A powerful network, a shared vision
Whether you're closing achievement gaps, improving water quality, reinvigorating struggling communities, or streamlining government services, there's a place for you here.
Ford School alumni address an...
Ford School gatherings
Each year, the Ford School and its alumni host events around the country (and even the world) to gather, network, and socialize. Whether hearing about a Ford School faculty member's latest research, connecting with a...
This year, the Ford School Alumni Board honored James L. McIntire (MPP ’78) with the 2024 Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes outstanding professional achievement in public service and a commitment to the mission and values...
Each year, our Ford School community of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends gather together in the name of President Ford on or near his birthday (July 14!). Approximately 200 Fordies celebrated in Ann Arbor, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los...
Stacy Dean (’88, MPP’92), admits that the decision to attend the University of Michigan wasn’t the most thought-out process. Coming from a small town in New York, she simply wanted to go somewhere new.“It was the school that was furthest away from...
John English on COVID funding: Especially during the CARES Act rollout, there was an urgency to distribute funding very quickly. I was part of the effort to understand the complex formula for allocation, and to collaborate with ED attorneys, budget...
Justin Marsico and his team created “Your Guide to America’s Finances,” an easy-to-understand explainer on the federal government’s revenue, spending, deficit, and debt. He also oversees USAspending.gov, a website that includes information about...
As a teenager, I couldn’t help but notice the challenges my community faced— poverty, lower educational attainment, high crime and violence, and environmental injustices. It made me wonder: why is my community the way it is? And why is it...
Within the last 5 years, $1 billion has been invested in affordable housing in the City of Detroit to create and preserve 12,000 housing units. Julie Schneider facilitated the planning process and is now overseeing its...
Holly Donnelly on harnessing the power of big data: I often joke about my work being taxing but that it keeps my interest (haha!). Specifically, I think about how we can harness the power of big data to collect taxes more efficiently....
David de Voursney implements the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Program (CCBHC) to increase the accessibility of comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder services across the United States. Since 2017, he’s worked with...
In October 2023, Anne Coglianese launched Jacksonville’s first ever resilience strategy, which outlines 45 actions and 90 subactions to implement over the next 50...
NOAA provides authoritative data, tools, products, and services to build a more weather-ready and climate-ready nation. My job is to understand the policy, political, environmental, and social landscape across the U.S. and try to take a holistic...
A growing number of public policy graduates are opting to work in public sector consulting—public arms of larger firms such as EY or Deloitte, or advisory consulting firms such as Guidehouse, Huron Consulting Group, or Booz Allen. For many years, a...
The DC career exploration trip, a Ford School tradition organized by Career Services, was held this year on February 8th and 9th in person for the first time since 2020. The experience allows graduate and undergraduate students to learn about policy...
Adam Schmidt (MPP ‘11) was an Army officer before getting his master’s in public policy from the Ford School. After the Ford School, he landed a job at the Pentagon where, in addition to his policy work, he found a passion for developing leadership...
Last fall’s Giving Tuesday campaign raised over $4,500 from 29 donors for the Leadership Initiative (LI). Support for the Leadership Initiative enables students to have access to assessments, workshops, and coaching to increase their self-awareness,...
When Mallak Beydoun (MPA ‘22) and Jeff Pfeifer (MPA ‘22) met at the Ford School, they quickly bonded over their shared government and campaign experience. Although they have different political perspectives, they continue to collaborate...
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...
The Ford School of Public Policy recognizes state Senator Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW '14) with the Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award, the school’s top alumni award for dedication to excellence in public service.
Senator Chang will be...
Six Ford School alumni have been elected by their peers to serve on the Alumni Board. The newly elected members bring experience in finance, consulting, government, and more. The elected members are:
Alli Berry (BA '19)
Brenda Duverce (MPP...
From an initial pool of nearly 3,000 applicants, 151 Schwarzman Scholars were selected from 36 countries and 121 universities. We're incredibly proud to have two U-M wolverines in this elite cohort. The Schwarzman Scholars Program aims to prepare...
An online pop-up store is now open, featuring Ford School-branded apparel arriving in the new year. Fordies and friends can place orders through midnight EST on December 27, 2022.
Items include short- and long-sleeve tees, hooded...
Ford School alumna Jessica Gillooly (PhD ‘20) has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Raymond Vernon Memorial Award by the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM). Gillooly was recognized for her research, “Lights and...
On July 14, hundreds of alumni, students, and their families gathered in Washington DC, Detroit, Raleigh, Ann Arbor, and online to celebrate the Ford School’s shared community and enjoy trivia and conversation.
Grace Evans (MPP ‘16),...
Government consulting, examining the effects of free tuition, teaching sociology – all are activities that recent graduates who worked with the Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the University of Michigan are pursuing, putting their research and...
Ford School graduates help shape the policy decisions that affect their neighborhoods, their countries, and people around the globe. Launched in 1997, the Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award recognizes a select few for their outstanding...
The Fulbright Alum of the Year Award in Sweden for 2022 goes to Andreas Hatzigeorgiou, who received his Master's of Public Policy in 2008 from the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy.
Hatzigeorgiou is currently the CEO of the...
When the global pandemic locked down international travel and postponed her fellowship in 2020, Sierra Stephens (BA ‘20) took time to reflect on her long-term goals. She turned her car into a camper and set out to explore national parks in the...
After Katie D’Hondt Brooks (BA ‘12) graduated from the Ford School, she worked at Partnership for Public Service where she managed a set of programs meant to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in public service. She thought she would work...
