Departments and Research Centers

Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy

Content type
Showing 1 - 30 of 758 results
Leadership

Stephanie Leiser

CLOSUP Director, Lecturer in Public Policy
Stephanie Leiser is a lecturer at the Ford School and Director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP). Her general areas of interest are public budgeting, finance, and local government management, and she has particular expertise i...
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Staff

Margaret Walthall

Research and Data Specialist
Margaret joined CLOSUP as our research and data specialist in September 2023, after having worked at the Center as a student policy analyst during her master's program in the Ford School. During her studies, Margaret worked on CLOSUP's Fiscal Health ...
Margaret Walthall
Staff

Mariam Negaran

Administrative Coordinator/Project Coordinator, Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy
Mariam Negaran is the Administrative Coordinator/Project Coordinator for the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP). She has also supported the Weiser Diplomacy Center; Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program (STPP); the Program in...
Mariam Negaran
Faculty affiliates

Jeffrey D. Morenoff

Associate Dean for Research and Policy Engagement, Professor of Public Policy and Sociology
Jeffrey D. Morenoff is a professor of sociology and public policy, with an additional appointment at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Morenoff's research interests include neighborhood environments, inequality, crime and criminal justice, the...
Jeffrey Morenoff
Students

Lizett Aguilar

Former Student Policy Analyst
Lizett is a Policy Analyst supporting CLOSUP’s Michigan Redistricting Project. She is a masters student at the Ford School (Class of 2024), and has a B.A. degree in History with minors in Labor and Workplace Studies and Chicana/o Studies from the Uni...
Lizette Aguilar
Students

Mia Brodeur

Former Student Policy Analyst
Mia is a Research Assistant for Close UP on the U.P. She is an undergrad at LSA (class of 2024) studying German, Linguistics, and Translation. Mia is from the Upper Peninsula and is interested in the attitudes and policies of U.P communities.
Headshot of Mia Brodeur
Students

Elizabeth Gelman

Former Student Policy Analyst
Elizabeth is a Policy Analyst helping the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission incorporate public comments in the senate map redraw process. She recently earned a Master of Public Policy at the Ford School (Class of 2024) and holds ...
Headshot of Elizabeth Gelman
Students

Danielle Hamer

Former Student Policy Analyst
Danielle Hamer is a Policy Analyst conducting analysis and reports to support the integration of public input in Michigan's redistricting process. She is a newly graduated Master of Public Policy from the Ford School. Danielle has a background in sta...
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Students

Ingrid Hofmann

Former Student Policy Analyst
Ingrid is a research assistant working on the results of the summer 2024 MPSS survey. She is an undergraduate studying political science and Spanish. Ingrid is interested in the intersection of law and policy and hopes to attend law school after grad...
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Students

Katelyn Jasmin

Former Student Policy Analyst
Katelyn is a research assistant who is analyzing local governments in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She is an undergraduate student at the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (class of 2026), and is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in English ...
Headshot of Katelyn Jasmin
Students

Luca Kato

Former Student Policy Analyst
Luca Kato is interning as a Fiscal Health Open Source Software Developer working on a tool for converting financial data into tagged XBRL format. He is set to graduate with a Bachelors in Computer Science in 2024. Luca is interested in financial disc...
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Students

Marc Metz

Former Student Policy Analyst
Marc is a Research Assistant working on CLOSUP’s latest iteration of the Michigan Public Policy Survey focused on criminal justice. He is an undergraduate in the Ford School class of 2025 majoring in Public Policy. Marc is interested in local governm...
Headshot of Marc Metz
Students

Edward Plaut

Former Student Policy Analyst
Edward Webre Plaut is the team lead for the CLOSUP team advising the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission on its public comment submissions for its 2024 redrawing of the Michigan State Senate Map. Eddie has a B.A. in history and pol...
Headshot of Edward Plaut
Students

Micaja Verna

Former Student Policy Analyst
Micaja Verna is a second-year Master of Public Policy Student at the Ford School. She has a B.A. degree in Law and Society with a minor in Human Rights Studies from CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Micaja is interested in social policy, spe...
Micaja Verna
Students

Johanna Walker

Former Student Policy Analyst
Jo is a Policy Analyst working to report data from CLOSUP's 2023 Michigan Public Policy Survey. She is a Masters student at the School for Environment and Sustainability (class of 2025), and has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of ...
Headshot of Jo Walker
Students

John Blake

Policy Analyst
John is a Research Assistant for CLOSUP's Fiscal Health Project. He is a master's student at the Ford School and at the School of Environment and Sustainability (Class of 2026), and has a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Leh...
John Blake
Students

Annelise Loveless

Policy Analyst
Annelise is a Research Assistant supporting data management of CLOSUP’s Michigan Public Policy Survey. She is a master’s of public policy student at the Ford School (Class of 2026) and has a B.S. in psychology and a minor in social welfare from Seatt...
Annelise Loveless 760x600
Students

Maia Morenoff

Policy Analyst
Maia is a research assistant for the summer at CLOSUP, working on the Spring 2025 MPPS survey data. She is an undergrad in LSA pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor through the School of Education in coaching and leadership. She is interested in...
Maia Morenoff
Students

Elizabeth Mugo

Policy Analyst
Elizabeth is assisting with a grant proposal for the Fiscal Health Project at CLOSUP. She is pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Ford School (Class of 2026). Prior to attending the Ford School, Elizabeth worked as a Research Analyst at Mathemat...
Elizabeth Mugo
Students

Max Wei

Policy Analyst
Max is a Research Assistant helping with CLOSUP's Spring 2026 Michigan Public Policy Survey. He is currently an undergraduate student at the Ford School (Class of 2027). Max is interested in the intersection between public policy and criminal justice...
Max Wei - Student Policy Analyst

Research and Engagement

We believe research combined with collaborative partnerships can build local capacity and strengthen democracy at its grassroots across rural and urban communities. We leverage the deep knowledge across the University of Michigan to foster and occasi...
Michigan capitol dome
News

CLOSUP marks 25 years at Lansing anniversary event

Apr 17, 2026
On April 15, 2026, the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) celebrated a quarter century of impact. Approximately 75 current and former CLOSUP directors, staff, students, collaborators, and state legislators gathered in La...
CLOSUP marks 25 years at anniversary event
State & Hill

25 years of CLOSUP

Apr 11, 2026
When the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission faced a tidal wave of public input—more than 30,000 comments—the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and Ford School students stepped in. Their analysis helped the commiss...
25 years of CLOSUP