Ann Arbor Times

Kara Swisher, a prominent journalist and podcaster known for her coverage of the tech industry, will join the University of Michigan as a visiting professor. She is set to become part of the Ford School of Public Policy faculty in fall 2025 as a Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence.

Swisher's career began at The Wall Street Journal's San Francisco bureau in the 1990s. She currently hosts "On with Kara Swisher" and co-hosts the "Pivot" podcast. Additionally, she serves as editor-at-large at New York Magazine and contributes to CNN.

As co-founder of Recode and the Code conference, Swisher has made significant contributions to technology journalism. Her work has earned her recognition as “Silicon Valley’s most feared but revered journalist.” She is also the author of "Burn Book: A Tech Love Story," a memoir that became a bestseller on The New York Times list.

At the Ford School, Swisher will teach a seminar titled "The Information Environment & the Wired World: Media, Technology, and Public Policy." This course will be available to both undergraduate and graduate policy students.

On April 2, Swisher plans to record her podcast live at Weill Hall with Jeff Lawson, owner of The Onion and former CEO and co-founder of Twilio.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will also return to U-M in fall 2025 for another term as a Towsley Policymaker in Residence. Lightfoot graduated from U-M in 1984 and will co-teach a graduate course called Strategic Public Policy Consulting alongside associate dean Jeff Morenoff.

Lightfoot served as Chicago's mayor from 2019 to 2023. She was notably the city's second female mayor, first Black female mayor, and first openly gay person to hold that office. Her previous roles include assistant U.S. attorney for Northern Illinois and president of the Chicago Police Board.

Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes commented on these appointments: “Policymakers in residence enrich the Ford School community, giving students the opportunity to learn from practitioners in an academic setting, offering mentoring and participating in public events that reach beyond Weill Hall.”

The Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Program was established at the Ford School in 2002. It aims to bring individuals with substantial policymaking experience to campus for interaction with students and faculty while enhancing curriculum ties with policy communities. Past visitors have included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Ohio Court of Appeals Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt, and former U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin.