that were published in outlets such as USA Today, Fox News Online, The Chicago Tribune, The Hill, The Orange County Register, The Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News. Regarding a Davis piece published in the Kansas City Star in June 2025 (comparing the careers of Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley), there was this unsolicited comment from the deputy opinion editor: “Thanks for the contribution. This is the best written guest piece I've had in a long time.”

  • “Bob is an excellent editor adept at trimming thoughts and ideas without sacrificing content — while respecting my authority and independence. He was also very well-connected and was able to secure swift and enthusiastic responses from multiple opinion editors. . . and place my pieces in two strong venues for the scope and topic. He had a keen sense of what would be a good fit with which editor.”

    —From Professor Neely Laurenzo Myers, Chair of the Department of Anthropology at SMU Dallas and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical School. Professor Myers had always wanted to craft op-eds and when her new book was released, Breaking Points: Youth Mental Health Crises and How We All Can Help(University of California Press, 2024), she was ready to engage. Myers understood the marketing advantages that opining on her book would provide, and her Op-Eds educated families about a mental health crisis.

  • “I probably published a dozen op-eds in a variety of outlets with Bob’s help. He coached me into becoming a better op-ed writer. He gave me insight into what editors were looking for and had the contacts to get my pieces in front of the right people. The pieces we published helped elevate my institution and my career.”

    —From Professor Jared Schroeder, an associate professor at the renowned University of Missouri School of Journalism. Schroeder was Robert Ehlert’s very first op-ed client just after Ehlert joined SMU as its Commentary Editor in 2018. They collaborated on such topics as Emerging Technology (AI, deepfakes, disinformation during elections), Freedom of Expression, Press Rights and First Amendment issue. Schroeder’s opinion pieces were published in USA Today, The Hill, Slate, Texas Tribune, The Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News and numerous others.

  • “I’ve worked with Bob for many years. He has helped me successfully place many Op Ed pieces in that time. With his editorial guidance, based on a keen sense of different media markets and their demands, my submissions have always been a success. He is a great person to work with: sharp, attentive to individuals, and prompt.”

    —From SMU Professor Robert Hunt

  • “Bob is a crack editor, really understands how placing op-eds works in a competitive arena, and has personal contacts in local and national media outlets. He helped me place several pieces that would have languished in obscurity without his wise and timely intervention.”

    —From SMU Professor Jill DeTemple

  • “Big thanks to all of you! Especially to Bob, who was prodding me for months to write this while it kept falling off my plate. He made it happen!”

    —A few years ago Professor Krista Lynne Smith, an observational astrophysicist at Texas A&M University (teaching at SMU Dallas at the time), decided to air concerns about the proliferation of satellites (SpaceX, Amazon and others) negatively impacting research and stargazing in the night sky. We collaborated on an Op-Ed later published in the Dallas Morning News.

  • “Mary Spector (Associate Dean for Experiential Learning) and I co-authored an op-ed published in the Dallas Morning News this morning to commemorate 75 years of pro bono clinics at SMU Dedman School of Law. . .We very much appreciated working with Bob Ehlert, who gave us very helpful comments and helped us place it. . .”

    —Kudos from Jason P. Nance , Dean of the SMU Dallas Dedman School of Law.

  • “Thanks to you for your expertise in getting it placed in such a high visibility venue. . . Saturday afternoon I sat down, banged out a first draft, revised it Sunday, tweaked it after the KENNEDY decision Monday morning, and then shot it to you. From there, you did your magic. Thanks for that.”

    —Professor Joseph Kobylka, chair of the Department of Political Science at SMU Dallas, was quick to summarize the 2021 Supreme Court term in The Hill and underscore how Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., shaped the membership and caused an abrupt turn in rulings toward the right.

  • “Bob was always very helpful to me in finding ways to engage the public with my research and analysis. He has a keen eye for the best topics and outlets to bring academics into the public discourse. I greatly enjoyed working with him both in the crafting and placement of op-eds and in the production of interesting podcast content.”

    —Kind words from one of the country’s most quoted political analysts, J. Matthew Wilson, Associate Professor of Political Science at SMU Dallas.