Spotlights, spring 2025 | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
State & Hill

Spotlights, spring 2025

May 7, 2025
Group of six people smiling at a formal event with a banner of the Rotary International logo in the background. They are wearing name badges and formal attire.

Connecting at the Capitol

Dean Watkins-Hayes, at the Congressional Breakfast in DC, with Michigan in Washington undergraduates Ajay Morelli, Malinda Brunk, Rachel Ellisen, and Isaac Davis, and Riecker Fellow Hope Wang (MPP ’25).

An individual holding a teddy bear in front of the National Congress of Brazil in Brasília.

“Rex stole the show”

Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor Luke Shaefer brought Rex, the spokesbear for RxKids, to Brazil’s National Congress, where he spoke about the impact of child cash transfer programs on child poverty.

Four individuals pose at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy event at the University of Michigan. They stand in front of a display featuring the university's logo and informational banners about the event.

Katherine, Don, and Pam take APPAM!

Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor Pamela Herd, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor Don Moynihan, and Associate Professor Katherine Michelmore at the annual Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management conference.

Group of five people taking a selfie in a room with floral wallpaper and framed photographs in the background.

Democracy, art, and healing

Ford School writing instructor Molly Spencer, artist and former Center for Racial Justice Fellow Holly Bass, LSA profesor Clare Croft, award-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens, and visiting artist Philippa Pham Hughes hosted a dynamic evening that celebrated care, resilience, and self-expression at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA). The event was presented in partnership with the Center for Racial Justice, UMMA, and the U-M Arts Initiative.

Group of eight adults smiling and holding bouquets in front of a house with a garden. Two individuals are wearing traditional Nepali hats.

Snapshot of collaboration

International Policy Center Director Bill Axinn and colleagues at the Institute for Social and Environmental Research–Nepal, celebrate over three decades of collaboration in the Chitwan Valley.

A person is speaking animatedly at a lectern with the University of Michigan logo, another individual partially visible in the background.
Kara Swisher on the stage of Rackham Auditorium, for the event "An Evening with Kara Swisher, in conversation with Mary Barra". Photo credit: Leisa Thompson.

A new Towsley in tech

Award-winning technology journalist Kara Swisher will join the Ford School as a Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence in fall 2025.

More in State & Hill

Below, find the full, formatted spring 2025 edition of State & Hill. Click here to return to the spring 2025 S&H homepage.

Don Moynihan

Faculty Expert

Don Moynihan

J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy
Headshot of Molly Spencer in the Ford School's Towsley Reading Room

Faculty Expert

Molly Spencer

Writing Instructor
Molly Spencer is a writing instructor, the author of two poetry collections, If the House (U. of Wisc. Press) and Hinge (SIU Press), and many essays and book reviews. Prior to her writing career, she worked in public sector project management and legislative relations. She holds degrees in economics, public policy, and writing.
Pam Herd

Faculty Expert

Pamela Herd

Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy
Katherine Michelmore

Faculty Expert

Katherine Michelmore

Associate Professor of Public Policy
Michelmore is a leading scholar and educator on the social safety net, education policy, labor economics, and economic demography. She is a recognized expert on the efficacy of the Earned Income Tax Credit and its impact on children.
Luke Shaefer

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.
default portrait of block M with Ford School

Faculty Expert

Kara Swisher

Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence