The Ford School recognizes Tyler Mathieu (MPP ‘28) and Courtney Moore (MPP ‘28) as the 2026 Kohn Scholars. Kohn Scholars are chosen for their outstanding qualifications and commitment to public service and advancing social policy. The fellowship is a Ford School Rackham Master's Award, one of the Ford School's and the University of Michigan's highest honors. With it, students receive two years of full tuition, a stipend, and health and dental care.
Tyler Mathieu (MPP ‘28) grew up in Jonesboro, GA, and is a recent graduate of Morehouse College with a BA in sociology. From an early age, his pursuits for public good were always in sight. He grew up understanding that ZIP codes shape destinies. The neighborhood a family is born into can determine whether their children have access to opportunity or inherit the economic immobility that policy and systems created. During his time at Morehouse, he cultivated this passion for public good through interning at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Southern Education Foundation, and the University of Michigan Youth Policy Lab ASPIRE cohort, as well as serving as the inaugural Morehouse Advocacy Reaching Capitol Hill (MARCH) Ambassador where he visited Capitol Hill to pitch reform on current bills such as H.R.4117, The College for All Act, and to explore legislation that could positively impact HBCUs and make college education more affordable and accessible regardless of one's economic background. At the Ford School, he hopes to lead research and advocate for social policy designed to build intergenerational mobility, expand educational access, and create long-lasting solutions to neighborhood disinvestment and racial wealth gaps for minority families in American cities. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his support system, music, traveling, capturing memories, and living life to the fullest.
Courtney Moore (MPP ‘28) grew up in Malden, MA, and is a proud New Englander. She graduated from Davidson College in 2018 with a degree in psychology and a minor in health and human values. Since then, she has pursued a career in strategic public finance. Prior to enrolling at the University of Michigan, she collaborated with local and state governments to secure sustainable funding for programs and services supporting children and youth. Her work has taken her across the United States and India. Outside of work and her studies, she enjoys training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and hiking local trails.
Funding for the Kohn Scholars is part of a $22 million commitment from Hal and Carol Kohn and the Kohn Charitable Trust to establish the Kohn Collaborative for Social Policy, a hub to catalyze interdisciplinary research and policy impact that promotes social equity and inclusion for all U.S. residents. The Collaborative consists of three pillars: Kohn Professors, Kohn Scholars, and policy impact.