Advocacy

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Zara Ahmed (MPP/MPH '09), associate director for federal issues at the Guttmacher Institute, spent seven years overseas with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Rwanda, Namibia, and Haiti, before coming back to the U.S. to...

Sarah Perrine (MPP/MIRS '06) has been a lifelong advocate for the Roma population in Bulgaria. Her Peace Corps placement in Bulgaria and homestay with a Roma family was formative. "I was shocked and troubled by the level of prejudice and...

Alan Cohen (MPP '75) has led an impressive career in social security policy, means-tested programs, and federal budget policy. Working for both the executive and legislative branches, Cohen has transformed aspects of social security, means-tested...

Steve Tobocman (MPP/JD '97) has been a leading advocate for immigrant inclusion in Detroit over the past two decades. After serving in Michigan’s House of Representatives for six years–his final term as the second highest ranking legislator–he...

Since volunteering with a children’s nonprofit in high school, Tannistha Datta (MPA '09) wanted to pursue children’s rights protection work. At the Ford School, this desire was confirmed. "Through policy and international development frameworks, the...

As the vice president of policy research and analysis at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Dr. Menna Demessie (PhD '10) strives to analyze and synthesize data and equip stakeholders with information to have constructive dialogue about...

Serving in Mozambique with the Peace Corps, Jimmy Schneidewind (MPP/MBA '15)  became frustrated by deep-rooted, operational red tape. "You become aware of what you don’t know," said Schneidewind, recalling the information disconnect between field...

Using racial justice and equity as her north star, Cézanne Charles (MPA '15) helps shape Detroit’s cultural sector and champions the integrative role it plays in civic action and social movements. Charles leads multiple projects that explore new...