The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy has released the full program for the inaugural Kohn Social Policy Conference, taking place Friday, September 18, 2026, at The Godfrey Hotel in Detroit.
Organized around the question "What can a city do to promote human thriving?," the conference will bring together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, civic leaders and community partners to examine practical, evidence-informed approaches to challenges involving health care access, affordable housing, childhood poverty and literacy.
"The breadth of this program reflects the purpose of the Kohn Social Policy Conference: bringing rigorous research into conversation with policy practice, public service and experience from the field," said Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy. "These discussions will help us consider not only what effective policy looks like, but also what it takes to translate ideas into meaningful change for people and communities."
Responding to changes in Medicaid
The health panel, "How can cities respond to the administrative burdens and downstream effects of Medicaid H.R. 1 implementation?", will examine how new work requirements and reporting rules could affect Medicaid enrollment, access to care, and the service systems on which residents rely.
Pamela Herd, the Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy at the Ford School, will moderate the discussion. She will be joined by Ali Abazeed, chief public health officer and director of the Detroit Health Department; Elinor Jordan, public benefits attorney at the Michigan Poverty Law Program; and Adrianna McIntyre, assistant professor of health policy and politics at Harvard University.
Exploring a greater municipal role in affordable housing
A housing panel will consider "How can the city help provide affordable housing?" The discussion will examine how cities can use publicly owned land and dedicated housing funds to develop and retain affordable housing as a long-term public asset.
Sam Stragand, senior program manager for the Detroit Partnership on Economic Mobility at U-M's Poverty Solutions, will moderate. Panelists include Lan Deng, professor of urban and regional planning and academic program chair at U-M's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Hanneke van Deursen, director of special projects at the Chicago Residential Investment Fund and former director of housing finance for the City of Chattanooga.
Building on the Child Tax Credit
The childhood poverty discussion, "How can cities build on the poverty-reducing impact of the 2021 Child Tax Credit?", will examine how cities can inform state policy decisions and assess the opportunities and challenges associated with creating a city-level child tax credit.
Ford School professors Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas will moderate the panel. They will be joined by Stephanie Hogenson, acting assistant commissioner and executive director for Minnesota's Children's Cabinet, and Christopher Wimer, director of the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University School of Social Work.
Translating literacy reform into stronger outcomes
The education panel, "How can cities translate state literacy reforms into stronger reading outcomes?", will explore how cities and school districts can use state investments, policy changes, and research partnerships to support effective implementation of literacy policies grounded in the science of reading.
Christina Weiland, the Karl and Martha Kohn Professor of Social Policy and co-director of the Ford School's Education Policy Initiative, will moderate. Panelists include Delsa D. Chapman, deputy superintendent of the Michigan Department of Education's Division of Assessment, School Improvement, and Systems Support; Sarah Little, program director of early literacy at Boston Public Schools; and Tanya Wright, professor of education at U-M's Marsal Family School of Education.
Featured keynote conversation
The program will also include a featured keynote conversation with Nicole Sherard-Freeman, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and Luke Shaefer, the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy at the Ford School who is currently on leave while serving as the City of Detroit's chief executive of health, human services and poverty solutions.
Their conversation will explore how leaders across sectors can work together to strengthen the systems that shape opportunity, stability, and well-being.
The conference program runs from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, followed by a light reception. Visit the Kohn Social Policy Conference agenda and speaker biographies page to explore the full schedule and learn more about the speakers.
Attendance is being coordinated through targeted invitations, with limited space available. Those interested in attending may join the interest list on the Kohn Social Policy Conference webpage.
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