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An Education Policy Initiative and School of Education Speaker Series with panelists Chastity Pratt Dawsey, reporter for Bridge Magazine, Diana Preciado, instructional specialist at Detroit Public Schools, Lamont D. Satchel, Chief Innovation Officer at Detroit Public Schools, and Tawana Petty aka Honeycomb, Detroit mother/organizer/author/poet.

Join the Ford School in welcoming back Dr. Ruth Browne, CEO of Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and the 2015 Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence. This event is part of the University of Michigan's 29th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium.

Key education leaders will offer their perspective and analysis on the evolving education landscape in Detroit, including the establishment of the Education Achievement Authority in 2012, the surge of charter school enrollment, and the influence of nonprofits in the education sector. Panelists include Daniel Varner, Chief Executive Officer of Excellent Schools Detroit and a member of Michigan's State Board of Education, Tom Willis, Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Charter Schools in Detroit, and Veronica Conforme, Interim Chancellor of the Education Achievement Authority. Brian Jacob, co-director of the Education Policy Initiative, will moderate.

About the event In a conversation moderated by Susan Waltz, Margo Picken and John Ciorciari will discuss the positive and negative effects of the UN-backed Khmer Rouge trials that began several years ago in "extraordinary chambers" of the courts of Cambodia. Will they bring "closure" to the country's dark past?

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow. Follow the conversation on Twitter: #policytalks From the speaker's bio: Richard Boucher comes to us following his tenure as Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Prior to joining OECD, Richard enjoyed an extremely successful career with the State Department, becoming the longest-serving Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and serving as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs (2006-2009).

Join CLOSUP and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy for a Policy Talks @ the Ford School lecture featuring Kevyn Orr, one year after the start of his appointment as Emergency Manager of the City of Detroit.

Special screening of State of Emergency, a new documentary play inspired by Michigan's controversial Emergency Manager Law. On Saturday, February 23 at 7:00 pm, we will live-stream the performance (taking place in Flint) in Rackham's 4th floor amphitheatre.

The financial crisis lay bare how the financial system failed the nation but left hidden the many ways in which that system still fails the most vulnerable Americans. In No Slack, Michael S. Barr explores how low- and moderate-income households cope with financial stress, use financial services to make ends meet, and often come up short. Many households were overleveraged or paid high costs for financial services, while others lacked access to useful financial products that can cushion against economic instability.

Free and open to the public. Auditorium doors will open at 3:30 PM on March 19. This event will be live web-streamed; a link to the web-stream will be posted here on the day of the event at least 30 minutes prior to the start time.

Panelists: Kurt Metzger Director, Data Driven Detroit 'Demographic Changes and Opportunities in Detroit' Kami Pothukuchi Associate Professor, Wayne State University 'Food Systems in Detroit' Michael Tenbusch Vice President for Education Preparedness, United Way for Southeastern Michigan 'Education Reform in Detroit' Moderator: Reynolds 'Ren' Farley Professor Emeritus of Sociology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts University of Michigan Institute for Social Research

Abstract This event begins with a guided bus tour of the City of Detroit, to provide a first hand look at areas of the city that demonstrate the wide range of neighborhood experiences, from those in stress to those already undergoing extensive revitalization. After the tour, the panel discussion will focus on the Detroit Works Project, and the role of community groups in efforts to revitalize the city.

Abstract Over the past two decades, many urban school districts have restructured large, traditional high schools into smaller learning communities. The idea behind this movement is that small schools provide a more personalized learning environment that allows teachers to more effectively address the multi-faceted needs of disadvantaged students. Despite mixed evidence on the efficacy of such reforms in practice, Detroit and other high-poverty districts have pressed forward with the creation of smaller high schools.

Douglas A. Brook, former Acting Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, is a distinguished graduate of the Ford School (MPA '67) and will be the 2009 Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

This panel discussion will present a number of different approaches to urban food retail in the city of Detroit, including: a program that touches on the conventional grocery industry; a program to develop grocery sector entrepreneurs; a new model for community grocery stores; and alternative formats/vehicles for urban residents to get fresh food. Moderator: Larissa Larsen, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning, the University of Michigan Panelists: Fresh Food Access Initiative

Watch video. Abstract This panel discussion will present a number of different approaches to urban food retail in the city of Detroit, including: a program that touches on the conventional grocery industry; a program to develop grocery sector entrepreneurs; a new model for community grocery stores; and alternative formats/vehicles for urban residents to get fresh food. Mo

Alberto Trejos, the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, will focus his presentation on the evolution of Costa Rica's decision to join the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). In addition to addressing the implications of a Costa Rica-United States free trade agreement, Dr.

Mr. Palouš was Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States for 5 years and is now the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations. In October 1998, he became Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Mr. Palouš was also active in various non-governmental organizations and served as chairman of the Czech Helsinki Committee until 1998.

Yazier Henry, Director, Direct Action Centre for Peace and Memory, Capetown, South Africa; Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Yazier Henry is a former anti-Apartheid activist who, as a teenager, became an officer in Umkhonto We Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress. He is a poet, writer, and peace activist.

Cecilia Muñoz, Vice President, Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation, National Council of La Raza; Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, Gerald R.

Catherine Bertini's career spans public service at international, national, state, and local levels and includes private sector leadership and university teaching.

The elections and campaigns class at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, taught by Rusty Hills, to host former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer. All students, faculty and staff of the Ford School are invited to attend and ask questions. The session is part of an ongoing segment of the course that invites members of the political community to participate in the class. About the speaker Dennis Archer was the first African-American President of the American Bar Association.

Former President of MIT Charles M. Vest will deliver the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation lecture October 12, at 3:30 p.m. in the Michigan Ballroom. The lecture is titled 'Improving the U.S. Intelligence Community – Lessons from Iraq, Libya, and Elsewhere.' The talk is part of Dr. Vest's visit to the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where he is the Towsley Policymaker in Residence. The Towsley Policymaker in Residence program at the Ford School brings a policymaker to campus for an extended period of time to teach, write, and talk with faculty and students.

Barbara Freese, J.D., is an environmental writer and Towsley Policymaker in Residence.

Dr. Namanga Ngongi served as the UN Secretary General’s Chief of Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the chief negotiator for the ceasefire that ended hostilities there in  July 2003.

Catherine Bertini, formerly executive director of the World Food Program, gave this inaugural lecture of the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence.