Leadership | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
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Leadership

Learn more about the Ford School Leadership Initiative

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Visiting faculty

Abdul El-Sayed

Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence
Dr. El-Sayed is a public servant, Michigan politician, former public health professor, and a medical doctor. He served as executive director of the Detroit Health Department and Health Officer for the city from 2015 to 2017, before running for governor of Michigan.
Visiting faculty

Lori Lightfoot

Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence
Lori Lightfoot served as Chicago's mayor from 2019-2023. She is the second woman, first Black female and first openly gay person in that role. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot served as senior equity partner in the Litigation and Conflict Resolution…
Faculty by courtesy

Kenneth Lowande

Associate Professor of Political Science; Associate Professor of Public Policy (by courtesy)
Kenneth Lowande studies American political institutions and policymaking.
Core faculty

Yazier Henry

Teaching Professor in Public Policy
Henry has written and published on the political economy of social voice, memory, trauma, identity, peace processes, Truth Commissions, international transitional justice and international humanitarian law. His research and writing projects focus on how structural and administrative violence come to be institutionalized during post-colonial transitions. His current work is on the discourse of human rights, structural violence and the politics of official voice.
Core faculty

Morela Hernandez

Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; Faculty Director, Leadership Initiative
Hernandez is an internationally recognized scholar with deep expertise in applying behavioral science insights to design and improve organizational systems and decision-making practices. She is widely published in top-tier academic journals and popular media outlets, and serves on several editorial boards. At Michigan, Hernandez teaches courses on leadership and serves as faculty director of the Ford School's Leadership Initiative.
Core faculty

Paula Lantz

James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy; Director, BA Programs
A social demographer, Lantz studies the role of public policy in improving population health and reducing social disparities in health. She is currently engaged in research regarding innovative financing approaches for supportive housing among Medicaid beneficiaries, and also on how COVID-19 is exacerbating existing social and health inequalities in the U.S.
Core faculty

Jeffrey D. Morenoff

Associate Dean for Research and Policy Engagement, Professor of Public Policy and Sociology
Morenoff's research interests include neighborhood environments, inequality, crime and criminal justice, the social determinants of health, racial/ethnic/immigrant disparities in health and antisocial behavior, and methods for analyzing multilevel and spatial data.
Core faculty

Don Moynihan

J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy
Donald Moynihan is the Ford School’s J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy. Previously he served as Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy Chair of Public Policy and the director of the La Follette School at the…
Core faculty

Susan D. Page

Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Professor from Practice at University of Michigan Law School. Director; Weiser Diplomacy Center.
Page applies her vast foreign policy experience to the Weiser Diplomacy Center. She has served the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations in senior roles for decades, across East, Central, and Southern Africa, and in Haiti and Nepal. Page was the first U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan and served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in Haiti.
Core faculty

Attia Qureshi

Lecturer
Attia Qureshi is a lecturer in negotiations at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and in communications at the Ross School of Business. An organizational culture consultant, she lays the groundwork for progress and…
Core faculty

Megan Tompkins-Stange

Associate Professor of Public Policy
Tompkins-Stange is a scholar of education policy and philanthropy, focusing on the influence of private foundations on the politics of K-12 school reform.
Staff

Cindy A. Bank

Associate Director of Policymaker Engagement, Office of Public Affairs
Prior to coming to the Ford School, Cindy spent more than 22 years in the University of Michigan's Washington DC office where she served as a liaison for the University with Congress, the Administration and national higher education associations on…

Extracurricular programming

The Leadership Initiative hosts workshops, immersive experiences and talks designed to equip Ford School students with the competencies needed to lead self, others, organizations and communities. Each program or event supports the development of a...

Leadership coaching

All Ford School master's students have the opportunity to work with a certified executive leadership coach—a growth activity that is typically reserved for senior leaders and executives much further along in their careers.For Master of Public Policy...

Leadership development

Tools to impact and influence others “Leadership doesn’t come by title. You don’t have to be the head of an organization to have an impact. Morela Hernandez, Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and faculty director...

Ford School votes

Vote early or on election day In our community dedicated to the public good, we believe that participating in democracy is an irreplaceable way to strengthen it. We welcome everyone in our community into that work, and we strongly encourage all...

Leadership Initiative

The Ford School's Leadership Initiative develops and offers a growing suite of graduate and undergraduate student leadership courses, coaching, and extracurricular programs that build on and complement the school's excellent, rigorous curriculum....

Service to Service

National Service to Service InitiativeVeterans and military families seeking careers in public service now have greater access to graduate education and career development support through Service to Service, a national initiative led by the Volcker...
In the Media

Moynihan on donors paying millions to dine with Trump

Mar 4, 2025 Wired
Don Moynihan, Ford School professor says his worries about donors dining with Trump is "where there doesn’t seem to be a clear line between Trump’s businesses and the presidency.” He says, “The concern is less about fundraising and more about access...
In the Media

How government may use AI to determine spending cuts - Moynihan

Feb 18, 2025 Axios
With the emergence of AI as one of the largest technological innovations of the decade, scholars suspect AI will soon be used by the government to determine where to cut funding. "Everyone is excited about the use of AI, and over time it will...
In the Media

Moynihan claims Trump's efforts to dismantle civil service are illegal

Feb 14, 2025 The Washington Post
The Washington Post reviewed the Trump administration's recent acts to cut civil servant employees and terminate federal agency operations. Donald Moynihan, a professor at the Ford School, said “such a power would be too great in the hands of any...
In the Media

Moynihan raises alarms over Musk's seize of government IT systems

Feb 5, 2025 Vox
As DOGE leader Elon Musk taps into government IT systems, it is unclear what the exact intent is for gaining access to information from agencies such as the Treasury, Office of Personal Management, and Small Business Administration. "Just from an...
In the Media

Moynihan warns of a "constitutional crisis" with DOGE takeover

Feb 5, 2025 NextGov
“If this isn't a constitutional crisis, I'm not sure what is,” said Donald Moynihan, public policy professor at the University of Michigan. This comment follows recent actions taken by the new DOGE leader, Elon Musk, of infiltrating various...
In the Media

How federal employee cuts are impacting national security - Ali

Feb 5, 2025 The Cipher Brief
Speaking with The Cipher Brief, the Ford School's Javed Ali stated national security agencies are witnessing and "unprecedented moment" due to federal job cuts in civil service. Ali noted, "I can't remember a time when the bureau was under this much...