Brian Flanagan is founder and principal of the Water's Edge Leadership Institute. He is a trained coach and leadership development entrepreneur. At the University of Michigan, he is a lecturer in public policy and chief evangelist of the Sanger Leadership Center, where he served for almost a decade as the founding managing director.
Jennifer Niggemeier brings 20+ years of experience in working with current and future policy leaders. Jennifer leads a global team of 20+ executive leadership coaches delivering individual and group coaching to masters students, and designs and…
The Ford School's Leadership Initiative develops and offers a growing suite of graduate and undergraduate student leadership courses, coaching, and extracurricular programs that build on and complement the school's excellent, rigorous curriculum....
All Ford School master's students have the opportunity to work with a certified executive leadership coach—a growth activity that is typically reserved for senior leaders and executives much further along in their careers.For Master of Public Policy...
The Leadership Initiative hosts workshops, immersive experiences and talks designed to equip Ford School students with the competencies needed to lead self, others, organizations and communities. Each program or event supports the development of a...
Tools to impact and influence others
“Leadership doesn’t come by title. You don’t have to be the head of an organization to have an impact.
Morela Hernandez, Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and faculty director...
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...
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....
A Life of Service: Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States 50 years ago. His dedication to public service can be seen throughout his life, as an Eagle Scout, serving in World War II, serving in Congress for 25 years...
Warm spring greetings from Ann Arbor!
This year we commemorate 50 years since Gerald R. Ford took office as U.S. President, after the unprecedented resignation of disgraced Richard...
Ford School graduate student Anna Verduin Pomper (MPP '24) was among four graduating University of Michigan students and a student organization recognized by the Spectrum Center for their outstanding contributions to campus. Pomper received the...
The oft-used phrase in sports “Control the controllables,” is as applicable to leadership in public policy. The phrase sits framed on Greg Harden’s desk and is the topic of his New York Times bestseller, Stay Sane in an Insane World. In November,...
The Academic Leadership Institute (ALI) Summer Residential Program offered by the University of Michigan (U-M) and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) equips diverse individuals with the knowledge and management skills required to advance...
Ford School professor emeritus Robert Axelrod has had a 50-year career that has made him what some people have called “one of the most influential social scientists of his generation.”
After being recognized by President Kennedy for being a...
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo addressed labor market challenges in a conversation with Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson. She noted the vast number of people and agencies within the Department of Commerce – nearly 47,000...
Four current and former army officers stood before a set of maps on a screen in the Betty Ford auditorium, giving background on the on-going diplomatic standoff in Cyprus. The audience consisted of 24 undergraduate and graduate students from the...
In partnership with CAI, Ford School professor Liz Gerber was able to take an idea scribbled on a napkin and turn it into a powerful simulation tool for teachers and students.
Following more than 100 simulations involving more than 4,000 users...
Deans group will inform center’s overall strategic focus while associate deans group will focus on impacting student success, equity and learning innovation
Two strategic advisory councils made up of University of Michigan deans and associate...
Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes is honoring one of her great mentors, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole — noted Black feminist anthropologist, the first Black female president of Spelman College, former director of the Smithsonian Institution's...
On a Monday evening in late November, throngs of University of Michigan students, faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor residents waited expectantly outside the Michigan Theater to attend the premier showing of the film, “She Said.”
The movie chronicles...
A series of articles have highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’s low polling numbers, “a daunting problem for a running mate as the 2024 presidential campaign gets under way.” FiveThirtyEight’s polling average showed Harris with a 52%...
During the Winter Term 2023, Ford School students were involved in projects with federal, state, county, city, and township governments, school districts, non-profit organizations, and commissions. They worked with the school’s numerous research...
In the United States and around the world, the fate of democracy is being challenged. A number of studies have shown that the majority of Americans believe democracy is at risk. At the University of Michigan, faculty and students are participating...
As President Santa. J. Ono was inaugurated as the 15th president of the University of Michigan on March 8, he laid out a vision for change and challenge to continue to address the world’s greatest problems. In his address to an audience of students,...
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will visit the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, March 8, for a special event alongside CNN Anchor Chris Wallace.
Beginning at 6:00pm at Rackham Auditorium, the hour-long fireside chat...
Elected officials from local, county, and state government came to the Ford School to hear about the potential for collaborations with their offices and the School’s faculty, research centers, and students.
Fifteen members of the Michigan State...
Ford School emeritus professor Robert Axelrod was awarded the 2022 Boris Mints Institute (BMI) Prize. In its citation, the Institute noted his ground-breaking work in applying game theory to conflict resolution.
“In his research, which employed...
Many high-achieving employees describe feelings of self-doubt and not being intellectually capable to do their jobs. These feelings can be classified as “imposter syndrome” and it is a persistent issue among career women. A KPMG survey of 750 female...
Education Week has unveiled the annual 2023 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings which rate education scholars based on criteria that determines who has made the largest impact in their field over the previous year.
Education Policy...
