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Alumni spotlight

Showing 31 - 59 of 59 results

Alumni spotlight

Reinstadtler (MPP ‘04) holds DOD accountable for fragile states spending

Aug 28, 2020

“The U.S. has been involved in different countries trying to support their partner nations' militaries and security forces for a long time, particularly after September 11th,” says Chris Reinstadtler (MPP ‘04). In 2017, Congress established the...

Alumni spotlight

Caroline Andridge (BA ‘14) keeps a person-centered approach to humanitarian relief

Aug 27, 2020

Even in high school, Caroline Andridge (BA '14) had a vision of shaping policy that would impact an individual’s quality of life. She came to Michigan already intending to apply to the Ford School. She said: "I was drawn to the ability to dig...

Alumni spotlight

Former Riecker Fellow Chelsea Davis (BA ‘15/MPP ‘19) tackles emergent issues on the Hill

Aug 25, 2020

Chelsea Davis (BA '15/MPP '19) spent her last year in graduate school working on the Hill for Senator Gary Peters during her Riecker Fellowship. After graduation, she signed on as his full-time legislative aide. Tackling issues like protecting the...

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

Yosuke Matsuda (MPP ‘03) marries economics and public policy for organizational efficiency

Aug 18, 2020

A partner at McKinsey & Company in Japan, Yosuke Matsuda (MPP '03) helps industrial clients with strategy, organizational efficiency, productivity improvement, and company-wide transformation. Prior to coming to the Ford School, Matsuda worked at...

Alumni spotlight

Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP ‘02) brings fact-based analyses for better government decision making

Aug 17, 2020

For 17 years, Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP '02) has informed decision making and monitored practices by the U.S. government at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). She says it’s the opportunity to influence legislation and improve implementation...

Alumni spotlight

Laura Bishop (MPA ‘99) ‘leans in’ on environmental sustainability in the public and private sectors

Aug 17, 2020

Laura Bishop (MPA '99) recently came full circle moving between the public and private sectors, and back to state government. Her time at the Ford School gave her the foundation in public administration, analytics and economics, as well as the...

Alumni spotlight

Bart Édes (MPP ‘87) forges international partnerships to assist Asia’s developing countries

Aug 11, 2020

As the Asian Development Bank’s North American representative, Bart Édes (MPP '87) raises awareness of the economic, environmental and social challenges facing Asia and the Pacific, and builds partnerships in Canada and the United States to meet...

Alumni spotlight

Kenneth McFarlane (MPA ‘14) pivoted from highest profit to greatest outcome

Aug 10, 2020

Kenneth McFarlane’s (MPA '14) transition from a civil engineer to Chief Deputy Director in the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development was guided by the Ford School. McFarlane landed a civil engineer’s dream job in Las Vegas,...

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...

Alumni spotlight

Zara Ahmed (MPP/MPH ‘09): Dual degree fostered her ‘Swiss Army Knife’ mindset

Jul 28, 2020

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...

Alumni spotlight

Sarah Perrine (MPP/MIRS ‘06) removes barriers to early education access in Bulgaria

Jul 27, 2020

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...

Alumni spotlight

Alan Cohen (MPP ‘75) improves U.S. social security under 7 administrations

Jul 27, 2020

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...

Alumni spotlight

DiGiovanni (MPP ‘00) emphasizes the critical role of budgeting in policymaking

Jul 21, 2020

After being awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship with the State Department, Antony DiGiovanni (MPP '00) didn’t expect his career trajectory would focus on federal budgeting. When explaining to a prospective employer he was interested in...

Alumni spotlight

Steve Tobocman (MPP/JD ‘97) advocates for immigrant economic inclusion

Jul 20, 2020

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...

Alumni spotlight

Fernandes-Alcantara (MPP ‘06) addresses barriers facing vulnerable youth

Jul 15, 2020

As a specialist in social policy at the Congressional Research Service, Adrienne Fernandes Alcantara (MPP '06) addresses the barriers vulnerable youth face, including youth who experience homelessness, foster care, sex trafficking, challenges in the...

Alumni spotlight

Tannistha Datta (MPA ‘09) protects children’s rights in India

Jul 13, 2020

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...

Alumni spotlight

Interdisciplinary studies and applied learning prepare Fernandes (MPP/MS ‘08) to protect environment

Jul 8, 2020

As a policy analyst for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Nicole Fernandes (MPP/MS '08) analyzes the environmental, political, and programmatic impacts of proposed coastal resilience and science policies, including those...

Alumni spotlight

Dr. Demessie (PhD ‘10) advances underserved communities

Jun 22, 2020

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...

Alumni spotlight

Claudia Muñoz (MPP ‘09) improves U.S. defense and security

Jun 18, 2020

Claudia Muñoz' (MPP '09) career has focused on improving the national and international defense and security sector. With over 20 years of experience in the public and private sector, Munoz continues her dedication to these sectors as a research...

Alumni spotlight

Ford School alum partners with Hong Kong government to monitor quarantine compliance while protecting citizen privacy

Jun 18, 2020

During the COVID-19 quarantine, Hong Kong mandated that all local residents and foreigners remain in designated zones at all times. Government officials were faced with a technical challenge to ensure citizen compliance without invading privacy, all...

Alumni spotlight

Sean Jones (MPP ‘00) draws on the teaching of the Ford School as a diplomat in Ethiopia

Jun 9, 2020

Sean Jones (MPP '00), USAID’s mission director in Ethiopia, believes that we need smart, well-informed voices working inside government agencies. Speaking about the interest of young professionals in joining public service, Jones said, "I am more...

Alumni spotlight

Meghan Rowley (BA ‘18) assists Latin American governments on technology, fighting corruption during COVID-19

Jun 8, 2020

In many countries, longstanding government practices came to a halt amid COVID-19 restrictions. Ford School alum Meghan Rowley (BA '18), Latin America program associate at the International Republican Institute (IRI), has been helping to implement...

Alumni spotlight

Schneidewind (MPP/MBA ‘15) practices international development at home and abroad

Jun 5, 2020

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...

Alumni spotlight

Using design and technology, Cézanne Charles (MPA ‘15) reimagines a more inclusive Detroit

Jun 1, 2020

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...

Alumni spotlight

Eric Rodriguez (MPP ‘19) innovates to reach vulnerable populations in San José with virtual local assistance center

May 29, 2020

Meeting the needs of vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis was Ford School alum Eric Rodriguez’ (MPP ‘19) top priority. As senior executive analyst for the City of San José, Rodriguez launched the first virtual local assistance center...

Alumni spotlight

Ford School alum supports small businesses and sustainable energy in East Africa during COVID-19

May 28, 2020

Because it is easy to transport and produce, wood charcoal is an important cooking fuel in developing countries, particularly in urban areas. Unfortunately, traditional wood charcoal, is often unsustainably produced and consumed, putting severe...

Sylvia Herzog, The Charcoal Project, with Betty Ikalany and Helen Acuru, AEST Ltd. Uganda

Alumni spotlight

John Guerriero (MPP ‘17) urges governors' cybersecurity response to pandemic-related cyberattacks

May 22, 2020

COVID-19-themed cyberattacks are on the rise due to an exponential increase in telework and an opportunity to exploit fear during the pandemic. Ford School alum John Guerriero (MPP ‘17) and his team at the National Governors Association Center for...