Featured Madisonian

Dayne Walling, Alumnus

Dayne is the Mayor of the City of Flint, Michigan. Dayne received his B.A. in Social Relations from James Madison College at Michigan State University. He was awarded a Harry S. Truman scholarship for public service and a Rhodes scholarship for the University of Oxford. Dayne completed a second B.A. in Modern History from St. Peter's College, University of Oxford and an M.A. in Urban Studies from Goldsmith's College, University of London. He is a doctoral candidate in Geography at the University of Minnesota with a fellowship from the National Science Foundation. His current research is on the economic revitalization and civic renewal of cities in the Midwest, which he is pursuing as a Research Fellow with the Genesee Institute of the Genesee County Land Bank.

Professionally, Dayne served in Washington, DC in the Chief Financial Officer’s Resource Development Unit and the Executive Office of Mayor Anthony Williams. He worked as the Policy Advocate for the Urban Coalition in Minnesota and coordinated a voter mobilization campaign for National Voice. He is also the Co-Founder and President of Flint Club, a nonprofit network of 1000 people who want to give back to Flint. Dayne has completed projects for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Southern Africa Environment Project, the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, OverExposure Arts, and Ready 4 K.

Dayne has volunteered with AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity, in addition to being an active member of Court Street United Methodist Church in Flint. He enjoys travel, basketball, jazz, and time with his family. He is a published poet and writer with work appearing in Uncommon Sense, The Flint Journal, Clear Magazine, and Urban Pioneer.

Based on his experiences in the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, Dayne has dedicated himself to finding new ways to bring people together to improve their communities in the 21st Century so the next generation has a hopeful future.