Delta Charter Township, MI – The Michigan Townships Association (MTA) has named Alice Kinney as a 2026 Robert R. Robinson Memorial Scholarship recipient. The annual award aims to encourage students and other individuals to pursue or further a career in public service.
Kinney is a native of southwest Michigan and earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Western Michigan University. She spent more than two years in the Peace Corps, serving in Nicaragua and Ecuador as an English educator facilitator and English teacher trainer, coordinating and delivering training programs for English teachers working in underserved communities. Upon her return, she joined the U.S. Department of Education, where she spent five years working as a grants analyst and as an education program specialist, managing grants to support rural education achievement and assisting innovative efforts to improve employment, independence and community integration for individuals with disabilities. 
Kinney has seen first-hand the value and impact that service and support can offer communities. She is bringing those interests and that commitment to her studies as a graduate student at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where she is pursuing a master’s of Public Policy, with a concentration in Public and Non-Profit Management. As a graduate student policy consultant at the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, she partnered with Wayne County local governments, downtown development authorities and other entities to assess both the social and economic impacts of power outages and work toward climate resiliency. Over the summer, she completed a 10-week policy internship as a Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellow with the U-M Graham Sustainability Institute.
Kinney is building toward a career in local government leadership focused on climate preparedness, rural economic development and community-centered governance. “I desire to support communities in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula as they look to the future ahead while preserving their defining sense of place,” she said. “Receiving the Robinson Scholarship from MTA will meaningfully support my continued preparation for a career dedicated to strengthening Michigan communities through thoughtful, locally driven public service.”
Kinney’s commitment to Michigan communities and future goals made her an ideal candidate for the Robinson Scholarship. “MTA created this scholarship to honor the legacy of long-time township advocate and past MTA Executive Director Robert Robinson by fostering future local leaders,” said Joan David, Scholarship Committee chair and Newfield Township (Oceana Co.) supervisor, who also serves as MTA District 11 director. “Alice has demonstrated a strong commitment to both her education and to working toward a career serving Michigan’s residents. We wish the very best in her future endeavors in public service.”
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The Michigan Townships Association advances local democracy by fostering township leadership and public policy essential for a strong and vibrant Michigan.