Admitted student activities

Join a panel of esteemed Ford School faculty for our first Community Connections webinar. Learn more about their research, expertise, and be welcomed into the Ford School by some of your future instructors!

Register for Ford Community Connections #1

Featuring: Amy Harris, Javed Ali, Devin Judge-Lord, and Megan Tompkins-Stange.

Curious about our student support resources? Join representatives from our Career Services team, Academic Advising, Leadership Initiative, Writing Center, Policy Analysis Lab, and Mental Health Services and learn more!

Register for Ford Community Connections #2

Featuring: Claire Lowande, Emma Frazier, Jordan Long, Paige Ziegler, Alexander Ralph, and Alton B.H. Worthington.

Join a panel of current Ford School students and learn more about student organizations, favorite experiences, and navigating Ann Arbor.

Register for Ford Community Connection #3

Featuring:

John Blake (MPP/MS '26)
John Blake is a third-year dual degree MPP and MS student from Las Vegas, Nevada. At the Ford School he has a concentration in Public Policy Analysis Methods, and at the School of Environment and Sustainability, he is on the Environmental Policy and Planning and Environmental Justice track. Before coming to the University of Michigan, John received his Bachelor's in Political Science and International Relations at Lehigh University. Currently, John is President Out-in-Public and Treasurer of the Environmental Policy Association; he also works as a Graduate Student Instructor and as a Research Assistant with the Center on Local, State, and Urban Policy and the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program.

Paloma Del Toro (MPP ‘26)
Paloma is a second-year student in the MPP program with a social policy concentration. Before coming to the Ford School, she attended Carnegie Mellon University for undergrad, where she majored in political science and international relations. Paloma currently serves as Co-Chair and Outreach Co-Chair of the Students of Color in Public Policy organization at Ford.



 

Elizabeth Mugo (MPP ‘26)
Elizabeth Mugo is a second-year MPP student from Irmo, South Carolina, with a concentration in Public Policy Analysis Methods. Prior to coming to the Ford School, she worked in policy research at Mathematica, focused on federal child and family well-being, education, and economic mobility programs. During her time at Michigan, she interned with Governor Whitmer's policy team, working on municipal finance and licensing. At the Ford School, Elizabeth is involved in the Student Affairs Committee and Students of Color in Public Policy. She also works as a Graduate Career Assistant, Graduate Admissions Assistant, and Policy Analyst at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy.

Lauren Parker (MPP ‘26)
Lauren (she/her) is a second-year MPP student interested in health policy, the caregiving sector, service design, and local/state government. Prior to graduate school, Lauren spent over seven years working in reproductive health and living in the San Francisco Bay Area. During her time at Ford she has been involved with Out in Public (Ford's queer student group), the Ford Student Activities Committee, the U-M graduate student labor union (GEO), and Ford's Consulting Clinic.

Just where does a Ford School degree take you? Ask our panel of alumni about their experiences post-grad and how they continue to make an impact.

Register for Ford Community Connections #4

Featuring: 

Nicole Fernandes (MPP '08)
Nicole Fernandes graduated from the University of Michigan in 2008 with a Master of Public Policy from the Ford School and a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Education from the School of Sustainability and the Environment. She currently holds dual leadership roles at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): she serves as the NOAA West Regional Coordinator, collaborating with partners to advance climate resilience across the 11 western states, and as the Manager of NOAA's Leadership Competencies Development Program, an executive leadership development program.

Her other federal experience includes several years as a NOAA ocean and coastal science policy analystand five years as a policy and budget analyst at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Prior to her federal service, Nicole worked as a secondary science teacher and for three environmental non-governmental organizations.

As a certified professional coach, Nicole is passionate about supporting Federal colleagues and Ford School students in realizing their career goals and deepest purpose. She is also a certified meditation facilitator and a founding member of Mindful NOAA, a community of practice dedicated to incorporating science-based mindfulness practices to supportNOAA's mission of science, service, and stewardship. Her greatest joy in life is nurturing her two children.
 

Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP)
Mrs. Love-Grayer is a Director in GAO's International Affairs and Trade (IAT) team. She has over twenty-three years of experience leading performance and forensic audits in a wide range of federal program and policy areas. In IAT, she leads a cross-cutting portfolio of evaluations examining international policy issues, such as bi-lateral and multilateral humanitarian and development assistance; refugee and migration issues; efforts to combat international trafficking in persons and arms; international cybersecurity and biosecurity issues; fraud and corruption in international assistance; and issues affecting Pacific Islands and Insular Areas, among others. Prior to IAT, Ms. Love-Grayer spent several years in GAO's Forensic Audits and Investigative Services and Strategic Issues teams leading performance and forensic audits in areas such as consumer financial protection, Medicare, contracting, immigration, taxes and the economy, regulatory policies, human capital management, intergovernmental response and recovery from catastrophic events, and governmentwide efforts to improve the effectiveness and fraud risk management of agencies. She has served as a speaker at various national and international conferences on using data analytics and other leading practices to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and manage federal risks.

Ms. Love-Grayer's work has led to identifying millions of dollars in savings to federal programs as well as a range of changes to federal programs, policies, and legislation that have improved their performance, operations, and risk management. Her commitment to GAO has also included leading or contributing to internal initiatives to enhance the performance, accountability, culture, processes, recruiting, and staff development within GAO.

Mrs. Love-Grayer has a bachelor's degree in political science from Virginia State University and a master's degree in public policy from the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy, as well as other executive and technical certifications.

Guy Packard (MPP)
As Simulation Sales Manager for Curtiss-Wright, Guy Packard is in charge of growth opportunities within the U.S. power market. Prior to this role, he was a Strategic Account Manager in the SE U.S., supporting nuclear power plants. He also served as the Business Development and Government Affairs Lead at X-energy, an advanced reactor developer. Guy holds a B.S.E. in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, as well as an M.P.P. with a focus on energy and sustainability, from the University of Michigan.

Katrina Wheelan (MPP)
Katrina is a managing consultant for Watson & Yates, a firm that specializes in local government budget support and financial analysis. She recently earned her Master of Public Policy degree from the Ford School, where she was awarded the Bohnett Public Service Fellowship. As a Bohnett Fellow, she worked on technical process improvements for the City of Detroit's Office of Budget and on an open-source financial statement digitization tool for the University of Michigan's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. Prior to Ford, as a Research Manager at the University of Chicago Urban Labs, she led several government-academic partnerships to predict, model, and measure environmental permit violations. Katrina also holds a BA in mathematics and history from Williams College.

The Ford School is home to a network of research centers engaged in critical work. How can you get involved as a Ford School student? Join our panel and chat with representatives from The Youth Policy Lab; International Policy Center; Science, Technology and Public Policy; Education Policy Initiative; Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy; and Poverty Solutions.

Register for Ford Community Connections #5

Featuring: Carrie Auster Hammerman, Daniel Ellis, Julie Berson Grand, Lauren O'Hair, Stephanie Leiser, and Trevor Bechtel.

Join a current Ford School student and an alum for an informal chat about their experiences as Fordies working in the public sector or intending to pursue careers in this space in an AMA-style event.

Register for the Public Sector Ask Me Anything

Featuring:

Sam Conchuratt (MPP ‘21)
Sam Conchuratt is a senior policy advisor on the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, where he advises Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on issues related to the Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. An elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, Conchuratt focuses on developing and advancing solutions to make it easier for seniors, people with disabilities, and their families to live and work with dignity. Conchuratt received his BA from Xavier University, where he was a 4-year member of the men's Division-1 swim team. Conchuratt resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, Sophie (M.P.P. '20), and their dog, Bennett.

Dixie Samaniego (MPP ‘27)
Dixie is a first-year MPP student and Rackham Merit Fellow with a background in local government, government relations, and campaigns in California. Dixie is a proud first-generation college graduate, alumna of California State University Fullerton, and the Public Policy International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute.

Join a current Ford School student and an alum for an informal chat about their experiences as Fordies working in the nonprofits/NGOs or intending to pursue careers in this space in an AMA-style event.

Register for this Ask Me Anything chat

Featuring:  

Madeleine Gibbons-Shaprio (MPP '27)
Madeleine Gibbons-Shapiro is a first-year MPP student from San Jose, California. Her policy interests include the intersections of healthcare quality, accessibility, disability advocacy, and housing justice. Prior to graduate school, she worked in disability/ medical research at Columbia University and in program management for the housing department at Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation. At the Ford School, she is a Bohnett Leadership & Public Service Fellow, a senior editor for the Michigan Journal of Public Affairs, a research assistant with the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program, and serves on the board of Progressive Lifestyles through the Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellowship.

Naomi Goldberg (MPP)
Naomi Goldberg became MAP's new executive director on March 1. Naomi started at MAP in 2010 as a junior policy researcher, directed the policy department and then the LGBTQ program, and most recently served as MAP's deputy director. She is a trusted expert on the topics of LGBTQ data inclusion, laws impacting LGBTQ parents, and various federal policy issues. She's published reports on LGBTQ families, the criminal justice system, economic security, and served as a co-author on several papers with data from the longest running longitudinal study of planned lesbian families.

Naomi attended Mount Holyoke College and received a Master of Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She completed a public policy fellowship at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Naomi lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her wife and son.

Join a current Ford School student and an alum for an informal chat about their experiences as Fordies working in the private sector or intending to pursue careers in this space in an AMA-style event.

Register for the private sector Ask Me Anything chat

Featuring: 

Naissa Charles (MPP ‘27)
Naissa Charles is a first-year MPP student from Chicago, Illinois, with a concentration in Science and Technology Policy. Prior to coming to the Ford School, she worked as a Software Engineer at Publicis Sapient's Salesforce practice. At Ford, Naissa is involved with Students of Color in Public Policy (SCPP) and works as a Research Assistant with the International Policy Center (IPC).

Brenda Duverce
Brenda Duverce is a Senior Analyst in J.P. Morgan's Private Company Research team, which focuses on delivering insights into private companies at the forefront of innovation and disruption. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Brenda was a thematic Equity Strategist focused on AI, Tech Diffusion & Energy; covered US large cap internet names; and was a strategy consultant. Brenda holds a BA in Political Science from Howard University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a US Fulbright Fellowship. She also holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.

Are you interested in pursuing a dual degree during your time at Ford? Join some of our current Ford School dual degree students for an informal chat about their experiences.

Register for the Dual Degree Ask Me Anything chat

Featuring: 

Justin Thompson (MPP ‘26)
Justin Thompson is a third year dual MS/MPP student from Ashtabula, Ohio focused on Environmental Policy (SEAS/Ford) also completing graduate certifications in Science, Technology, and Public Policy (Ford); Healthy Cities (Taubman); Innovation and Entrepreneurship (College of Engineering); and, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Rackham). At the University of Michigan, Justin serves as a graduate student representative on the Council for Nontraditional Students (CEW+), and as the Environmental Justice Chair with the Ford School's Environmental Policy Association. Outside of academia, Justin serves in various leadership positions on the boards of the Ohio NAACP, Ohio Sierra Club, FaCT Ohio, the Ashtabula County Young Democrats, the Ashtabula County Democratic Party, and My Neighborhood Collaborative (a small community nonprofit).

Danielle Sockin (MPP/MBA ‘26) 
Danielle Sockin is a dual MPP/MBA candidate graduating in May. Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, she worked in economic and tax policy consulting in Washington, DC after completing several federal-level internships. During her time at Michigan, she interned with Governor Whitmer's policy team and Alvarez & Marsal's Public Sector Services and is currently leading a team as part of the Ford School's pilot Public Policy Consulting Clinic. She is particularly interested in applying quantitative data analysis to inform evidence-based policymaking, especially in social and health policy.

Margy Hunter (MPP/MEd ‘27)
Margy Hunter is a second-year dual degree student studying Higher Education and Public Policy. She currently interns with Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) on campus. Before coming to the University of Michigan, Margy worked as a college adviser through the Michigan State University College Advising Corps in rural Michigan and was a Student Advocacy Fellow with The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS).

Curious what life is like for our international Ford School students? Join some of our current Global Fordies for an informal chat about their experiences.

Register for the international student Ask Me Anything chat

Featuring:

Shah Samad Hamadani (MPP ‘27)
Shah Samad Hamadani is a first-year Master of Public Policy (MPP) student, originally from Pakistan. Prior to joining the Ford School, he served in Pakistan's civil service as an Assistant/Deputy Collector of Customs for over 10 years, with experience in public administration, enforcement, and trade-related governance. At the Ford School, Shah is actively involved in the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) and Global Fordies.

Elisa Wang (MPP/MAcc/MS '26)
Elisa is a third-year MPP/MAcc/MS student from Taiwan with a policy interest in economic policy and financial regulation. Prior to joining the Ford School, she worked in product strategy and macroeconomic market research at an asset management firm. At the Ford School. Elisa is involved with Global Fordies and works as a consultant at the Policy Analysis Learning Lab.

Sowmya Raman (MPP ‘27)
Sowmya Raman is a first-year student in the MPP program. She's pursuing a certification in Sustainability and a concentration in Policy Analysis Methods. She calls both Chennai (India) and Detroit (Michigan) home. Prior to coming to the Ford School, she worked on monitoring and evaluation of programs across government agencies and international organizations. At the Ford School, she is a Weiser Diplomacy Fellow, a Dow Sustainability Fellow with the Graham Sustainability Institute, and a member of the admissions advisory committee.

Zhangxu Kang (MPP/MEd ‘26)
Zhangxu (Janice) Kang is a dual-degree master's student at the University of Michigan studying Public Policy and Higher Education. Her research examines equity-oriented education policy, with a focus on financial aid, faculty diversity, and institutions' adoption of emerging technologies. She serves as a Graduate Student Instructor for undergraduate linguistics and social science courses and contributes to multiple research teams investigating student learning, faculty climate, and institutional decision-making.

Register for the April 13 drop-in chat

Got a last-minute question before making your admission decision? Don't worry, Ford School Admissions is here to help! Stop by our drop-in chat at any point during the hour, and we can help put your mind at ease.

Register for the 4/14 drop-in chat

Got a last-minute question before making your admission decision? Don't worry, Ford School Admissions is here to help! Stop by our drop-in chat at any point during the hour, and we can help put your mind at ease.

Register for the 4/16 drop-in chat

Got a last-minute question before making your admission decision? Don't worry, Ford School Admissions is here to help! Stop by our drop-in chat at any point during the hour and we can help put your mind at ease.

Date/Time: March 12, 8:30 AM
Location: Le Pain Quotidian, 800 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20006

Callie Furmaniuk (MPP ‘20)
Callie Furmaniuk is a Ford School MPP alum ('20) and currently serves as a Program Specialist at the FDIC, focusing on community outreach and data‑driven policy work. She previously worked as a Policy Advisor at Treasury and held roles in Fiscal Service, OMB, and Capital One. At Ford, Callie tutored and worked as a GSI and research assistant for a professor and for the Center of Finance, Law, and Policy (CFLP). Callie also holds a BA in Economics from Wellesley. She's a Presidential Management Fellow, a certified SCRUM Master, and enjoys hiking with her dog and adult figure skating.

Sheriff Almakki (MPP ‘24)
Sheriff Almakki (MPP '24, STPP '24) is a Senior Policy Analyst at Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI), where he works on AI governance research and policy development. Previously, he served as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, covering human rights and democracy policy across the Gulf region with a focus on AI-enabled surveillance and digital authoritarianism. Sheriff has also worked as an AI Consultant assessing biosecurity risks of generative AI systems, and interned at the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. Before the Ford School, he earned a BS in Chemistry from Purdue University and worked as a research chemist in cancer drug discovery. During his time at Michigan, Sheriff collaborated with the U-M Law School's Problem Solving Initiative to design a refugee protection system presented to a United Nations panel, served as an elected representative on the Dean's Executive Committee and Student Affairs Committee, participated in Model NATO, and was a Ross Leaders Fellow through the Sanger Leadership Center. He holds a certificate in Ethics, Technology and Public Policy from Stanford and speaks fluent Arabic. Originally from Indiana, Sheriff is passionate about mentoring the next generation of Ford School students and helping them navigate the policy world.

Time: March 17, 4:30 PM
Location: Saint Frank, 2340 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Carmen Ye (MPP)
Carmen Ye is currently the founding HR Team lead at Hiba Academy Bay Area, a new Mandarin and English immersion primary school in San Francisco. She is also a People Operations Consultant, working with clients such as Resilient Strategies to build values-backed infrastructure for progressive nonprofits.

Carmen has centered her career around building social impact in mission-driven organizations. Previous roles include Head of Operations at Make School in San Francisco, a college that created avenues of upward mobility for students of all backgrounds, empowering them to contribute through science and technology innovation. She was also the Director of People Operations at LaunchCode, which provides free education and job opportunities to help people launch careers in technology.

A graduate of the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and the University of California, Berkeley, Carmen is a proud San Francisco native. She has traveled to 44 countries, speaks Cantonese, Spanish, and Mandarin, and is an avid reader.

Time: March 18, 8:00 - 10:00 AM
Location: Ondo, 324 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

 

Sam Owusu (MPP ‘25)
Samuel Owusu is originally from Chicago, IL, and now resides in Detroit, Michigan. Sam is a Master of Public Policy graduate from the Ford School of Public Policy (Class of 2025), where he focused on data/policy analysis and public management. After graduating, Sam is working for the Youth Policy Lab as a Data and Policy Fellow. In this role, Sam is embedded within the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential's Office of Early Education (MiLEAP OEE). At MiLEAP, he supports the department's Pre-K for All and Early Childhood Data Landscape initiatives. Both initiatives improve access to care for families with young children and enhance the quality of data used for Early Childhood program administration. Prior to his time at YPL and MiLEAP, Sam graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina, where he majored in International Relations and Educational Studies. After finishing undergraduate studies, Sam spent two years as a Research Analyst for the Education Policy Initiative at the Ford School in the University of Michigan. Outside of work, Sam enjoys rock collecting, running, and photography.

 

Time: This event has been cancelled due to events beyond our control


 

Safiya Merchant (MPP ‘21)
Safiya Merchant works on the policy team at the City of Detroit's Housing & Revitalization Department, where she focuses on strategy development, policy research and analysis, and community engagement on affordable housing and homelessness issues. Before starting her public policy career, she worked in higher education communications and as a journalist. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University in 2014, she worked for newspapers in the Chicago area and Calhoun County, Michigan, where she developed a passion for community-centered policymaking. Born and raised in Chicago, Merchant is a proud graduate of Chicago Public Schools.