Celebrating the Class of 2023
Congratulations, graduates!
The Ford School is so proud of the Classes of 2023—a resilient, talented group who earned their University of Michigan degrees in a time of historic challenges. This year’s graduates supported each other along the way, and they did more than just persevere: they continued to lead and create positive change in their communities and their school.
We're excited to celebrate the Classes of 2023 through our in-person Commencement, as well as virtual tributes, including opportunities for families and friends to come together, meet our faculty and staff, and congratulate their graduates.
Ceremony
2023 Ford School Commencement
The Ford School is proud to celebrate the achievements of the graduating classes of 2023!
The Ford School Commencement Ceremony will be held this...
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Platform party
The platform party for our April 30 commencement includes Annie Maxwell, (AB ’00, MPP ’02), executive vice president of Omidyar Network;
Annie Maxwell
Charge to the classes of 2023
Annie Maxwell (AB ’00, MPP ’02) is executive vice president at Omidyar Network, where she leads the firm’s worldwide operations and presence on the West Coast, as well as a range of key strategic initiatives. Prior to joining Omidyar Network, Annie worked with the Skoll Global Threats Fund for seven years, initially serving as Chief Operating Officer and later as President. Previously, Annie was a White House Fellow in the Office of Vice President Biden, where she focused on the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Annie has also served as Chief Operating Officer for the humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief. During her tenure, she was seconded to the United Nations Office of the Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, led by President Bill Clinton. Annie is currently a Trustee of the German Marshall Fund and a member of the Dean’s Committee at the Ford School. She is also a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Annie received her Masters in Public Policy and B.A. in English and political science, Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Michigan. She attended the university on a full athletic scholarship and was captain of the university’s Division I volleyball team.
Morela Hernandez
Elected faculty speaker
Morela Hernandez is the Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy at the Ford School. She is an organizational psychologist and an internationally recognized scholar with deep expertise in applying behavioral science insights to design and improve organizational systems and decision-making practices. At the Ford School, Hernandez teaches courses on leadership and diversity, and is the faculty director of the school's Leadership Initiative. She has worked as a leadership development coach for senior-level executives and consults with a number of government agencies, social profit organizations, and global companies on topics related to diversity and inclusion as well as large-scale organizational change. Hernandez received her PhD from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
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Joe Timmer (BA '23)
Elected undergraduate speaker
Joe Timmer earned a BA in Public Policy, with a focus on policy framing and communications. He will graduate with honors. He served as a member of the Ford School Undergraduate Council, serving as both a junior representative and vice president. During his time at Michigan, Joe worked full-time as a cook and gained valuable experience through an internship at the Michigan State legislature during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he assisted a state representative with pandemic-related and constituent services. Joe was raised in Portland, Michigan.
Aissa Laouan Wandarama (MPP '23)
Elected graduate speaker
Originally from Niger, Aissa Laouan Wandarama is both a Rackham Merit Fellow and a CEW+ scholar. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and a certificate in African Studies from Eastern Michigan University, as well as a BBA in Management and Finance from Cleary University. Wandarama is a board member for the Students of Color in Public Policy group and also serves on the CEW+ Student Parent Advisory Board. With extensive experience as a humanitarian/development worker in Niger and the DRC, she has worked across a variety of sectors including education, child marriage prevention, child protection, community engagement, and economic empowerment of women and girls. While caring for her two young children, Wandarama returned to the U.S. in 2021 to pursue a Master's in Public Policy from the Ford School. She has participated in the Ross Leaders Academy and has recorded a story with the Story Lab at Sanger Leadership Center.
Platform party, continued
Celeste Watkins-Hayes, interim dean, Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, professor of sociology, and founding director of the Center for Racial Justice; John D. Ciorciari, associate dean for research and policy engagement; professor of public policy, and director of the International Policy Center and Weiser Diplomacy Center; H. Luke Shaefer, associate dean for academic affairs, Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy, and director of Poverty Solutions; Kathryn Dominguez, professor of public policy and economics, and PhD program director; Jon Hanson, Lecturer in Statistics for Public Policy, and MPP/MPA program director; Paula Lantz, BA program director, James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy, and professor of public policy and health management & policy; Morela Hernandez, elected faculty speaker, Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, and faculty director of the Leadership Initiative; Joe Timmer (BA ‘23), elected undergraduate speaker; Aissa Laouan Wandarama (MPP ‘23), elected graduate speaker; Lily Abigail Israel (BA ‘23), undergraduate student flag-bearer; Ariel S. Freed (MPP ‘23), graduate student flag-bearer
Watch live
Remote video URL
2023 Celebration of the Class of 2023
Join us at the Ford School graduation reception following the ceremony
Graduates, family, and friends are warmly invited to gather on the plaza just outside of Hill Auditorium for light refreshments immediately following the Ford School Commencement ceremony.
Watch memories from the 2022-2023 academic year
Kaltura Video
More celebrations
University-wide
All U-M Commencement activities
Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives
Campus multicultural celebrations
Rackham Graduate School
Rackham Graduate Exercises
There are many different ways to stay engaged
- Keep your contact information up-to-date. Fill out your graduation check-in survey. Having your most recent contact information means you won’t miss out on Ford School news, events, and updates. Each time you move and/or change jobs, you can update your contact information by filling out a form linked on that page.
- Join the LinkedIn group. Connect with over 2,500 Ford School alumni and continue to grow your Ford School network!
- Plug into our resources for continued learning and growth. As an alum, you may still access some of the Ford School’s professional and educational resources, such as FordCareers. You may register as an alum in FordCareers and/or learn more about the career resources available through the U-M Alumni Association.
- Maintain your connection through the U-M Alumni Association with your family of 650,000+Wolverines. Check out the career resources, access to alumni clubs and alumni communities, or whatever interests you by visiting alumni.umich.edu.
- Become an Alumni Admissions Ambassador and help recruit the next class of the leaders and best. Alumni Admissions Ambassadors attend recruitment fairs, make phone calls to admitted students, and/or share Ford School recruitment materials with friends, colleagues, and family members who are prospective students.
- Send in job and internship opportunities with your organizations—as you get settled in your jobs—to fordcareers@umich.edu. Make your fellow Fordies your colleagues!
- Follow the Ford School on social media.
And don't forget, as a new grad, the U-M Alumni Association also welcomes you to a family of 650,000+ fellow Wolverines. Check out their website for information on accessing alumni community career resources and networking opportunities.
... there is no way we can go forward except together and no way anybody can win except by serving the people's urgent needs. We cannot stand still or slip backwards. We must go forward now together.
Gerald R. Ford (AB '35, HLLD '74), 38th President of the United States
#FordSchool23
Forever, and always, Go Blue!