The Ford School of Public Policy recognizes state Senator Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW ’14) with the Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award, the school’s top alumni award for dedication to excellence in public service.
Senator Chang will be honored on March 6, during a Policy Talks @ the Ford School event in which she will discuss environmental justice with U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and former Towsley Policymaker in Residence and newly appointed Director of the Wayne County Health, Human & Veterans Services Department Abdul El-Sayed.
Chang is the first Asian-American woman to be elected to the Michigan Legislature, and worked as a community organizer in Detroit for nearly a decade before serving two terms in the Michigan House of Representatives. In 2018, she was elected to the Michigan Senate where she served as the Minority Floor Leader. Now in her second term in the Senate, Chang serves as the Caucus Policy and Steering Committee Chair as well as the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety.
“The Committee had the enviable burden of choosing between several accomplished alumni with outstanding professional achievements in public service,” Ford School alumni board member Sam Geller (MPP ‘17) said. “Senator Chang’s accomplishments were so impressive on their own, but what set her apart was her longtime volunteer service both to the Ford School and Asian-American Community in Michigan. Senator Chang has already demonstrated incredible leadership on public policy issues in Michigan and the ability to recruit people to participate in our democracy.”
“Senator Chang was my ambassador to the world of activism, civic engagement, and public service. However, I am only one of many who were inspired by Senator Chang to pursue careers that fight for the most vulnerable and make an impact,” said Andrew Kim (MPP ‘13), who nominated Chang.
During her time at the Ford School, Chang was a David Bohnett Leadership and Public Service Fellow, a graduate fellowship that includes a funded summer internship with the Detroit Mayor’s Office, where she helped staff at the mayor’s office with cost estimates and spatial analysis of the city’s streetlight strategy.