MPP alumni

News

Welcome new 2023 alumni board members

Jan 6, 2023

Six Ford School alumni have been elected by their peers to serve on the Alumni Board. The newly elected members bring experience in finance, consulting, government, and more. The elected members are: Alli Berry (BA '19) Brenda Duverce (MPP...

News

Alum Brooke Bacigal (BA '20) named 2022 Schwarzman Scholar

Dec 13, 2022

From an initial pool of nearly 3,000 applicants, 151 Schwarzman Scholars were selected from 36 countries and 121 universities. We're incredibly proud to have two U-M wolverines in this elite cohort. The Schwarzman Scholars Program aims to prepare...

News

Education Policy Initiative graduates spread their research skills across the country

Jun 24, 2022

Government consulting, examining the effects of free tuition, teaching sociology – all are activities that recent graduates who worked with the Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the University of Michigan are pursuing, putting their research and...

News

Andreas Hatzigeorgiou (MPP '08) wins Sweden's Fulbright Alum of the Year Award

May 23, 2022

The Fulbright Alum of the Year Award in Sweden for 2022 goes to Andreas Hatzigeorgiou, who received his Master's of Public Policy in 2008 from the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy. Hatzigeorgiou is currently the CEO of the...

News

Ford School welcomes 2020 alumni to Comeback celebration

May 13, 2022

The Ford School welcomed back the Class of 2020 at a reception in their honor at Weill Hall, in conjunction with the University of Michigan Comeback Commencement Ceremony. Some 100 alumni, faculty, staff and families attended the...

Photo, taken from above, of attendees at the Class of 2020 Comeback Commencement reception

News

Challenge accepted: Alumni step up to support PPIA and student internships

Mar 2, 2022

For 40 years, the Ford School’s Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute fellowship (formerly known as the Sloan or Woodrow Wilson fellowship)—a program designed to build diversity in public service—has provided a...

News

Ford School alum and Ukraine expert gives analysis of emerging crisis

Feb 28, 2022

Orysia Kulick (MPP, MA in Russian Studies '06) was a Fullbright fellow in Ukraine in 2004-2005, during the time of the Orange Revolution that overthrew a Russian-dominated government. She went on to earn her PhD from Stanford University in...

Alumni spotlight

Laura Rivera-Carrion (MPP ‘02, PPIA ‘99) gives back to her community and assists in disaster recovery with HUD

Feb 23, 2022

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...

In the Media

Cooney considers benefits of proposed Detroit guaranteed basic income program

Feb 21, 2022 Bridge Detroit

The Detroit City Council is currently considering a guaranteed basic income program. Patrick Cooney, assistant director of the Detroit Partnership on Economic Mobility, discussed the benefits Detroiters would gain from the program. “It would...

News

Welcome newly-elected 2022 Alumni Board members

Dec 16, 2021

Six Ford School alumni have been elected to serve on the Alumni Board by their peers. The newly elected members are all engaged alumni, bringing experience from numerous fields, including environmental work, philanthropy, consulting, government, and...

Headshots of Ed Chu, Tosha Downey, Sam Geller, Latesha Love-Grayer, Jackson Voss, and Kevin Sweitzer

Alumni spotlight

Susan McLaughlin (MPP/MBA' 93) manages financial crises in three decades at the Fed

Aug 13, 2021

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...

Alumni spotlight

Nick Occhipinti (MPP ‘08) works across differences for the environment

Aug 10, 2021

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...

Alumni spotlight

Ruqayya Ahmad (MPP ‘21) leverages international experiences to combat healthcare inequities

Jul 26, 2021

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...

Alumni spotlight

Ammara Ansari (MPP ‘19) serves Detroit youth through evaluation

Jul 14, 2021

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....

Alumni spotlight

Sharon Dolente (MPP/JD ‘04) expands ballot access in Michigan

Jul 13, 2021

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...

In the Media

MPP alums Baydoun and Abazeed see racial disparity in Dearborn flood damage

Jul 12, 2021 Bridge Michigan

Surveying the damage from flooding in Dearborn in late June, Ford School MPP alums Bilal Baydoun (MPP '17) and Ali Abazeed (MPP '17) write for Bridge Michigan that they saw racial disparity in the effects of the calamity. They write, "While Arab...

Alumni spotlight

Kristy Hartman (MPP ‘13) informs and supports state energy policy

Jun 28, 2021

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...

State & Hill

Spring 2021 Class Notes

Jun 10, 2021

Alan Miller (MPP/JD ‘74) coauthored a new book, Cut Super Climate Pollutants Now!, with Durwood Zaelke and Stephen O. Andersen (April 2021, Changemakers Books). Maureen Donohue Krauss (MPP ’85) was recently named president/CEO of the Detroit...

Bobby Byrd (MPP '05) and Vivian Byrd (MPP '06)

State & Hill

Leadership grounded in service

Jun 10, 2021

By David Pratt Paula Lantz completes remarkable term as associate dean Diversity, equity, and inclusion. Curricular overhaul and creation of a new master’s program. A leadership initiative. Helping students, faculty, and staff through a...

State & Hill

Dream big, listen, and know when to compromise

Jun 10, 2021

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...

Headshots of Stephanie Chang, Jordan Matsudaira, Farouk Ophaso, and Evan Raleigh

Alumni spotlight

Farouk Ophaso (MPP '06) breaks down barriers at Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, honored as PPIA Changemaker

Jun 4, 2021

Farouk Ophaso was honored by the Public Policy & International Affairs Program (PPIA)—a program designed to build diversity in public service—as one of their 40 Changemakers to mark their 40th anniversary. The University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford...

News

From Arctic research to promoting the Port of Monroe, P3E students get real-world policy experience

May 27, 2021

Ford School students again went beyond the classroom, even though just virtually, to engage with communities across Michigan and the U.S. The graduate and undergraduate students took part in eight projects around racial justice, economic...

News

Ford alum secures Peter Harbage Fellowship

May 21, 2021

For the first time ever, the Peter Harbage Fellowship has chosen a Ford School or University of Michigan alumni. Named in honor of Peter Harbage (MPP ‘93), the one-year fellowship provides fellows with “a year-long experience to deepen learning and...

News

Kalena Thomhave (MPP ‘21) awarded the Peter Eckstein Prize

May 10, 2021

Recent Ford School graduate Kalena Thomhave (MPP ‘21) is the 2021 winner of the Peter Eckstein Prize for Interdisciplinary Research for her comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by the U.S. Unemployment Insurance (UI) system during the...

Alumni spotlight

Marwa Alnasaa (MPP ‘08) promotes sustainable and inclusive economic growth at the IMF

Apr 26, 2021

“There are particular challenges associated with the need to act very quickly in a global pandemic, and the need to make sure that your policy advice is both timely and tailored,” said Marwa Alnasaa (MPP ‘08) about her work with the International...

In the Media

Celebrating diversity appears to come at the risk of silencing continued adversity, says Alemu

Apr 1, 2021 Blavity

In his Blevity op-ed, PhD candidate Matthew Alemu wrote about two concerns that turn Vice President Kamala Harris' election as "the first" into a curse. "First, Harris must perform well because more is at stake....[If she performs poorly] her...

News

Ford School in partnership to diversify and support PhD applicants

Mar 18, 2021

Pilot pre-doctoral program prepares policy school graduates to pursue academic careers, broadening and diversifying pipeline for future faculty The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy is launching a new pre-doctoral research program — in...

PhD student getting hooded at commencement

Alumni spotlight

Interview with MPP, STPP alum Melvin Washington II

Mar 4, 2021

Melvin Washington is an alumnus of the Ford School’s Master of Public Policy Program and the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program. In his role as a Program Associate at the Vera Institute of Justice, he puts this passion...

State & Hill

Fall 2020 Class Notes

Dec 9, 2020

Patrick Larkey (MPP ‘71, PhD ‘75) is living the dream at Ariel Pointe of Sachse, Texas where he is writing an unredacted, personal history of the public policy field from its outset. Any old-timers willing to share vivid or not so vivid...

State & Hill

Action on campus, in Congress, and across the globe

Dec 9, 2020

Ford School Currents: Perspectives from students, faculty, and alumni Dr. Menna Demessie (PhD ‘10) is the senior vice president of policy analysis and research at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which advances research and...

4up photo of Menna Demessie, Peter Martel, Barry Rabe, and Porter McConnell