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The Mackinac Center has recently welcomed some excellent new members to our team.
Beth Hansen
Operations Office Assistant
A veteran of Midland Public Schools, Beth now helps to make sure the Mackinac Center runs smoothly behind the scenes. She started with us in September 2014.
Ben DeGrow
Education Policy Director
Our most recent hire, Ben returns to his native state from Colorado, where he handled education policy at the Independence Institute. A Hillsdale College graduate, he has experience in both journalism and education and has spent the last several years researching school choice, educational employment and collective bargaining. He will now spearhead the Mackinac Center’s research into education policy and provide commentary on education issues in Michigan.
Chantal Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Chantal joined the Mackinac Center in October from the Nevada Policy Research Institute in Las Vegas, where she served as communications director. She has experience as a journalist and has a master’s in political science from the University of Nebraska. As the media liaison, she acts as the point of contact for state and national media.
Amy Kellogg
Assistant to the President
With the recent retirement of Kendra Shrode, the Center looked to former staffer Amy Kellogg to fill the void. Amy first worked for Mackinac in the 90s, and “retired” in 2002 to focus on her young family. Highlights of her initial tenure include facilitating the move into our current building and serving as Joe Overton’s assistant. She returned to the Mackinac Center in September and is doing an admirable job filling Kendra’s shoes.
Geneva Ruppert
Communications Associate
A former Mackinac Center intern, Geneva returned to the center full time last spring. A graduate of Smith College, she serves as the managing editor for IMPACT magazine and the Mackinac Center blog, and picks up plenty of other miscellaneous tasks in the communications department.
