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Stacey Abrams, other policymakers and leading scholars to join Ford School symposium

March 12, 2024
Dean's Symposium promo image

The Ford School of Public Policy is happy to announce the Dean’s Symposium, which will take place April 11 and 12 at Weill Hall, with the theme, “Policy Innovation for Our Times.” The two days will feature keynote appearances by voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, technology visionary Alondra Nelson, and domestic policy veteran Cecilia Muñoz, along with a series of panel discussions among scholars and policymakers examining social policy, racial equity, climate change, and the state of democracy.

Celeste Watkins-Hayes, who is finishing her first academic year as the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy, convened the symposium to bring together Ford School experts with leading thinkers from her past career stops at Northwestern, Harvard, and Spelman. She explains, “This Symposium is close to my heart, and is a reflection of the range of important policy issues that we work on at the Ford School. I am grateful for the participation of so many great colleagues who will be joining us from all across the country.”

In addition to the keynote speakers, participants will include former deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun; University of Chicago political scientist Cathy Cohen; economist Darrick Hamilton of The New School; Dean of Northwestern’s School of Communication, artist and activist E. Patrick Johnson; and Northwestern University sociologist Mary Pattillo.

“I am especially happy that our Ford School students will be able to meet with these thought leaders, in conversation with our own distinguished faculty, and engage in a new way with some of these issues,” Watkins-Hayes says.

Ford School faculty leading and joining sessions include associate dean for academic affairs Jenna Bednar; director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center Susan D. Page;  director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program Shobita Parthasarathy; and director of Poverty Solutions Luke Shaefer; as well as Paula Lantz, Ann Chih Lin, Natasha Pilkauskas, Kaitlin Raimi, and Mo Torres.

The events are open to the public, though some may be available by ticket lottery, and all sessions will be streamed live and on-demand.

The schedule and participants (still in formation)

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2024

11:00am - 12:15pm: Opening remarks by Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Keynote 1, “Social Policy in the 21st Century,” featuring Cecilia Muñoz.

1:30pm - 2:45pm: Panel Session 1, “New Policy in Support of Families and Kids,” featuring Darrick Hamilton, Mary Pattillo, Natasha Pilkauskas, and Luke Shaefer

3:15-4:30pm: Keynote 2, “AI and the Future of Technology,” featuring Alondra Nelson and Shobita Parthasarathy

5:00pm: Opening reception for the Ford School Community

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2024

9:00am - 10:15am: Panel Session 2, “Communicating Climate Change,” featuring Kara Cook, Mike Shriberg (SEAS), Kaitlin Raimi, and others.

10:45am - 12:00pm: Panel Session 3, “Racial Justice and Public Policy,” featuring Cathy Cohen, E. Patrick Johnson, Paula Lantz, Ann Lin, and Mo Torres

1:00pm - 2:15pm: Panel Session 4, “The State of Democracy around the World,” featuring Steve Biegun, Jenna Bednar, Susan D. Page, and others

3:15pm - 4:30pm: Keynote 3 and closing, “American Democracy at the Crossroads,”  featuring Stacey Abrams and Celeste Watkins-Hayes. NOTE: In-person attendance at this event is limited to Ford School students, faculty, and staff, by lottery.

5:00pm: Closing reception

 

Click here to register to attend individual sessions. (NOTE: in-person attendance at the Stacy Abrams event is limited to Ford School students, faculty, and staff, by lottery.)

Celeste Watkins-Hayes portrait

Faculty Expert

Celeste M. Watkins-Hayes

Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy; Director, Center for Racial Justice; Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor; Professor of Sociology; Research and Community Impact Fellow, Anti-Racism Collaborative
Watkins-Hayes is an internationally-recognized scholar and expert on HIV/AIDS; urban poverty; social policy; and racial, class, and gender inequality. Her work illuminates social problems of great interest to scholars, communities, and policymakers. She works at the intersection of sociology, African American Studies, and public policy. Her work analyzes the impact of the HIV epidemic on women and the growth of the HIV safety net.
Headshot of Jenna Bednar

Faculty Expert

Jenna Bednar

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Public Policy and Political Science
Bednar's research combines positive political theory and systems theory to analyze how institutions remain effective in complex environments. She has contributed to the scholarly inquiry of the design of federalism; theoretical and experimental work on cultural evolution and institutional performance; and applied realms such as campaign contributions, transboundary water systems, and environmental sustainability.
Ambassador Susan D. Page

Faculty Expert

Susan D. Page

Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and Professor from Practice at the University of Michigan's Law School. Director; Weiser Diplomacy Center
Page applies her vast foreign policy experience to the Weiser Diplomacy Center. She has served the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations in senior roles for decades, across East, Central, and Southern Africa, and in Haiti and Nepal. Page was the first U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan and served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in Haiti.
Shobita Parthasarathy

Faculty Expert

Shobita Parthasarathy

Professor of Public Policy; Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy program
Parthasarathy studies the governance of emerging science and technology and the politics of evidence and expertise in policy in comparative and international perspective. Her current research focuses on equity in innovation and innovation policy. She co-hosts The Received Wisdom podcast.
Luke Shaefer

Faculty Expert

Luke Shaefer

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

Faculty Expert

Kamissa Camara

Professor of practice
Camara is the former Foreign Minister of Mali and the youngest person to have ever held the position in Mali’s history. She brings 15 years of experience with foreign policy and socio-political and security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Camara most recently served as Chief of Staff to the President of Mali. Camara also spent time as the Minister of Digital Economy and Planning for Mali and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Mali.
Ann Lin

Faculty Expert

Ann Chih Lin

Associate Professor of Public Policy; Director, Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies
Lin, a political scientist, studies how people experience policy implementation. Her current work examines racial and ethnic difference in the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic; bias reduction against Muslims; national security scapegoating of immigrant groups; conservatism among immigrants; and subnational labor migration policy.
Natasha Pilkauskas

Faculty Expert

Natasha Pilkauskas

Associate Professor of Public Policy
Pilkauskas is a social demographer who studies the social safety net, children's living arrangements, and economic insecurity. Pilkauskas' work considers how social policy might improve the developmental and life trajectories of children living in poverty.
Kaitlin Raimi

Faculty Expert

Kaitlin T. Raimi

Associate Professor of Public Policy
Raimi is a social psychologist focused on climate change beliefs and policy support. She studies how people compare themselves to others, how adopting one pro-environmental behavior affects later action, and how communication affects understanding and support for climate policy and technology.
mo-torres-profile-1800x2280

Faculty Expert

Mo Torres

Assistant prof of public policy and sociology / Postdoctoral Scholar
Torres is a historical sociologist who researches urban political economy and race-class inequality. His current work includes research on urban fiscal crisis, state-local politics, and the sociology of race and racism.
Headshot of Paula Lantz

Faculty Expert

Paula Lantz

James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy; Director, BA Programs
A social demographer, Lantz studies the role of public policy in improving population health and reducing social disparities in health. She is currently engaged in research regarding innovative financing approaches for supportive housing among Medicaid beneficiaries, and also on how COVID-19 is exacerbating existing social and health inequalities in the U.S.