Selected Community Service


  • Elected member of the Oshkosh Common Council. 2020 to Present
  • Board member for Clarity Care, Inc.  2019 to Present.
  • Member of the City of Oshkosh Long Range Finance Committee.  2019 to 2021.
  • President of the Miller’s Bay Neighborhood Association, 2018 to 2020.
  • Oshkosh Food Co-Op Site Selection Team, 2019.
  • Member of the Oshkosh, WI United Way Fiscal Health Committee, 2018, 2019.                                      
  • Member of the City of Oshkosh Plan Commission, 2017 to Present. 
  • Vice President of the Miller’s Bay Neighborhood Association, 2016 to 2018.
  • Member of the Oshkosh, WI United Way Women in Poverty Committee, 2016 to 2018.
  • Chair of the Miller’s Bay Neighborhood Planning Committee, 2015.     


Selected Talks


  • "Does Money Matter?" Invited talk at UW-LaCrosse. March, 2020.
  • "Compensation in Wisconsin's Public Sector: Balancing Internal and External Challenges." Invited talk to the International Public Management Association-Wisconsin Chapter.  March, 2019.
  • “Connecting Group Dynamics, Governance and Performance: Evidence from Minnesota Charter School Boards.” Invited Speaker at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Human Ecology. November 9, 2018.
  • “Accountability and Nonprofit Failure.” Guest Lecture at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis Course. April, 2018.
  • “The Wisconsin Superintendent: Priorities, Challenges, and Board Relations.” Invited Speaker at the Annual Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators Conference, Oshkosh, WI, April, 2018.   
  • “Making the Most Out of Your School Board.” Invited Speaker at the Wisconsin State Education Convention, Milwaukee, WI, January, 2018.
  • “The Next Generation of School Choice Research.” Funded invited presentation at EdChoice, Indianapolis, IN. December, 2017.
  • “Local Government in Wisconsin.” Invited Speaker at Leadership Oshkosh Government Day. Oshkosh, WI. November, 2017.
  • “Local Government in Wisconsin.”  Invited presentation to Leadership Oshkosh. November 16, 2016.
  • “The Future of K-12 Education in Wisconsin.”  Invited presentation to The Oshkosh League of Women Voters.  November 9, 2016.
  • “From Bold Experiment to Status Quo: The Policy Evolution of America’s First Urban School Voucher Program.”  Invited Presentation to the UW-Oshkosh African-American Studies Program. November, 2015.
  • “The State of Communities under 10,000 & Why It Matters for Everyone: Results from a Recent Survey.”  Invited Presentation at the 117th Annual Conference of the Wisconsin League of Municipalities.  October, 2015. 
  • “Evaluating Financial Condition in the Nonprofit Sector.”  Invited Guest Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, NonProf 958:Topics in Nonprofit Administration: Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations.  November, 2015.
  • “The State of Wisconsin Communities with Under 10,000 Residents.”  Invited presentation at the League of Wisconsin Municipalities CEOs Conference.  August, 2015.
  • “Charter School Board Member Productivity: Perceptions and Reality.”  Invited Guest Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Business Management 725, Governances and Executive Leadership in Non-Profit Organizations. February, 2015. 
  • “Milwaukee Voucher School Leaders’ Views on Accountability:  What Are They, and Why do They Matter?”  Presented at the Nonprofit Research Colloquium at the Helen Bader Institute for Non-Profit Management, Milwaukee, WI.  February 2015.
  • “Clintonville Public Library Survey.”  Presented to the Clintonville, WI Library Board, December 8th 2014.
  • “Communicating with Elected Officials: Lessons for Community Leaders.”  Invited presentation at 2014 Leadership Wisconsin Conference, Oshkosh, WI.  November 17, 2014.
  • “Evaluating Financial Condition in a Municipality: Can it Apply to the Nonprofit Sector?”  Invited Guest Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, NonProf 958:Topics in Nonprofit Administration: Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations.  November 10, 2014.
  • “Miller’s Bay Neighborhood Plan: Presentation to the Miller’s Bay Neighborhood Association.” October 7, 2014.
  • “Evansville Community Survey: Presentation to the City of Evansville Plan Commission.”  May 5, 2014, with Karl Nollenberger.
  • “Board Member Conflict, Attitudes Towards the Public, and Responsibilities: A Comparison of Charter and Traditional Public School Board Members in Minnesota.” Invited Guest Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Public Administration 958: Governance and Executive Leadership of Non-Profit Organization.  February 17, 2014.
  • “From Bold Experiment in Privatization to Status Quo: The Policy Evolution of America’s first Urban School Voucher Program.”  Presented as part of the panel, “Life After Vouchers: Expansion, Accountability & Outcomes,” at the 7th annual Henry W. Maier State of Milwaukee Summit, November 2013.
  • “Statewide Voucher and Regional Independent Charters: What Lies Ahead?” Presented at the Wisconsin Association of School Boards Legislative Advocacy Conference, Stevens Point, WI.  November 2013.
  • “Comparing Governance Behaviors on Traditional Public School Boards and Non-Profit Charter School Boards in Three Midwestern States.”  Presented at the Nonprofit Research Colloquium at the Helen Bader Institute for Non-Profit Management, Milwaukee, WI.  October 2013 with Douglas Ihrke.


                                                              

Michael R. Ford

Associate Professor of Public Administration