The Importance of Research and Data for Policy and Social Change

**1:30 p.m. at U-M School of Social Work, room to be determined**

Poverty Solutions panel moderated by Faculty Director Kristin Seefeldt, with panelists:

• Founding Poverty Solutions Faculty Director Luke Shaefer, who now is the City of Detroit's chief executive of health, human services, and poverty solutions;
• Erin Frisch, senior deputy director of the Economic Stability Administration at Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; and
• Zachary Rowe, executive director of Friends of Parkside in Detroit.

This panel will be part of a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Poverty Solutions at U-M; additional details on the celebration to come.

Faculty Expert

Luke Shaefer

Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy; Director, Poverty Solutions; Professor of Social Work

Luke Shaefer serves as the inaugural director of Poverty Solutions, an interdisciplinary, presidential initiative at U-M that seeks to partner communities and policymakers to find new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty.

Faculty Expert

Kristin Seefeldt

Faculty Director of Poverty Solutions; Associate Professor of Social Work; Associate Professor of Public Policy

Seefeldt’s primary research interests lie in exploring how low-income individuals understand their situations, particularly around issues related to work and economic well being. Currently, she is conducting research on families’ financial coping strategies and is a Principal Investigator of a survey examining the effects of the recession and recovery policies on individuals’ well being.