SEMCOG’s interns, supervisors, and leadership recently met in Downtown Detroit to check in on the 2026-2026 Intern Cohort’s experience so far. All five interns took to the podium to speak about skills they’ve gathered, tasks they’ve finished, and what they’re currently working on.
“We appreciate all the interns’ hard work; they’ve all jumped right in, and it seems like it’s going really great so far,” Amy O’Leary, Executive Director, SEMCOG said.
Four months into their year with SEMCOG, each intern has contributed within their respective team and across the organization. Let’s take a peek at what they have been up to and look ahead at future projects!
Kennedy Boyd – Economic and Community Vitality
Kennedy has aided the Economic and Community Vitality team in a variety of tasks. These include economic development workshops in St. Clair County; creating small business resources for local governments; and research on data center zoning ordinances.
Kennedy has furthered her skills in community outreach, event planning, along with the complex issue of data centers and potential resolutions. In the coming weeks and months, she’ll be working on blog articles to share what she has learned and on developing a small business resource page for the SEMCOG website.
“Before my internship at SEMCOG, I had very little experience with economic development, so I wasn’t sure what to expect,” Boyd said. “One of the most surprising things I’ve learned is how differently rural communities approach development. Growing up in Detroit, I had limited exposure to rural Michigan. But through SEMCOG, I had the opportunity to visit Greenwood Township for a meeting. It was a particularly impactful experience to hear directly from local representatives in rural St. Clair County about their perspectives on economic development and the unique challenges and opportunities they face. Gaining that insight was something I never anticipated.”
Kaitlin Knape – Environment and Infrastructure
Kaitlin has assisted the Environment and Infrastructure team with parks and recreation data and analysis; flood risk modeling; attending meetings of the Flooding Task Force; and collaboration with other departments and SEMCOG members.
Most significantly, her work on Southeast Michigan’s park visitation data resulted in a one-pager and blog discussing regional trends and outliers found in the park visitation data. Next, she’ll work on developing dashboards for park visitation and the Flood Risk Model.
Read the park visitation blog“I was excited to see how collaborative the region is on environmental efforts,” Knape said. “It is wonderful to see so many individuals and organizations sharing ideas, materials, and services to achieve a collective goal.”
Kassandra Maraz – Transportation and Planning
As part of the Transportation team, Kassandra’s projects have centered on transportation planning, maps, safety, and accessibility in our region. Lately, she’s been focused on writing the last-mile portion of the Freight Plan and discussing how goods move from distribution centers to their final destinations.
Kassandra has gained greater knowledge in methods of transportation planning and safety. She’ll continue to work on cleaning up speed data; creating a Transportation 101 presentation; and engaging with communities with an E-Bike SEMCOG University.
“When people think of Southeast Michigan they tend to think of the Motor City — home of the automobile — and broad car centrism. My time as a Transportation Planning Intern has changed my initial perspective. I did not expect to see the vast amount of support for alternative modes of transportation and mobility including biking, walking, bussing, and more. It is a privilege to see the work that goes into increasing safety, accessibility, and mobility for citizens across Southeast Michigan.”
Gustaf Rytting – GIS/Data Analysis
Gustaf’s projects with SEMCOG’s Data Analysis team have focused on updating the region’s employment data, testing AI models, edits and updates to the region’s Linear Referencing System (LRS) network, and more. He’s tested using AI for image detection to create canopy layers (with a greater goal of reducing urban heat islands); improving management of stormwater and drainage for member communities; and providing partners with green infrastructure data.
In his initial projects, Gus has found that the canopy cover AI detection was more accurate than existing canopy data. He’ll continue to work on scaling this workflow for future projects, including impervious surfaces.
“The most unexpected element of Southeast Michigan for me has been the passion and exuberance of our members towards the improvement and prosperity of the region,” Rytting said. “The local enthusiasm and optimism toward supporting sports teams, parks, markets, museums, and restaurants is intoxicating and has inspired me to explore much of the region. I feel extremely fortunate to have cultivated friendships amongst colleagues this summer, and I can’t wait to experience the region with them this coming fall.”
Zach Phelps – Communications
My work with the Communications team has included writing, editing, and sending mailings and blog articles; helping to manage and post on SEMCOG’s social media channels; supporting media outreach; updating and maintaining media lists; media monitoring; and more. Specifically, I’ve enjoyed helping to share updates on SEMCOG’s Legislative Policy Platform Task Force and working on media outreach to gather more responses for the Flooding and Resilience Survey.
In the coming weeks and months, I will continue managing social media channels; writing and editing; helping with outreach for special events and presentations; supporting the Safe Streets fall campaign; and covering Southeast Michigan’s Communicators Network.
My experience working with SEMCOG’s communications team has been incredible. I’ve had the chance to work with incredible people at a fantastic organization while helping the region in which I grew up. I’ve lived in Southeast Michigan most of my life and yet I’ve learned so many new things about the region. I’ve explored new parts of the region and met tons of amazing Southeast Michiganders. I’m excited to continue working for Southeast Michigan!
Read the Oakland Press article
Wrap – Up
Four months into the program, SEMCOG’s interns are making an impact on the region. As they continue their internships, they’ll continue building key skills, supporting key projects, and bringing new perspectives to Southeast Michigan.
Leave a Reply