On March 28, the Upjohn Institute hosts the initial meeting of the Policy Advisory Committee for its research initiative entitled "Promise: Investing in Community." The initiative seeks to position the institute as the leading voice for understanding the strategies that cities, regions, and states can adopt to connect residents with good jobs, thereby improving their quality of life and the prosperity of the community.
The committee will discuss the portfolio of research planned under the initiative and advise Institute staff members on strategic positioning and dissemination.
Members include policy and thought leaders from around Michigan and the nation: John Austin, Director of the Michigan Economic Center and Non-Resident Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution; John Bebow, president and CEO of the Center for Michigan, which publishes Bridge Magazine; Jeff Chapman, who directs the Pew Charitable Trust's economic development work; Carol Coletta, a senior fellow with The Kresge Foundation’s American Cities Practice; Elizabeth Garlow, impact investment officer at Lumina Foundation; Gilda Z. Jacobs, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy; Christopher T. King, a senior research scientist at the LBJ School of Public Affairs’ Ray Marshall Center at the University of Texas Austin; Luke Tate, Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of Opportunity Initiatives at Arizona State University; and Yolanda Townsend, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Opportunity@Work.