Leaders grounded in service
We are America’s first graduate public service training program and among its most prominent—respected for the excellence of our faculty, our grounding in social science research and quantitative analysis, the...
The Ford School of Public Policy names Katie Hyland (MPP ‘24) as the 2022 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow. Honoring the legacy of President Ford, fellows are chosen for their commitment to bipartisan cooperation and civility, engagement in...
The Ford School recognizes Lizett Aguilar (MPP ‘24) as the 2022 Kohn Scholar. She joins 2021 Kohn Scholar Marco Ramirez (MPP ‘23). Kohn Scholars are chosen for their outstanding qualifications and commitment to public service and advancing social...
A new graduate fellowship has been endowed in honor of former dean Michael S. Barr, thanks to a generous lead gift from Jim Hudak (MPP ’71), chair of the Ford School Committee. The Ford-Rackham Master's Awards (RMA) are one of the Ford School’s and...
After Katie D’Hondt Brooks (BA ‘12) graduated from the Ford School, she worked at Partnership for Public Service where she managed a set of programs meant to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in public service. She thought she would work...
The Ford School is proud to announce that the Rackham Graduate School awarded Mandy Mitchell (MPP ‘22) with the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) Award.
Mitchell served as the GSI for PubPol 580: Values & Ethics in Public Policy from...
In the summer of 1999, Laura Rivera-Carrion (MPP ‘02, PPIA ‘99) attended the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute. The program gave her the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to pursue a master’s degree in...
Dear friends,
Best wishes to you as we start 2022 with great hopes for the coming year, but also with significant uncertainty—a global pandemic, a growing awareness of the urgent need to defend our democracy, and our imperative struggle for...
Three full-time MBA students from the Ross School of Business were recently announced as the recipients of the 2021-22 Skip and Carrie Gordon Scholarships. Those Michigan Ross students, including one dual MBA/MPP student — Nathan Alston (MBA...
Brittney Barros, dual MSW and MPP student, will brief Congress this week on the Protecting Sibling Relationships in Foster Care Act, legislation which Barros developed as a 2018 intern with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI)....
Throughout nearly three decades at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Susan McLaughlin (MPP/MBA '93) has worked a wide range of roles, most of them closely involved in the Fed's interactions in financial markets. In addition, she has had her...
Nick Occhipinti (MPP ‘08) describes himself as “your friendly neighborhood lobbyist” — but, his job entails so much more than that.
“When I win, nobody makes any more money, nobody gets a raise, but Michigan’s air, land and water get a little...
After a single semester at the Ford School, Ruqayya Ahmad (MPP ‘21) felt compelled to switch her focus. Coming in with a background in international studies, that’s what she expected to continue to concentrate on.
“After my first semester of...
Ammara Ansari (MPP ‘19) never imagined working on youth education and wellness policy or conducting evaluations—but in a joint fellowship with The Skillman Foundation and the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF), that is exactly what she’s doing....
Instrumental in passing Proposal 3, which heavily expanded access to the ballot in Michigan, Sharon Dolente (MPP/JD ‘04) is an expert at creating voting rights policy.
“Although Americans identify in our tribes, or our camps, or our political...
Before she took a position at the Nuclear Energy Institute as the director of stakeholder strategy & engagement, Kristy Hartman (MPP ‘13) served as the energy program director at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). NCSL’s energy...
Thanks to a generous gift from Ann Bentley and the Alvin M. Bentley Foundation in 2020 and in 2021, 10 MPP students were able to secure required summer internships without worrying about costs or income.
“Funding support enables Ford School...
Elected and newly appointed alumni on public leadership
We asked four seasoned pros what they’ve learned about leadership, overcoming governing challenges, and what public servants can do to succeed in a contentious political landscape.
State...
Increasing college access has been a top priority for Brandy Johnson (MPP '09). What started as a $2 million grant application Johnson was asked to write during her Ford School internship with Governor Granholm evolved into the highly successful...
Zara Ahmed (MPP/MPH '09), associate director for federal issues at the Guttmacher Institute, spent seven years overseas with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Rwanda, Namibia, and Haiti, before coming back to the U.S. to...
Sarah Perrine (MPP/MIRS '06) has been a lifelong advocate for the Roma population in Bulgaria. Her Peace Corps placement in Bulgaria and homestay with a Roma family was formative. "I was shocked and troubled by the level of prejudice and...
Alan Cohen (MPP '75) has led an impressive career in social security policy, means-tested programs, and federal budget policy. Working for both the executive and legislative branches, Cohen has transformed aspects of social security, means-tested...
After being awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship with the State Department, Antony DiGiovanni (MPP '00) didn’t expect his career trajectory would focus on federal budgeting. When explaining to a prospective employer he was interested in...
As a specialist in social policy at the Congressional Research Service, Adrienne Fernandes Alcantara (MPP '06) addresses the barriers vulnerable youth face, including youth who experience homelessness, foster care, sex trafficking, challenges in the...
Since volunteering with a children’s nonprofit in high school, Tannistha Datta (MPA '09) wanted to pursue children’s rights protection work. At the Ford School, this desire was confirmed. "Through policy and international development frameworks, the...
Serving in Mozambique with the Peace Corps, Jimmy Schneidewind (MPP/MBA '15) became frustrated by deep-rooted, operational red tape. "You become aware of what you don’t know," said Schneidewind, recalling the information disconnect between field...
Given the unusual public health and economic dislocations facing many service-oriented professionals, including returning Peace Corps Volunteers and Fulbright Fellows, the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy is pleased to...
On May 23, 2019, Victory Institute announced this year’s Victory Empowerment Fellows, naming two Ford School alumni, Brenda Duverce (MPP ‘16) and Preston Parish (MPP ‘18). Victory Empowerment is a national organization that strives to promote openly...
The Pipeline Initiative application process is now open for this upcoming year’s prospective Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Affairs students. Prospective students will be placed with a current member of the Ford School community, and...
Demar Lewis (MPP ’16), a member of the Ford School’s Alumni Board, was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar (HPRS). This prestigious program supports second-year doctoral students across disciplines who have an...
