The League is grateful for the decades of commitment Pat Sorenson (left) has given to young children and their families in Michigan. We are also grateful to Mina Hong of Start Early, who has written this guest blog in Pat’s honor. We wish Pat the best in her retirement and know that she will remain a steadfast supporter of the League and our partners.
Mina Hong, Guest Columnist and Senior Policy Analyst at Start Early
“When words are both true and kind, they can change the world.” It is believed that these words were spoken by The Buddha and they completely encompass Pat Sorenson’s career. Pat is an incredibly kind person; a true collaborator and partner who lives out the value of going further together rather than going quickly alone. But she is also a fierce advocate with an incredible passion who doesn’t shy away from the truth, but rather speaks truth with gentleness and kindness in a way that makes policymakers actually listen. Our state is so fortunate to have benefited from Pat’s influence throughout her decades of work—those benefits include better and more equitable public policies and public budgeting for children and families in Michigan, particularly children and families of color who have experienced systematic and systemic marginalization.
Pat’s deep expertise in state budget work; her ability to connect data, policy, and budget trends to advocacy opportunities; and her political savviness have resulted in countless policy and budget wins (and saves!). In the early childhood field alone, her influence has shaped the trajectory of systems-building efforts in Michigan, from establishing solid infrastructure and governance—such as the creation of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation and the Michigan Department of Education Office of Great Start—to securing significant budget wins, like the previously historic $130 million investment in the Great Start Readiness Program.
Pat, third from left, at signing of child care financing bill alongside Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other key partners in child care work.
To top off her career, Pat played a leading role to secure the recent $1.4 billion (with a B) investment in child care that would not only stabilize the child care industry but also build in significant systems improvements like better compensation for child care teachers who are predominantly Black and brown women, better access to child care for families with infants and toddlers, and ensuring Michigan’s child care subsidy program can support more low-income working families. This has been a long time coming, and I truly cannot think of a greater legacy for Pat than spending the day before her retirement standing alongside Gov. Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Gilchrist, and close advocacy partners as the child care financing bill was signed into law. If you know Pat, you know she has spent her entire career advocating for better child care policies in our state—a true feminist and working mom herself—and for that, Michigan families and child care providers are incredibly thankful.
Pat Sorenson, pictured here early in her career with the League, has spent decades working on behalf of Michigan’s kids.
As Pat embarks on her next chapter in life—her extremely well-deserved retirement, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recall an early moment with her: “You’re my retirement plan.” These were words spoken to me by Pat over a decade ago when I was a fresh policy associate at Michigan’s Children. I later came to find out that I wasn’t the only young policy associate who had heard these words. But wow! All of us young policy advocates who have been part of Pat’s “retirement plan” have been so incredibly fortunate to have experienced her amazing teaching, mentoring, and guidance (not to mention, this epitomizes Pat to have a strategic, long-term plan in place ????).
Not only did Pat work incredibly hard to ensure better state policies in the best interest of the most marginalized children and families, but she also helped build the next generation of policy advocates to continue the amazing work she started. So while our industry will be losing one the greatest of all time, her lasting legacy continues to be carried on among the rest of us. And even if you never worked for Pat, her powerful ways of truth and kindness, I’m sure, are strategies we can all continue to carry forward together.
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.
