alumni

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State & Hill

Class Notes, fall 2021

Dec 13, 2021

Frank Spence (MPA '60) was elected president of the Port of Astoria Commission, the only deep water port in Oregon to accommodate Alaskan cruise ships. Kaoru Mamiya (MPA '73) celebrated his 77th birthday on September 3, 2020, a very special...

News

P3E mentors play a crucial role in student consulting course

Dec 7, 2021

Expert mentors are a distinguishing aspect of Professor Elisabeth Gerber’s Strategic Public Policy Consulting course. The consulting course gives graduate students the opportunity to help clients such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO),...

Photo of Professor Liz Gerber and a group of Ford School MPP students seated around a table, having a conversation

News

COVID leadership lessons highlighted at annual Ford School Spirit Day

Aug 13, 2021 Watch the video

Effective leadership always requires the ability to adjust to changing circumstances. The massive disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic affected both how people were able to do their jobs as well as how they could accomplish their professional...

Screencap of Spirit Day panel, displayed on a Macbook in front of a maize gradient background

Alumni spotlight

Nick Occhipinti (MPP ‘08) works across differences for the environment

Aug 10, 2021

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...

Alumni spotlight

Sharon Dolente (MPP/JD ‘04) expands ballot access in Michigan

Jul 13, 2021

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...

Alumni spotlight

Matisse Rogers (BA ‘19) on the importance of communication in public affairs and its impact on communities

Jun 25, 2021

Matisse Rogers (BA ‘19) is an associate at Hamilton Place Strategies (HPS), a public affairs consulting firm based in Washington, DC. She believes that helping her clients be clear, concise, and persuasive in their communication has helped them...

State & Hill

Spring 2021 Class Notes

Jun 10, 2021

Alan Miller (MPP/JD ‘74) coauthored a new book, Cut Super Climate Pollutants Now!, with Durwood Zaelke and Stephen O. Andersen (April 2021, Changemakers Books). Maureen Donohue Krauss (MPP ’85) was recently named president/CEO of the Detroit...

Bobby Byrd (MPP '05) and Vivian Byrd (MPP '06)

State & Hill

Dream big, listen, and know when to compromise

Jun 10, 2021

Elected and newly appointed alumni on public leadership We asked four seasoned pros what they’ve learned about leadership, overcoming governing challenges, and what public servants can do to succeed in a contentious political landscape. State...

Headshots of Stephanie Chang, Jordan Matsudaira, Farouk Ophaso, and Evan Raleigh

News

Ford alum secures Peter Harbage Fellowship

May 21, 2021

For the first time ever, the Peter Harbage Fellowship has chosen a Ford School or University of Michigan alumni. Named in honor of Peter Harbage (MPP ‘93), the one-year fellowship provides fellows with “a year-long experience to deepen learning and...

Alumni spotlight

Marwa Alnasaa (MPP ‘08) promotes sustainable and inclusive economic growth at the IMF

Apr 26, 2021

“There are particular challenges associated with the need to act very quickly in a global pandemic, and the need to make sure that your policy advice is both timely and tailored,” said Marwa Alnasaa (MPP ‘08) about her work with the International...

News

Ford School recognized again as the #1 program in social policy

Mar 30, 2021

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is recognized again as one of America’s top graduate programs in public affairs, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. According to the rankings, based...

News

Support what you love about the Ford School on Giving Blueday - March 10!

Mar 5, 2021 Giving Blueday

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 marks Giving Blueday, an annual day of giving celebration for U-M. Each gift to the Ford School, no matter the size, will make a difference. And this year, through a generous challenge offered by the Borish Family,...

News

January Career Expo taps Ford School’s global community

Jan 29, 2021

Finding opportunity among the continued challenges of the coronavirus, the Ford School’s traditional career trip to Washington, DC took on a new and expanded approach this year in the form of a three-day virtual January Graduate Student Career Expo...

Students and alumni networking at the Ford School's DC trip

News

Welcome newly elected Alumni Board members

Dec 17, 2020

Six Ford School alumni have been elected to the Alumni Board by their peers. Their term starts January 1, 2021, and runs through December 31, 2023. The elected members all are very engaged members of the alumni community, and they bring experience...

A grid of headshots for Julia Friedman, Naomi Goldberg, Veronica Gonzales Stuva, Trevis Harrold, Cortney Sanders, Ivy Tran, Maggie Barnard, and Julia Kohn

State & Hill

Fall 2020 Class Notes

Dec 9, 2020

Patrick Larkey (MPP ‘71, PhD ‘75) is living the dream at Ariel Pointe of Sachse, Texas where he is writing an unredacted, personal history of the public policy field from its outset. Any old-timers willing to share vivid or not so vivid...

State & Hill

Action on campus, in Congress, and across the globe

Dec 9, 2020

Ford School Currents: Perspectives from students, faculty, and alumni Dr. Menna Demessie (PhD ‘10) is the senior vice president of policy analysis and research at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which advances research and...

4up photo of Menna Demessie, Peter Martel, Barry Rabe, and Porter McConnell

News

Annual career trip goes global: January Graduate Student Career Expo and networking event expands career opportunities for students

Dec 2, 2020

RSVP for the trivia and networking event on January 13! For more than 25 years, the Ford School’s annual DC trip has inspired first and second year graduate students to explore careers, clarify goals, and make connections. Like so many other...

News

Ford School Alumni step up to the giving challenge in difficult times

Nov 30, 2020

The Ford School launched the Alumni Giving Challenge in summer 2019, with members of the Ford School Committee offering $50,000 in challenge funds. Despite an especially trying year, alumni stepped up to the challenge with incredible support for the...

Dean Barr and Ford School alums speak in person prior to COVID-19

News

Third annual Ford School pitch competition focuses on financial inclusion and inequity during summer internships

Oct 27, 2020

Financial inclusion and inequity were focuses of the third annual pitch competition, at which 12 Ford School BA and Masters students presented about their summer internship experiences. Those experiences were online in 2020 because of the COVID-19...

Publication

Employer Resource Networks hold promise to increase retention and improve productivity of entry-level workers - Shaefer

Sep 24, 2020

Employer Resource Networks (ERNs) involve local networks of employers collectively providing work support services to their entry-level workforce. In a paper published for the American Enterprise Institute, Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of...

Luke Shaefer delivers a talk at the Ford School

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

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

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...