State early education leader succeeds Daniel Quinn, Ph.D., who is leaving the firm in September
LANSING, Mich. — Public Policy Associates (PPA) has named Emily Laidlaw its chief strategy officer, effective Sept. 8. She succeeds Daniel Quinn, Ph.D., who is leaving the Lansing-based research and consulting firm at the end of September to pursue another opportunity.
Laidlaw joins PPA from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, where she serves as deputy director for early education. She built the department’s Office of Early Education and oversees roughly 240 employees and a $1.2-billion portfolio of early learning programs, including the state’s PreK for All initiative, childcare scholarships, the Tri-Share cost-sharing model and Early On.
Before joining the department in 2024, Laidlaw directed the Child Care Licensing Bureau at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, where she launched Caring for MI Future, a $100 million public-private initiative to expand access to childcare. She served as policy director to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from 2019 to 2021 and earlier represented Michigan’s 56 intermediate school districts as director of government affairs for the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators. She began her career on the policy staff of the Michigan House of Representatives.
“Emily has spent her career on the inside of the systems our clients are trying to improve,” said Rob Fowler, CEO of Public Policy Associates. “She has written the policy, run the programs and answered to the families they serve. Education and early childhood are our largest practice areas, and there are very few people in Michigan who bring Emily’s level of expertise to the table.”
“PPA has built 35 years of credibility on rigorous research and on listening to the people closest to the problem,” Laidlaw said. “That is the work I want to be doing. I look forward to helping the firm’s clients turn good evidence into policy that reaches families and communities.”
Dan has served as chief strategy officer and shareholder at PPA, directing internal strategy and client planning across the firm’s practice areas. Prior to his current role, Dr. Quinn served in progressive leadership capacities, including Director for Education Policy and Project Manager, where he directed major policy initiatives, managed cross-functional research teams, and led statewide educational strategy. He previously led the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice, and in 2019 he was appointed to Michigan’s A-F Peer Review Panel. Quinn will remain with the firm through September to transition client relationships.
Laidlaw holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology, public policy and administration from Michigan State University and completed the university’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. She is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Pennsylvania State University.