Student podcasts with Michigan policy leaders on health disparities, immigration, and more

June 29, 2016

Students in Gretchen Whitmer’s winter 2016 seminar on “Running, Serving, and Leading” interviewed a number of thought leaders about policy issues important to Michiganders.

These student podcasts (click on the links below to hear the audio files) feature Michigan State Representative Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW ‘14), Skillman Foundation CEO Tonya Allen, and other policy leaders talking about a broad range of issues, including:

“Running, Serving, and Leading” offers students a practical understanding of what it takes to run for office, serve citizens, and lead once elected.

“It takes leadership to change, impact, create, and implement policy,” says Whitmer. “While people take on many different roles in policy formation, holding office is the surest way to make your voice heard, to provoke thoughtful debate, and ultimately to enact important policy.”

Gretchen Whitmer is a lecturer at the Ford School and interim prosecutor for Ingham County, Michigan. From 2000-06, she represented residents of East Lansing, Michigan in the state house; from 2006-14, she represented East Lansing residents in the state senate. In 2011, Whitmer was elected the Senate Democratic Leader and became the first woman to lead a caucus in the history of the Michigan Senate.