Ford School News

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Alumni spotlight

City streets in San José

May 9, 2025

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,...

Alumni spotlight

Jessica Gillooly helps cities reimagine 911 responses

May 9, 2025

Sociologist Jessica Gillooly (PhD ’20) has used her deep knowledge of call taking and dispatching, along with some compelling new theoretical ideas, to become one of the leading experts on this issue. Her expertise is helping inform and shape the...

Collage of Jessica Gillooly with a smartphone dialing 911

Alumni spotlight

Improving legislative oversight, improving lives

May 9, 2025

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...

Collage of Ben Eikey with West Virginia’s State Capitol building

Alumni spotlight

Building futures in the regional economy

May 9, 2025

As vice president of regional initiatives for the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, Tayrn MacFarlane (MBA/MPP ’08) unites local officials, business leaders, educational institutions, and community organizations from northern Indiana and...

Collage of Taryn Macfarlane with an outlined map of select Michigan and Indiana counties, a saxophone, and a turbine

Alumni spotlight

Strange bedfellows for a cleaner NYC

May 9, 2025

When Emma Renzi Wise (BA ’19) got hooked on learning about environmental policy at the Ford School, she never imagined working for the New York City Department of Sanitation. But nearly six years after leaving Ann Arbor, Wise is the community...

Collage of Emma Renzi Wise with an oyster shell, manhole cover, and recycling bin

Alumni spotlight

Building tech to support small towns: U-M team develops digital tool for SEC compliance

May 9, 2025

When Congress passed the Financial Data and Transparency Act (FDTA) in 2022, it required all municipalities in the U.S. to modernize and digitize their financial reports. This is a heavy lift for small towns and school districts, most of which still...

Photo collage of Katrina Wheelan, an example budget, and screen shots from the conversion tool

Alumni spotlight

Q&A: Kevin Naud (MPP '21) helps to develop workforce in Detroit

Feb 14, 2025

While Kevin Naud was born and raised in Ann Arbor, the Ford School alumnus’ offspring will be born and raised in Detroit.Naud, who graduated with a Master’s of Public Policy degree in 2021, and his wife are expecting their first child and just...

Alumni spotlight

Alum Hilary Doe out to change the “old and cold” narrative about Michigan

Dec 9, 2024

Hilary Doe (MPP '08) says she’s always been a “walking through Michigan commercial,” and she’s got the tattoo to prove it. Doe, the state’s first chief growth officer—and the only one in the country—had the state of Michigan inked on her forearm...

Alumni spotlight

Stacy Dean (MPP '92) tackles food insecurity

Jul 10, 2024

Stacy Dean (’88, MPP’92), admits that the decision to attend the University of Michigan wasn’t the most thought-out process. Coming from a small town in New York, she simply wanted to go somewhere new.“It was the school that was furthest away from...

Alumni spotlight

Adam Schmidt (MPP ‘11) on how leadership coaching can shift perspective

Feb 20, 2024

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...

Alumni spotlight

“Tremble with the world”: Airea D. Matthews (MPA ‘07) on using the arts as an avenue for change

Dec 6, 2023

Airea D. Matthews (MPA ‘07) dreamt of being a writer since she was a child. As she got older, she struggled to identify a clear path that turned her dream into reality. “My working-class roots didn’t seem to make space for sustainable possibilities...

airea matthews reading from her poetry collection bread and circus

Alumni spotlight

MPA grads continue to collaborate across differences

Nov 28, 2023

When Mallak Beydoun (MPA ‘22) and Jeff Pfeifer (MPA ‘22) met at the Ford School, they quickly bonded over their shared government and campaign experience. Although they have different political perspectives, they continue to collaborate...

Alumni spotlight

Lishaun Francis (MPP ‘09) on her journey into child advocacy

Nov 2, 2023

Upon graduating from the Ford School, Lishaun Francis (MPP ‘09) headed to DC to work as a Management and Program Analyst at the United States Department of Education (DoE). Although she felt she was making an impact on public education, working at...

Alumni spotlight

Sandy Su (MPA '20) on charting her career path

Oct 10, 2023

Sandy Su (MPA ‘21) was an experienced non-profit professional working in the humanitarian and development sectors in her home country of Myanmar. With aspirations to work internationally, she needed to expand her resume beyond her localized...

Alumni spotlight

Tara Lanigan (MPA '21) on her pivot to the public sector

Oct 3, 2023

Tara Lanigan (MPA ‘21) was working for a mobility start-up and wanted to focus more intentionally on transportation or sustainability policy. She was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) in 2022 and serves as a policy advisor for the...

Alumni spotlight

Egle Klekere (MPA '21) on taking her firm to the next level

Oct 3, 2023

Egle Klekere (MPA, '21) is the founder of her own communications consulting firm in Latvia. She was looking for a program to help deepen her knowledge and gain new energy for her own and her company's performance. How has your work been...

Alumni spotlight

William Selesky (MPA '20) on value unlocked at the Ford School

Oct 3, 2023

William Selesky (MPA ‘20) was a practicing attorney in state government who wanted to expand his policy skill set and network beyond the legal profession. He now serves as corporate counsel for Amazon. What do you do for Amazon? I'm an...

Alumni spotlight

Inés Llorente (MPA '20) reflects on her time at the Ford School

Oct 2, 2023

Inés Llorente (MPA '20) was working for a human rights organization when she realized she wanted to go back to school to focus on immigration policy and refugee integration. She is now the outreach and content manager at the International Rescue...

inés-llorente-alumni-impact-1090x681.jpg

Alumni spotlight

Sierra Stephens (BA ‘20) helps businesses invest in a sustainable future

Apr 29, 2022

When the global pandemic locked down international travel and postponed her fellowship in 2020, Sierra Stephens (BA ‘20) took time to reflect on her long-term goals. She turned her car into a camper and set out to explore national parks in the...

Alumni spotlight

Katie D’Hondt Brooks (BA ‘12) creates a safer digital world and develops people-focused solutions

Mar 30, 2022

After Katie D’Hondt Brooks (BA ‘12) graduated from the Ford School, she worked at Partnership for Public Service where she managed a set of programs meant to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in public service. She thought she would work...

Alumni spotlight

Geoff Gamm (BA ‘18) shapes social care policy through technology

Mar 9, 2022

While studying at the Ford School, Geoff Gamm (BA’ 18) focused on health care policy, and planned to continue his studies in public health after graduation. Looking for a break from academia, he went to work as a project manager at Epic, an...

Alumni spotlight

Laura Rivera-Carrion (MPP ‘02, PPIA ‘99) gives back to her community and assists in disaster recovery with HUD

Feb 23, 2022

In the summer of 1999, Laura Rivera-Carrion (MPP ‘02, PPIA ‘99) attended the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute. The program gave her the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to pursue a master’s degree in...

Alumni spotlight

Vanessa Castro (MPA/MPH ‘20) advances equity and increases HIV awareness at the Human Rights Campaign

Jan 26, 2022

Vanessa Castro (MPA/MPH ‘20) landed her dream job right out of the Ford School — Associate Director of HIV and Health Equity at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). “HIV work and working with the LGBTQ community has been something I’ve always been...

Alumni spotlight

Stephanie Sandoval-Pistorius focuses on people-centered medical research

Jan 10, 2022

Stephanie Sandoval-Pistorius is pursuing her PhD in neuroscience at Michigan Medicine, studying the molecular underpinnings of Parkinson’s disease. She will go on to UCSF for her postdoctoral training, where she will investigate pathological brain...

Alumni spotlight

Beza Merid, PhD: STPP gave me insights into how policy can develop justice-based health innovations

Dec 23, 2021

Beza Merid was a faculty affiliate with STPP when he became a research fellow in cardiology at Michigan Medicine. Now at Arizona State University, he appreciates how influencing innovation policy can create better health outcomes for underserved...

Alumni spotlight

STPP alum Michelle Brechtelsbauer (MPP '16) works to impact zero-carbon energy

Aug 18, 2021

Michelle Brechtelsbauer (MPP '16) interrupted her government service to obtain her Ford School Master of Public Policy and the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program. Now in the private sector, at the Energy Impact Center,...

Alumni spotlight

Susan McLaughlin (MPP/MBA' 93) manages financial crises in three decades at the Fed

Aug 13, 2021

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...

Alumni spotlight

Nick Occhipinti (MPP ‘08) works across differences for the environment

Aug 10, 2021

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...

Alumni spotlight

Ruqayya Ahmad (MPP ‘21) leverages international experiences to combat healthcare inequities

Jul 26, 2021

After a single semester at the Ford School, Ruqayya Ahmad (MPP ‘21) felt compelled to switch her focus. Coming in with a background in international studies, that’s what she expected to continue to concentrate on. “After my first semester of...

Alumni spotlight

Ammara Ansari (MPP ‘19) serves Detroit youth through evaluation

Jul 14, 2021

Ammara Ansari (MPP ‘19) never imagined working on youth education and wellness policy or conducting evaluations—but in a joint fellowship with The Skillman Foundation and the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF), that is exactly what she’s doing....

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