Preston Parish Joins the MBPC Team
Jul 16, 2018
By Tara Jensen
MBPC is thrilled to announce Preston Parish as our new State Tribal Policy Fellow.
Preston comes to MBPC with a commitment to analyzing state tax and budget policies with the goal of increasing socioeconomic outcomes and opportunities for American Indians and tribal communities in Montana. Preston’s professional background includes working on state and local policy issues ranging from environmental justice and infrastructure to public health and higher education. He was the 2017 University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Fellow, a past graduate student researcher for the City of Detroit’s Department of Public Health, and a graduate student consultant for the City of Ann Arbor. Preston holds a Master of Public Policy degree and a Bachelor of Science degree, both from the University of Michigan. Preston grew up on the Bay Mills Indian Reservation in Michigan and is a member of the Bay Mills Indian Community.
In 2011, MBPC expanded our work to include a special focus on state-tribal policy to promote sound fiscal and budget policy that can help reverse the history of economic injustice that has led many American Indians to unacceptable levels of poverty, unemployment, and poor health. Our work aims to inform policymakers on how state tax and budget choices affect Indian Country, and to increase the involvement of American Indian leaders in state budget advocacy.
Preston will work closely with Dr. Heather Cahoon, our State-Tribal Policy Analyst. We are excited to build upon this work and expand our research and community building strategies with Preston on the team.
This fellowship is part of the
State Policy Fellowship program for master’s level students and recent graduates. The Fellowship is a project of the
State Priorities Partnership, a national network of independent state policy organizations in 43 states coordinated by the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), one of the nation’s premier policy institutes. Since 2010, CBPP and the State Priorities Partnership have placed Fellows in leading state-based policy organizations across the country.
