Kara Swisher is set to join the University of Michigan as a visiting professor, contributing her knowledge as a leading journalist and podcaster in the technology sector—an area she has been engaged with for much of her professional journey.
In the fall of 2025, Swisher will become part of the Ford School of Public Policy faculty as a Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence.
Her career commenced during the 1990s at The Wall Street Journal’s San Francisco office. She hosts On with Kara Swisher and co-hosts the Pivot podcast, in addition to serving as the editor-at-large for New York Magazine and a contributor to CNN.
As a co-founder of the technology platform Recode and the tech conference Code—recognized as the nation’s foremost gathering on technology and media—Swisher has earned a reputation as “Silicon Valley’s most feared yet respected journalist.” She has also penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.”
As an analyst of emerging technologies and their implementation, Swisher will lead a seminar for undergraduate and graduate students in public policy titled The Information Environment & the Wired World: Media, Technology, and Public Policy at the Ford School.
On April 2 at Weill Hall, Swisher will record her “On with Kara Swisher” podcast live in discussion with Jeff Lawson, owner of The Onion and former CEO and co-founder of Twilio.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will also return in fall 2025 for her second engagement as a Towsley Policymaker in Residence. Lightfoot, who graduated from U-M in 1984, will co-instruct a graduate course called Strategic Public Policy Consulting alongside associate dean Jeff Morenoff.
Lightfoot has extensive experience in civic service in Chicago, including her tenure as Chicago’s mayor from 2019 to 2023. She is notably the second woman, the first Black female, and the first openly gay individual to hold this position. Her previous roles include serving as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and president of the Chicago Police Board, among numerous others.
“Policymakers in residence enrich the Ford School community, giving students the chance to learn from professionals in an academic environment, offering mentorship and engaging in public events that extend beyond Weill Hall,” remarked Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes. “We are excited that Kara Swisher will be providing her distinctive perspective on technology and public policy during this crucial period of rapid transformation. We are equally pleased to welcome back Lori Lightfoot to her alma mater, once more offering real-world insights into the workings of local government.”
The Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Program was initiated at the Ford School in 2002 to invite individuals with notable national and international policy-making backgrounds to campus to engage with students and faculty.
This initiative enhances the educational experience and fortifies connections with the policy-making community. Notable past Towsley visitors include Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Ohio Court of Appeals Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt, and former U.S. Representative Sandy Levin.