EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATE: Noon Friday, Sept. 30, 2016

EVENT: Cecilia Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and University of Michigan alumnus, returns to U-M to chair a panel of public servants from rebounding Midwestern cities: Detroit; Gary, Ind.; and Youngstown, Ohio.

Each provides an example of the Obama Administration’s approach to federal-local partnerships for the 21st century, which includes partnering with communities, working together to identify local needs and priorities, developing and building upon evidence-based and data-driven solutions, and strategically investing appropriate federal assistance.

The panel will feature communities embracing a collaborative ecosystem, relying on partners across local, state and federal government, and other institutions to make progress on long-standing issues such as pervasive blight, crime, poor community trust in law enforcement, chronic homelessness and more.

The panelists include Col. Kevin Riley, retired from the U.S. Air Force and now Commander’s Special Assistant for Community Partnerships in Youngstown; Abigail Beniston, code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent for Youngstown; Arthur Jemison, director of housing and revitalization in Detroit; Kerry Duggan, deputy director for policy for Vice President Joe Biden; and Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson.

The event is free and open to the public. It will be livestreamed on the day of the event at myumi.ch/6ve8Q. Follow the conversation at #policytalks.

PLACE: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium, 735 S. State St., Ann Arbor

CONTACT: Laura Lee, Ford School, 734-764-8593, lklee@umich.edu