Staff

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Hank Peters-Wood, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Hank is a JD/MPP student. He is fascinated by state and local policy, with previous experience serving as a policy analyst for CLOSUP, an Engelhardt Social Justice Fellow at Cass Community Social Services, and a policy advisor to various statewide campaigns. Hank currently teaches political theory at the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the arts. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Tyler Baird, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Tyler is a second-year dual-degree candidate with the Ford School (MPP) and the School for Environment and Sustainability (MS). He is particularly interested in climate adaptation and resilience policy at the state level, focusing on urban/rural politics and agricultural sustainability. Prior to coming to Ann Arbor with his partner and two young daughters, Tyler served over 10 years in the U.S. Air Force as an airborne cryptologic language analyst. He is a two-time graduate of the Defense Language Institute and holds a B.S. in environmental science from American Military University.

Annie Henseler, Managing Editor

Annie is a first-year MPP student at the Ford School. Her primary policy interests are education, disability, and technological accessibility, especially within university settings.  Before joining the Ford School, Annie received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education with a focus on English and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Michigan State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

 

Major Stevens, Web Editor

Major is a first-year dual-degree candidate with the Ford School (MPP) and the School for Environment and Sustainability (MS). He is particularly interested in climate change and energy policy at the state and national level, labor policy, and other social policy issues in the United States. Prior to coming to Ford, he received his Bachelor’s of Science at the University of Michigan with a double major in Astrophysics and Political Science.

EDITORS

Timothy Arvan

Timothy Arvan is a third year Ph.D. candidate in political science and public policy, and Associate Fellow of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law. Tim’s research focuses on environmental politics, and in particular, the use of litigation by fossil fuel interests to obstruct global climate action. He holds an M.Phil. in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge, and received his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and the Program in the Environment from the University of Michigan.

Michael Fuller

Michael (he/him) is a second-year dual degree student pursuing an MPP at the Ford School of Public Policy and an MBA at the Ross School of Business. Prior to graduate school, Michael worked as an educator – first as a GED tutor in Rhode Island’s Maximum Security Prison and then as an 8th grade math teacher in his hometown of Denver, Colorado. He is passionate about building strong public institutions and advancing economic justice for all. He holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Brown University.

Amy Roach

Amy is a second-year Master of Public Policy candidate at the Ford School of Public Policy and is interested in environmental policy and education policy. Prior to graduate school, Amy worked at American Institutes for Research where she conducted education policy research. Amy holds a BA in Environmental Studies with an Environmental Justice focus and a minor in Spanish from Carleton College.

 

Nicholas Birdsong

Nicholas is a second-year PhD student, joint between Public Policy and Political Science, whose primary subject matter interest is in the study and analysis of American legislative institutions. He holds an M.P.P. from the Ford School (’22), a Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law (’15), and a B.A. in Political Science from Washburn University (’12). A more detailed biography is available at nicholasbirdsong.com.

Eneida Hysi

Eneida (MPP ’24) is interested in education, immigration and sustainable urban design. She earned her BA in International Studies from the University of Michigan, where she independently wrote asylum briefs for undocumented children seeking asylum in the United States. Following graduation, she worked to address historic education inequities as a 6th and 7th grade math interventionist at an East Detroit middle school through AmeriCorps. This summer, Eneida interned for the Trust for Social Achievement in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she helped advocate for the rights of the Roma through her research.

Laura Stroud

Laura is a first-year Master of Public Policy/ Law student and Rackman Merit Fellow. She is passionate about decriminalization, poverty alleviation, and food policy. Laura previously served at the California State Senate Office, the ACLU, The Berkeley Food Pantry, and the Marin County Juvenile Rehabilitation Program. She has also worked as a chef at multiple Michelin Starred and James Beard Award restaurants, and was a member of the Women’s Basketball Program during her undergraduate career. She is an Ann Arbor native.

Charlotte Hovey

Charlotte is a first-year Master of Public Policy student at the Ford school. She is committed to improving socioeconomic equity in the U.S. through social infrastructure, criminal justice, and environmental justice. Before pursuing her Master’s, Charlotte conducted research and wrote reports about the supply chain as a Communication Coordinator for Carrollco Marketing. Born and raised in the California Bay Area, Charlotte graduated summa cum laude from UC Santa Barbara, with a B.A. in Sociology and Communication. There, she worked for nonprofits Environment California and Students Against Sexual Assault.

Aiswarya Padmanabhan

Aiswarya is a first-year Master of Public Policy student at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. She is passionate about international economic development, gender policy, and environmental policy and is looking to pursue a career in the nexus of the three areas. Having grown up in the United Arab Emirates, Aiswarya graduated magna cum laude from the American University of Sharjah, with a B.A. in International Studies, with minors in Economics and Environmental Policy. She has previously interned with the IOM Office of the Directory General and worked as a Communications Volunteer with the World Food Program.

Allison Hanley

Allison Hanley (MPP ‘24) holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Religious Studies, graduating summa cum laude from Florida State University in 2018. Before entering graduate school, she worked as a middle school math educator in Dallas, Texas, and as an advocate for populations experiencing homelessness in Tallahassee, Florida. Currently, she serves as a Graduate Student Instructor in the History department at the University of Michigan and as a Teaching Assistant at the Ford School of Public Policy.

Francisco Brady

Francisco Brady was a Lead Research Analyst at the Inclusive Economy Lab in Chicago, assisting with various projects focused on housing stability and basic income before joining Ford as a first year Master’s in Public Policy student. He graduated in 2017 from Howard University with a degree in Economics. After graduation he worked as a Research Assistant at the Federal Reserve, in the Real Estate Finance section. He enjoys travel, cooking, and spending time with my partner and our cat. He hopes to continue working in the policy evaluation research space, with a focus on housing stability and homelessness policy.

Dyanne A. Vaught

Dyanne A. Vaught is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Economics and the Ford School of Public Policy. She works in the fields of international trade and macroeconomics. During her time at the University of Michigan, she has received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and has worked as a Dissertation Fellow and intern at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Prior to the Ph.D., Dyanne worked at Columbia University, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. She received her undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston.

Joanna Bascom

Joanna Bascom is a first-year Master of Public Policy student focused on health equity and international development. Joanna has a background in social research and public health. She worked at a social research consultancy supporting nonprofit, public, and private sector clients. She was Princeton in Africa fellow in Lusaka, Zambia. Since then, Joanna has spent 3 years at Healthy Learners in Zambia and Compañeros En Salud (Partners in Health) in Mexico monitoring community health worker programs, improving data usage, and evaluating program impact. Joanna holds a BA in Economics with honors from Calvin College.

Zakaria Bulus

Zakaria joins the University of Michigan with over ten years of development and humanitarian experience, providing technical support and capacity building to officials of government institutions and local partners in northeast Nigeria. He graduated with a BSc from Manchester University, Indiana, and a master’s degree from Ohio University. Bulus has volunteered with Brethren Disaster Ministries (Ohio and Tennessee) and Islamic Relief USA (Houston, Texas). He is working to finalize his publication titled “The Politics of Local and International Actors in Development and Humanitarian Assistance.”