At the League we often talk about our “head” work and our “heart” work. My head doesn’t hurt doing this work, but my heart often does. And it recently became personal for me.
In our heads we rely on data to tell the story of children and families who have been disenfranchised, who struggle to make ends meet, who often face challenges because of their income or skin color. Intellectually, we use this data to work for public policy changes that will help our most vulnerable fellow Michiganians. We rely on cold, hard facts.
In our hearts, we know that there are real people, real faces and real stories affected by the work we do at the League. Generally we don’t meet these people, see their faces or hear their stories. But we are working to improve their lives.
My head and heart collided a couple Sundays ago. I’ve been a Big Sister to an amazing young woman for the last three years. She graduated from high school on that Sunday.
My head knows that she has lived with and been raised by her great grandmother. That there are many things I take for granted that her family cannot afford. That she has had to overcome so many barriers. That she will be the first person in her family to attend college. That many of her peers will not attend college.
I sat at her commencement bursting with pride as she walked across the stage to get her diploma. I held back the tears, but my heart hurt as I thought about all that she had overcome to graduate that day and to be preparing for college.
As I looked around, my heart hurt as I imagined there were families cheering for their graduates, but perhaps wondering how they would support their new grads, wondering what their futures would look like without the ability to attend college.
Perhaps even wondering how they would put the next meal on the table.
In the midst of that, my head gave me some hope. Hope in the knowledge that every day here at the League we are working to improve the lives of all of the Little Sisters and their families and their classmates. My heart is hanging onto that hope.
— Karen Holcomb-Merrill
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.
Jacob Kaplan 
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. 
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.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
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.
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.
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.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
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.
[…] have to reroute their higher education plans entirely. Our Vice President Karen Holcomb-Merrill recently wrote about her “Little Sister” that graduated from high school and was going to be the…. But shortly after that blog posted, Karen’s Little found out that she was not getting the […]