From Collaboration to Partnerships: Designing Solutions Toward Progress

• Investing in people and a higher quality of life, not just jobs, is critical to Michigan’s future.
• Both talent and workforce development require shifting from collaboration to mutually beneficial partnerships to achieve tangible progress.
• Long-term economic growth depends on ensuring youth have access, equity, and experiences that prepare them for evolving careers and communities.

At the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, a powerful and candid conversation explored how Michigan can better support its next generation. Grounded in lived experience and a shared urgency, the discussion challenged long-held assumptions about talent retention, education investment, and what partnerships are necessary to build thriving communities suitable for the younger generations.  

View the full video below.

The conversation opened with a reframing of pessimism surrounding the state’s future. Rather than accepting decline, the panelists emphasized the potential of the state’s young people if they are better supported to reimagine Michigan’s future.

Superintendent RJ Webber of Northville Public Schools pushed back against the narrative that Michigan’s future is bleak, stating, “The kids that I have the privilege of serving today are far better than I ever was.” He added that while the future is promising, optimism must be matched with investment for any positive change to be made.

Ned Stabler of Wayne State University and TechTown echoed the urgency and acknowledging the widely recognized challenges facing the state.

“Our problems are clearly documented… the idea that the house is on fire is very real,” he said, noting that while the issues are well known, the real gap lies in collective will. “People have not accepted that we need to take much more seriously investing in our future.”

For Superintendent Monica L. Merritt of Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, the stakes at play are deeply personal and rooted in equity. She emphasized that Michigan must fundamentally rethink access and opportunity and said, “A child’s future — the size of their future — should not be dependent on their zip code.”

She challenged the prevailing reality that some communities are positioned to thrive while others are left merely to survive, calling instead for a systems-level shift where “equity is not charity, but the infrastructure that it is.”

Webber offered a candid critique of most public-sector engagement with business partners, acknowledging that schools and institutions have historically fallen short.

“Far too often… we haven’t shown the value opportunity to partner with us,” he said. “How is this mutually beneficial? How do we help each other?”

Instead of simply requesting resources, he called for a shift toward reciprocity, and Merrit agreed to this point, adding that alignment with outcomes is also vital.

“We focus too much on protecting our own processes instead of going together for a shared vision,” she said. True partnership, she argued, requires challenging the status quo.

Challenging one of Michigan’s most persistent narratives that talent leaves the state due to a lack of jobs, all of the panelists shared that making and maintaining a place where young people want to be is important; young people are looking for more out of their future than just to work and retire. A well-rounded quality of life is what attracts and retains young people in other peer regions and needs to be replicated in Michigan.

“Young people don’t stay for jobs, period.” Merrit said. “They stay when they feel a sense of belonging… when they feel inspired.”

While more recent economic strategies have focused heavily on job creation, Staebler argued that insufficient funding for education undermines long-term success.

“You can say you care about kids… but what are we doing to actually prove that we are?” He asked. “Are we investing in what we should? I don’t believe we are.”

Merritt highlighted another example of a forward-thinking partnership within her school district, the ORSA Hub. Designed not as a static program but as an evolving ecosystem of opportunity, space reflects a new model for workforce development to engage school-aged children. By intentionally engaging students in shaping the space, the initiative reinforces a core principle: solutions must be built with young people, not just for them.

Michigan’s future depends on intentional, sustained investment in its people.

Partnership, not just collaboration, must be the foundation for sustained investment in Michigan’s future. That means shared accountability, mutual benefit, and a willingness to rethink the outdated education system and build a system worthy of the rising generations.

This session was hosted by orsa credit union.