leadership in public service

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...

Choosing your favorite class to teach is a little like choosing your favorite kid. But near the top is an elective I offer most years, “Government Regulation of Industry and the Environment.” It’s a class where we aim to develop the tools and...

The government has a clear role in promoting and assuring the goals of public health—the prevention of illness and injury, prolonging life, and promoting the collective health of the entire population. Achieving these goals cannot be left to the...

I long had the career goal of working for the U.S. government in the mysterious world of intelligence, with a particular focus on counterterrorism. This goal developed early in my life, shaped by experiences during overseas travel, the sense of...

Ford School students take on a variety of different roles after graduation—some do research, some will engage in advocacy, others will become civil servants. As instructors of two of the core research methods courses that our students take, we have...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

Each year, the Ford School’s David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellowship provides three talented master’s students with tuition support, health care, and a funded internship with the City of Detroit. Last summer, 2021 Bohnett...

In corporate boardrooms, women often face backlash or negative career consequences when they are unable to display both warmth and competence — gendered societal expectations commonly referred to as the ‘double bind.’ Morela Hernandez, the Ligia...

Since 2010-11, the David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellowship has provided three talented master’s students each year with a funded internship with the City of Detroit. The 2021 fellows—Adam Flood (MPP/MPH ‘22), Kristina...

Ford School Dean Michael S. Barr and Professor Morela Hernandez, faculty director of the Leadership Initiative, reflected on the attributes and importance of good leadership as an essential asset for public policy practitioners during a summer...

Earlier today, the University of Michigan Regents approved the appointment of Morela Hernandez as professor of public policy with tenure at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, effective August 31, 2021. She will also hold a collegiate chair...