Lansing, MI, September 10, 2025—To expand opportunities for Michigan’s students, especially those from underrepresented communities, Teach Plus Michigan has set an ambitious goal: close opportunity gaps in access to postsecondary-focused courses, such as Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, Early Middle College, International Baccalaureate, and Career and Technical Education, by 2029. The organization has selected 23 exceptional Michigan educators for its 2025-26 Policy Fellowship to advocate for college and career readiness initiatives and other critical student success issues.
“When I talk to high school students across the state, they know what they want: fulfilling careers and personal happiness,” said Teach Plus Michigan Executive Director Ben Locke. “Our Policy Fellows—teachers who work closest to students—are ideally positioned to advocate for policy changes so all students can access postsecondary courses, experiences, and credits that help them achieve the prosperous futures they envision.”
“All students in Michigan deserve high-quality educational systems that support them in building the skills they need to achieve their goals, whether they are taking advanced classes, preparing for college, or heading right into the workforce. I know there are amazing schools around Michigan doing exactly that, and it’s my goal to work with my Teach Plus teacher team to learn from these success stories and make recommendations to help all students succeed,” said 2025-26 Michigan Teach Plus Policy Fellow Michelle Vanhala, who teaches in Ann Arbor.
Building on previous cohorts’ work, the new Policy Fellows will continue supporting education policies that help build students’ skills for the future. In 2024, Teach Plus Policy Fellows and alumni saw Michigan’s new laws on literacy and dyslexia—which Teach Plus teacher leaders advocated tirelessly for—signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Additionally, teachers in the 2024-25 cohort coordinated with state lawmakers and Michigan Department of Education officials to ensure access to student-centered curricula and materials, and advocated to restore robust student mental health funding, bolster the educator workforce and teacher representation, and strengthen postsecondary preparation.
The new cohort will also focus its advocacy on closing opportunity gaps in access to postsecondary-focused courses, reshaping Michigan’s special education funding system, supporting teacher retention, and improving early literacy.
The 2025-26 Michigan Policy Fellows hail from across the Great Lakes State and teach in diverse classrooms from Detroit to Breitung Township in the Western Upper Peninsula and many communities in between including Benzonia, Grand Rapids, Cadillac, and Dearborn. Their teaching experience ranges from two to 27 years, across traditional public and charter public schools and from early elementary to high school.
Throughout the program, Teach Plus develops and deepens Fellows’ expertise in policy analysis, advocacy, research, and communications, equipping them with the skills to bring evidence-based solutions to the table. Each Fellow was selected for their ability to articulate the needs of their students and communities and their demonstrated excellence and innovation in teaching, ensuring they can effectively advocate for meaningful changes that will benefit children across Michigan.
“My goal in the fellowship is to advance policies that provide teachers with fair pay, manageable workloads, and meaningful opportunities for growth, ensuring they can remain in the profession they love and students can benefit from the stability, expertise, and care they deserve,” said 2025-26 Michigan Teach Plus Policy Fellow Erika Repasky, a high school teacher in Detroit.
The 2025-26 Teach Plus Michigan Policy Fellows are:
- Ashley Arlt, Cadillac Area Public Schools
- Mikayla Bowen, Dearborn Public Schools
- Nicole Brabson, Detroit Public Schools Community District
- Sebastian Cuyjet, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (Detroit)
- Zachary Fix, Breitung Township Schools
- Tanika Greisiger, Benzie County Central Schools
- Leathia Hardy-Williams, Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Erin Kraker, Rockford Public Schools
- Erin Larson, DeWitt Public Schools
- Christina Maguire, Ionia Public Schools
- Rhonda Pierce, Detroit Leadership Academy
- Erika Repasky, Hope of Detroit Academy High School
- Katherine Schallhorn, Beaverton Schools
- Marcia Scoles, Lincoln Park Public Schools
- Megan Syed, Lincoln Park Public Schools
- Lauren Vandenbossche, Grand Rapids Public Schools
- Michelle Vanhala, Washtenaw Intermediate School District
- Sasha Wakefield, Clio Area Schools
- Arshala Washington, Detroit Public School Community District
The 2025-26 Teach Plus Michigan Senior Policy Fellows are:
- Andrea Ward, Grosse Pointe Public Schools
- Kurt Mastrantonio, Washtenaw Alliance for Virtual Education
- Kyle Kemppainen, Marquette Area Public Schools
- Alyssa Henneman, Centreville Public Schools
If interested in interviewing Executive Director Ben Locke or any of the Fellows, please contact Kelly Pearce at kpearce@teachplus.org or 928-925-9236.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus is dedicated to the mission of empowering excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. Learn more about Teach Plus Michigan at https://teachplus.org/mi.
