Jennifer Niggemeier retires from the University of Michigan.
Over the past 32 years, Jennifer Niggemeier has been a supportive career coach and enthusiastic cheerleader for thousands of public policy students. Her influence has extended beyond individual mentorship to shape and advance programs and opportunities, creating student affinity for the Ford School well beyond graduation. The school’s partnership with the State Department, several named fellowships and internship partnerships, and the school’s development of a Leadership Initiative that includes professional coaching, took shape or gained momentum through her work and strategic brainstorming sessions with her. She masterfully sees the potential in a situation, what people can contribute, how the pieces fit together, and then moves people and projects forward.
This spring marks Niggemeier’s retirement from the University of Michigan. Her parting advice?
Keep living your values. As Kouzes & Posner's exemplary practices teaches us: model the way, inspire a vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. Take a step back, and see where you might be needed. We all have more than one act in this play of career and life.”
Niggemeier’s career at the Ford School set foundational aspects of the school that will last for years to come. In continuing to model the way, she’s starting her third act by launching her own leadership coaching practice.
Here are a few other lessons alums carry with them:
➔Support your professional community
Annie Maxwell (AB ’00, MPP ’02), executive vice president of the Omidyar Network, credits Niggemeier with helping her apply to become the first-ever Gates Foundation intern.
Jennifer set an example for how to help others. When I was later in a position to bring on interns, I did. Now there is a long line of Fordies who have worked at direct relief. Your career is not about some narrow personal ambition; it’s about creating impact in the world that aligns with your values and making sure you bring people along through that journey. She has shown me that a rewarding career is one where you can build and support a broader community.”
➔Lean into lifelong connections
Niggemeier played a crucial role in connecting international student Simon Tam (MPP ’12), now a senior manager of strategy and analytics at Deloitte, with valuable resources to help him carve his own path.
When Jennifer says ‘I got you’ she means it. She lives this model of following through on what she says and leans into the lifelong network we have at the Ford School. Giving back is part of Jennifer’s and the Ford School’s DNA and I try to do my part—serving on the alumni board, helping to recruit new students. Everyone here does it in the spirit of volunteerism because they believe in the mission of the school.”
➔Challenge yourself to grow
Kate Hackett (MPP ’99), managing director of lands at Ducks Unlimited, was a nontraditional student when she arrived at the Ford School, bringing with her seven years of work experience.
I was intimidated walking into career services for the first time. but Jennifer saw me as a whole person. She has an exceptional ability to be strategic and kind. She helped me identify a vision for my career and then she helped me think through how to move around the obstacles to make them feel achievable and tangible. It’s something I’ve taken with me throughout my career. Jennifer’s never complacent. She challenges the people around her to grow—both personally and within our programs—to achieve more than we ever thought possible."
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