Laura Lee

Laura K. Lee

Director of Communications and Outreach

An alum of the Ford School (MPP '96), Laura has over twenty years of experience in public sector and academic advocacy, strategic communications, and management. The team she leads is responsible for advancing the Ford School's visibility and reputation with prospective students, alumni, academic and policy communities, and other audiences. Laura and her team are responsible for creating and producing a wide range of electronic, print, and social media, and they host Policy Talks @ the Ford School, a public lecture series designed to enrich the curriculum by bringing policymakers and leaders to Ann Arbor.

Prior to her current role at the Ford School, Laura provided organizational and administrative leadership to fulfill the research, mentoring, and dissemination goals of the National Poverty Center (NPC), a nonpartisan, academic research center housed at the school. Earlier in her career, Laura engaged in research, advocacy, and event planning for a national trade association. Previously, she did direct service work with survivors of domestic violence at a shelter in Redondo Beach, California and with teens in a residential care facility in southeast Michigan.

In addition to her masters degree in public policy from the Ford School, Laura earned her bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan.