Alexi Chapin-Smith
Legislative Director , Michigan State Senator Jeff Irwin
Alexi Chapin-Smith is the legislative director for Michigan State Senator Jeff Irwin. She has worked for 12 years for legislators serving the Ann Arbor area in the Michigan House and Senate. She coordinated one of the largest bill packages ever introduced in the Michigan Legislature, 53 bills and a joint resolution to bring Michigan law in line with the Obergefell v. Hodges marriage equality ruling. Chapin-Smith was also the lead staffer on dyslexia screening/intervention and debt garnishment reform legislation that passed the Legislature in the 2023-2024 session.
Chapin-Smith has a particular interest in health policy and has worked on issues including nurse practitioner scope of practice, access to reproductive care, pollution cleanup, community mental health, and safe drinking water. As the legislative director for former state Representative Yousef Rabhi, she designed a state-level universal health insurance proposal (MiCare) and funding mechanism.
Chapin-Smith graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University. She has a master’s in anthropology (archaeology) from the University of Michigan; she received Javits and NSF fellowships to support her graduate work on the collapse and reintegration of states and empires. Chapin-Smith became involved in legislative work through community activism.