A happy father and child

Daniel J. Quinn, Ph.D., Director for Education Policy, is among 24 individuals chosen in 2021 for the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP). Program Fellows will participate in 10 months of bipartisan learning this year.

MPLP, in Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR), stands as one of the nation’s foremost organizations for training new leaders. It recruits leaders—equally divided between the major political parties—from around the state and sends them through training in leadership development, policy analysis, and the complexities of good governing.

Since its 1992 founding, MPLP has selected nearly 700 people to take part in weekend training. More than 50 percent of MPLP’s alumni are serving, or have served, in elected or appointed office. PPA’s Chief Executive Officer, Sam Singh, is a 1997 graduate of the program.

“There is no better time, than in these unsettling times of pandemic and partisan divide, for the Michigan Political Leadership Program to start a new year,” said MPLP Co-Director Steve Tobocman, a former state House Democratic floor leader.

“The MPLP Class of 2021 represents rising leaders from across the state, men and women who aspire to leadership and who will build valuable new relationships through the year,” said MPLP Co-Director Susy Avery, a Republican who has held elected and executive positions throughout state government.

Dr. Quinn leads PPA’s education policy area—partnering with state and federal departments, nonprofits, education associations, community-based organizations, and school districts. He previously served as executive director of the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice. He also taught secondary-level social studies for 19 years, with emphasis on economics, before focusing his career on policy.

To find out more about the MPLP click here. For information about PPA’s work in education policy, you can reach Dan at dquinn@publicpolicy.com or (202) 854-8077.