Dr. Michelle Nilson teaches in the Educational Leadership programs. Researchers and scholars often find themselves working at the boundaries or nexus of two approaches, and Dr. Nilson's research and scholarship is inspired by questions concerning the nexus between post-secondary institutions, their environment, and the social, physical, and political. Her current work is a critical examination of student financial aid and teacher education policies and their implications for access, equity, and post-secondary student participation. Her research draws on her previous experience as an administrator of several large National Science Foundation and Ford Foundation grants that fostered opportunities for building networks and communication between various stakeholder groups. Her early days were spent in Detroit, Michigan, where she taught high school mathematics and middle school science.