Amanda Healy, Ph.D.

Amanda stewards and facilitates partnerships between the university, students, and the community. Taking into account the expertise and needs of potential partners, she forms new connections between Ginsberg’s various stakeholders, and she fulfills daily administration needs to ensure that existing partnerships continue to thrive. In addition, Amanda supports Ginsberg’s curriculum development and workshops for students and university partners.

Amanda joins the Ginsberg Center having completed her PhD in English and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan. Before coming to U of M, she earned a Bachelor’s degree from Macalester College and worked for nonprofits dedicated to college access. Amanda’s commitment to addressing issues of inequality and power and her belief that education is a powerful motor for social change led to her interest in public engagement. While working on her PhD, she became involved in several U of M programs related to public scholarship and community engagement, including the Institute for Social Change and the Engaged Pedagogy Initiative. She also completed a fellowship with Rackham Graduate School, during which she supported the development of Rackham’s Program in Public Scholarship and worked on a new MOOC (massive online open course) entitled Community Engagement: Collaborating for Change.

Outside of the Ginsberg Center, Amanda’s favorite activity is spending time with her Wonder Dog Bravo. In the winter she seeks safe harbor in the Matthei Botanical Gardens and during the all-too-brief Michigan summer you’ll find her in any and all lakes she isn’t physically barred from. Amanda is active in local groups dedicated to creating racial justice in Washtenaw County.