Gilda Jacobs has watched her share of State of the State addresses, having spent a total of 12 years in both chambers of the Legislature.
The now president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy wrote a column for the Advance last month about serving alongside Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in both the House and the Senate.
The Advance talked with Jacobs Tuesday night about Whitmer’s first address:
Michigan Advance: How would you compare last night’s speech with [those during] the eight years of former Gov. Rick Snyder?
Jacobs: I think the governor [Whitmer] had a pretty pragmatic approach to what’s going on. I think she didn’t get into a blame game necessarily. But I think she was very honest that we’ve really got some problems in this state that we need to tackle.
I think the narrative for a long time in the state is that we’ve had this great economic upturn, everything is great, people are working … that picture that has been painted for the last number of years. The fact is she really did zero in on some major obstacles that are really keeping the state from moving forward and being a true economic engine. She talked about infrastructure; she talked about the fact that our kids are failing. Those are important things.
Michigan Advance: Whitmer talked a fair bit about ‘low morale’ and outdated technology in state government. How important do you believe those issues are?
Jacobs: Honestly, I think that’s really important. We’ve seen the chipping away of investment into personnel and into IT [information technology]. There’s been a history of early retirements. People that have had the historic knowledge, the ability to really know what’s happening in their departments — they’ve left. When you combine that with term limits and staffers who haven’t been around a long time, you really lose that rich knowledge.
… I don’t think residents think about that, what’s really going on in those departments and the pressure those workers have. We might see it professionally [where you’re] having a hard time getting data out of [some] department. It’s not that people don’t want to give our organization the data. They may not necessarily have the resources and the tools or the people power to do that.
Michigan Advance: Solving some of these big problems will require bipartisan effort and GOP legislative leaders are already aiming to halt some of Whitmer’s priorities. How do you see this playing out?
Jacobs: I think where the partisan problems come in is where the philosophical differences are between the two parties. How are you going to fix those problems? Whether it’s talking about taxes, talking about responsibilities. Who’s responsible for that?
The devolvement of government, the thinking by some people in the Legislature that if we don’t take care of these things, then the foundations will — or the nonprofit world will take care of it.[laughs] None of which has happened, though. The bandwidth of all of the nonprofits and the foundations and the faith groups, that bandwidth is not large enough to pick the pieces where government may have failed.
Michigan Advance: Your organization has been vocally opposed to GOP efforts to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients. Do you believe that will be halted?
Jacobs: There was just a report put out by Mannat. It was pretty scary to hear what the possibilities they were talking about. They feel that 60,000 to 180,00 people in Michigan who are currently on Healthy Michigan [Medicaid] could lose their health care. Even at the minimum of 60,000, that is outrageous. That’s terrible.
My hope is that [Senate Majority Leader Mike] Shirkey — and I know this is such an important signature issue for him, because this was his legislation that he sponsored — that he sees there are inherent, major flaws in what they passed.
As a state, we can’t afford to have that many people going off Medicaid. If people are unhealthy, they’re not going to be able to work. It’s something that is so frightening to me from a policy standpoint. My hope is that Sen. Shirkey takes a look at the negative impacts.
Feb 13, 2019 – Michigan Advance
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
