Sarah Szurpicki is the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) Deputy Director for the Office of Higher Education. Szurpicki is responsible for coordinating the state’s higher education strategy with a focus on meeting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal of ensuring that 60% of Michigan’s working age adults hold a degree or certificate by 2030.
She also serves as the Chair of the state’s MiSTEM Advisory Council, as an advisory board member to the Michigan Center for Adult College Success, and as an advisory board member of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity and Research (PEER). Prior to her appointment as MiLEAP Deputy Director, she was the Director of the Office of Student Success and Strategic Initiatives, formerly known as the Office of Sixty by 30, at MiLEAP and at the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). At LEO, Sarah’s role included serving as the Executive Director of the Michigan Workforce Development Board and the Senior Advisor on Talent to the director of the department. Before entering state government in 2022, Szurpicki served as the Vice President of the nonpartisan think tank Michigan Future Inc.
She attended Harvard University.