News Stories

Introducing the 2024 David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellows

First-year MPP students, Delaney McDermott (MPP/MPH ‘27) and Bradley Popovich (MPP ‘26) have been selected as the 2024 Bohnett Fellows at the Ford School of Public Policy. The competitively awarded David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellowship offers two years of in-state tuition support and a funded internship in the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office, working directly with a group executive on the mayor’s policy priorities and some of Detroit’s most pressing policy issues. Through the fellowship, the Bohnett Foundation seeks to improve society through social activism and advance a spirit of community and justice.

Delaney McDermott (MPP/MPH ‘27) holds a BA in comparative cultures and politics from Michigan State University. During her undergraduate studies, she was awarded the Gliozzo Scholarship for Muslim Studies and the Ronald Dorr Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Writing. Following graduation, McDermott’s Lebanese heritage and passion for advocacy led her to ACCESS, the largest Arab American nonprofit in the United States. At ACCESS, she worked to improve voter education, accessibility, and election protection for Michigan’s Arab American communities. Later, at the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), McDermott played a key role in the “Count MENA In” campaign, which helped to achieve the historic, first-ever inclusion of a “Middle Eastern and North African” (MENA) category in U.S. federal racial and ethnic data collection. While at the Ford School, McDermott is eager to develop her quantitative skills and continue her advocacy, focusing on local-level policy that will benefit marginalized communities in Michigan. In her personal life, she enjoys reading and is learning Tatreez, the Palestinian art of cross-stitch embroidery, which embodies cultural resilience and storytelling.

Bradley Popovich (MPP/MS ‘26) is a public servant, with a background in environmental policy and water quality regulation. A Michigan native and Michigan State University graduate, Popovich has worked within multiple levels of government at county, state, and federal levels. From 2018 to 2023, he was an Environmental Quality Analyst (EQA) for Michigan’s Water Resources Division (WRD), coordinating with citizens, local governments, tribal communities, and industries to ensure fair and compliant governance of wastewater treatment systems. At the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Popovich led the development of Michigan’s NPDES 2023 PFAS control strategy. Within WRD, he negotiated dozens of water infrastructure projects and drafted hundreds of permits that resulted in over a billion dollars of investments. Popovich aims to use his MPP degree to create inclusive and effective environmental policies. Outside academia, he enjoys running, reading, polar plunges, and bringing a diverse perspective to his work.

David Bohnett is a University of Michigan alumnus (MBA ’80) and entrepreneur. The foundation that bears his name is committed to improving society through social activism.

Original version of article appears on UM Ford School website.