Class Notes, Fall 2026

A newly married bride and groom walk down the isle. On either side are guests standing and clapping. The wedding takes place outside and the trees and grass are green. — Kelsey VanOverloop (BA ’11)

A new plaque is headed toward Doug Brook's (MPA '67) wall: the Distinguished Alumni Award from George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government.

Alan Miller (MPP '74) will publish his memoir, A Tale of Two Crises: How We Protected the Ozone Layer But Failed to Stop Dangerous Climate Change, with Gatekeeper Press in October.

Two smiling people wearing Detroit Tigers caps take a selfie from the stands at Comerica Park, with the baseball field and scoreboard behind them. — Left to right: Matthew Naud (MPP ’90) and Charlie Toulmin (MPP ’90)

Jonathan Perman (MPP '87) launched the Pennsylvania Legislative Exchange this summer at the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics. It is the third state legislative exchange, following similar programs he launched in Michigan and Minnesota last year. The exchanges are based on the heralded American Congressional Exchange, which Perman founded at the Bipartisan Policy Center in 2018.

Matthew Naud (MPP '90) lives in Suttons Bay, Michigan, and spends much of his time in Detroit with his partner and visiting his grandchild. This summer, he attended a Detroit Tigers game with Charlie Toulmin (MPP '90) and hosted Sarah Colson (MPP '90) and her husband up north.

Keino Robinson (MPP '93) was promoted to executive director of labor and employee relations at the University of Illinois Chicago in July 2026.

Lauren Larson (MPP '98) joined the Bipartisan Policy Center as executive vice president for economic and health policy. She is excited about her new role and hopes to galvanize fellow Fordies to tackle the big bipartisan challenges ahead!

Olga (Savic) Stella (MPP '99) has joined Mayor Mary Sheffield's administration as chief of economic development and workforce for the city of Detroit. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in community and economic development, as well as higher education administration, she will oversee the city's planning, real estate development, economic development, and workforce development functions and help implement Mayor Sheffield's vision to eliminate poverty in Detroit.

Smiling person in a dark blazer poses indoors before a window overlooking a city and domed government building. — Erika Li (MPP ’02)

Sean Jones (MPP '00) retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025 after 25 years with USAID. He started and raised his family in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Iraq, Mexico, Colombia, and Ethiopia. In 2026, after a year as a professor of public policy at the American University in Cairo (Egypt), he joined the United Nations in Jordan, where he lives with his family and oversees aid to Gaza.

Three people pose together at a wildlife park, with three zebras grazing in a grassy enclosure behind them. — Tannistha Datta (MPA ’08)

Nick Shroeder (MPP '10) shared that Erika Li (MPP '02) is "making waves in the world of public administration and budgeting" in her role as chief deputy of budgets at the California Department of Finance and as president of National Association of State Budget Officers. Go Blue!

Tannistha Datta (MPA '08) made a big professional move at UNICEF. After more than a decade working on child protection issues, she transitioned from a country-based role in Somalia to one focused on gender equality at UNICEF's headquarters hub in Nairobi. In her new role, she will work on a small, elite team tasked with ensuring gender equality remains front and center in all UNICEF's work and policies. She is thrilled to have her family with her again and would be happy to connect and contribute to the U-M network in Nairobi.

Two smiling people wearing sunglasses take a selfie beside an outdoor pool, with a colorful abstract mural in the background. — Lelia Gowland (MPP ’11)

Jean-Luc Delpy (BA '09) was elected a shareholder at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC. A member of the corporate group, his practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and energy and infrastructure project development.

Lelia Gowland (MPP '11) started Strategic Vacations, which offers highly personalized one-on-one coaching retreats for purpose-driven women. She hosted a Strategic Vacation poolside in New Orleans with Michigander Renelle Bedell.

A smiling family of five, including a baby in a front carrier, poses beside a lake framed by trees, with rugged mountains in the background. — Charles Clark (MPP/MBA '12) with Future Fordie Clara Isabelle and family

Kelsey VanOverloop (BA '11) married Julio Armendariz in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on March 14, 2026. About 60 guests danced the night away under the stars. Among them were Fordies Julia Diegal (BA '11), Christina Hart (BA '11), and Ian Kay (BA '10).

After 10 years of federal public service, Charles Clark (MPP/MBA '12) decided to pursue a PhD in international relations at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. He and his family just welcomed their third child, Clara Isabelle.

Rohan Dharan (BA '13) became senior director of educator community services at the College Board in December 2025. In his new role, he supports professional learning opportunities for teachers of advanced placement courses.

Four people pose in a classroom while another person joins remotely by video on a projected screen behind them. — Veronica Gonzales Stuva (MPP ’13)

DawnLynne Kacer (MPP '13) was selected for the inaugural Road to #1 Intensive with the Broad Center at the Yale School of Management.

Veronica Gonzales Stuva (MPP '13) successfully defended her dissertation and earned her PhD in management sciences from Esade Business School in July 2026. Her research focuses on how the institutionalization of randomized control trials shapes the design and adoption of social inclusion policies.

Gallery installation featuring a black-and-white geometric structure with red lighting, surrounded by wooden cubes printed with QR codes and wall text reading “Anyspace? Whatever.” — Cézanne Charles (MPA ’15)

Donavan McKinney (BA '14) won his primary race, becoming the 2026 Democratic nominee for Michigan's 13th congressional district.

Cézanne Charles (MPA '15) co-founded rootoftwo, a Detroit-based creative studio exploring the intersection of design, technology, and public policy, with John Marshall. Their work was featured in a solo exhibition Anyspace? Whatever. at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Building on her Ford School background in science and technology policy, Cézanne used the exhibition and its companion tabletop game, 463NCY, to build civic imagination and invite the public to examine policies underlying surveillance capitalism and the "smart city" movement.

Corey Ackerman (MPP '16) and her husband, Cliff Walls, celebrated the birth of their first daughter, Johanna, in September 2025.

Michael Manansala (MPP '17) was elected a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. At the U.S. State Department, he leads law enforcement cooperation and security assistance in the Pacific Islands.

A newlywed couple holds hands and dances beside a marina at sunset, one wearing a flowing white dress and the other a dark suit. — Jessica Gillooly (PhD ’20)

After working for seven years in Washington, DC, with Deloitte and NASA, Ethan Hopper (BA '19) began a Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at Boise State University, where he teaches Introduction to Writing Fiction.

Jessica Gillooly (PhD '20) and Grant Gary tied the knot on July 2, 2026, in Newport, Rhode Island, officiated by Professor Steve Clayman of UCLA.

Hilltop view overlooking terracotta-roofed buildings, a coastal city, and a harbor filled with boats beneath a bright blue, cloud-dotted sky. — Nishat Farzana (MPP ’21), the view from her office at INRCA-IRCCS, the National Institute on Health and Science on Aging, in Ancona, Italy.

Nathan Lindfors (BA '20) and Evelyn Velasco (BBA '21) welcomed future Wolverine EvaMaria.

Nishat Farzana (MPP '21) recently began a doctoral program in economics as a Marie Skłowdoska-Curie Actions fellow, funded by the European Union. She relocated to Italy to research AI-assisted long-term care that advances healthy aging. Her training will also take her to Brussels, Belgium.

Kevin Finnegan (MPP/MBA '21) and his wife, Anna Henriquez, welcomed their second child, Miranda, on May 21, 2026.

Yasmine Elkharssa (BA '24) was selected as a 2026 Arab America 30 under 30 awardee. The award recognizes accomplished young Arab Americans who excel in their fields and promote their heritage and culture to empower their communities and make a difference.

Smiling person with long brown hair, wearing a black top and layered necklaces, stands beside an office directory. — Madelyn Allman (MPP ’26)

Josh Holzworth (MPP '24) is continuing his education in U-M's doctoral program in social work and social welfare. He plans to develop a clinical intervention for youth experiencing first-episode psychosis while studying policy solutions that address structural determinants of their recovery.

Madelyn Allman (MPP '26) moved to Miami, Florida, and began a new position as a housing policy analyst at Miami Homes For All. She is excited to continue working in housing policy and advocacy while exploring her new city!