Lori Lightfoot

Lightfoot, a 1984 U-M graduate, will co-teach a strategic public policy consulting class with Jeffrey Morenoff. The course will pair graduate students with social impact not-for-profit organizations in Chicago and Michigan to solve challenges those groups are facing in the delivery of services in their respective communities.

Lightfoot served as Chicago's mayor from 2019 to 2023 as the second woman, first Black female and first openly gay person in that role. In February 2024, she engaged in a "fireside chat" moderated by Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes about her background and preparation for public service, the challenges she faced as mayor and lessons about leading during crises.