Ford School News | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
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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

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

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....
Alumni spotlight

Sharon Dolente (MPP/JD ‘04) expands ballot access in Michigan

Jul 13, 2021
Instrumental in passing Proposal 3, which heavily expanded access to the ballot in Michigan, Sharon Dolente (MPP/JD ‘04) is an expert at creating voting rights policy. “Although Americans identify in our tribes, or our camps, or our political...
Alumni spotlight

Kristy Hartman (MPP ‘13) informs and supports state energy policy

Jun 28, 2021
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...
Alumni spotlight

Interview with MPP, STPP alum Melvin Washington II

Mar 4, 2021
Melvin Washington is an alumnus of the Ford School’s Master of Public Policy Program and the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program. In his role as a Program Associate at the Vera Institute of Justice, he puts this passion...
Alumni spotlight

Sen. Chang (MPP/MSW ‘14) commitment to public service

Aug 21, 2020
Senator Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW '14) entered graduate school with the long-term goal of running a non-profit. With community organizing experience under her belt, she started at the Ford School and School of Social Work to enhance her quantitative...
Alumni spotlight

Seeking asylum rights during the pandemic

Aug 20, 2020
In February 2019, Hardy Vieux (MPP/JD '97) traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, to better understand the needs of asylum seekers at the United States’ southern border. That trip laid the foundation for a program to help people navigate the process, at the...
Alumni spotlight

Brandy Johnson (MPP ‘09) makes college accessible in Michigan

Jul 29, 2020
Increasing college access has been a top priority for Brandy Johnson (MPP '09). What started as a $2 million grant application Johnson was asked to write during her Ford School internship with Governor Granholm evolved into the highly successful...