Ford School news

Rick Scott’s (MPA ’12) journey into public service was inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. “I just remember feeling like I wanted to do something,” he recalls of his high school senior year. This feeling led him to an ROTC scholarship,...

You can’t get good government without good oversight.” That quote from U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) is a touchstone for the work of Ben Eikey (MPP ’19) and that of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, where he serves as a manager for the...

Adam Schmidt (MPP ‘11) was an Army officer before getting his master’s in public policy from the Ford School. After the Ford School, he landed a job at the Pentagon where, in addition to his policy work, he found a passion for developing leadership...

Throughout nearly three decades at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Susan McLaughlin (MPP/MBA '93) has worked a wide range of roles, most of them closely involved in the Fed's interactions in financial markets. In addition, she has had her...

Nick Occhipinti (MPP ‘08) describes himself as “your friendly neighborhood lobbyist” — but, his job entails so much more than that.  “When I win, nobody makes any more money, nobody gets a raise, but Michigan’s air, land and water get a little...

Before she took a position at the Nuclear Energy Institute as the director of stakeholder strategy & engagement, Kristy Hartman (MPP ‘13) served as the energy program director at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). NCSL’s energy...

Matisse Rogers (BA ‘19) is an associate at Hamilton Place Strategies (HPS), a public affairs consulting firm based in Washington, DC. She believes that helping her clients be clear, concise, and persuasive in their communication has helped them...

Farouk Ophaso was honored by the Public Policy & International Affairs Program (PPIA)—a program designed to build diversity in public service—as one of their 40 Changemakers to mark their 40th anniversary. The University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford...

A partner at McKinsey & Company in Japan, Yosuke Matsuda (MPP '03) helps industrial clients with strategy, organizational efficiency, productivity improvement, and company-wide transformation. Prior to coming to the Ford School, Matsuda worked at...

For 17 years, Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP '02) has informed decision making and monitored practices by the U.S. government at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). She says it’s the opportunity to influence legislation and improve implementation...

Laura Bishop (MPA '99) recently came full circle moving between the public and private sectors, and back to state government. Her time at the Ford School gave her the foundation in public administration, analytics and economics, as well as the...

Kenneth McFarlane’s (MPA '14) transition from a civil engineer to Chief Deputy Director in the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development was guided by the Ford School. McFarlane landed a civil engineer’s dream job in Las Vegas,...

Sean Jones (MPP '00), USAID’s mission director in Ethiopia, believes that we need smart, well-informed voices working inside government agencies. Speaking about the interest of young professionals in joining public service, Jones said, "I am more...