Jeff Padden is the founder and board chair of Public Policy Associates, Inc., a Lansing-based national public policy research firm. At the state and national levels, he has guided clients in the development of new strategies, policies, and initiatives. Mr. Padden has directed and conducted research in economic development, education and workforce development, criminal justice, health care, and philanthropy.

Prior to launching PPA in 1991, Mr. Padden served for 10 years as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1975 through 1984. He was also deputy director of the Michigan Department of Commerce, small business policy advisor to the governor, and director of the Michigan Human Investment Project.

He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University. He has two children and three grandchildren. His wife, Kathleen, died in 2017. He lives in Okemos, Michigan.