Meet Kimberly Saks

The first thing you notice in Kimberly Saks’ office is all the brightly colored toys peppered throughout the texts on political and legal theory.

“It started quite randomly; I had been given a toy, and later that day, a student commented on it while we were meeting,” she remembers. “It seemed to put them at ease, and I realized that this was a way of connecting with them, that Professor Saks isn’t too serious; she’s approachable. So I started bringing in more and more toys, and these touchstones have helped build community with students and faculty. Creating and maintaining a community takes time and is challenging, and I’ve learned that these small acts help build the foundation.”

Before joining UM-Flint in 2013, Kimberly’s community focused primarily on her labor and employment law practice. She was working in the Equal Opportunity Office at Wayne State University when she had an aha moment that inspired a new path.

“I’d always been into politics in some way, largely because of my father and his father. I originally went into law because I wanted to help people navigate through systems that sometimes feel like they’re designed to be obstructive,” she shares. “When I found campaign materials in my grandfather’s attic – he’d run for city council in Southfield – it got me thinking: Why do people run for office? That was the central question that led me to grad school and to explore the narratives around public policy – what moves people to have the policy positions they have, how policy is framed in the community, how we talk about policy, and, ultimately, how it’s enacted.”

Kimberly also cites her aunt, a former career and college counselor at Southfield High School, as instrumental in her academic career. “I am a first-generation college graduate, so my parents couldn’t really help me with how to apply for college or scholarships or what academic opportunities were available after high school,” she explains. “My aunt would bring me to work with her, and I could see students interacting with college reps and learning about the whole process. She also encouraged me and my writing – she thought I was a great writer! – and both experiences helped build my confidence and set me on the path to academia.”

After graduating from Eastern Michigan University with bachelor’s degrees in political science and French, Kimberly continued law school at the University of Detroit Mercy. She began private practice in 2007 and eventually worked at Wayne State.

“I enjoyed the work that I did there, but I think the biggest takeaway from that experience was that my skills and interests aligned better with the academic environment,” Kimberly says. “I love reading case law and was excited by the prospect of sharing with my students how to use it to interpret public policy and to see the law dynamically. I also get to work with some really cool people.”

Kimberly started at UM-Flint as a lecturer in political science, and when an assistant professor position opened in 2022, she successfully applied for it. In addition to her teaching duties, she manages the college’s graduate program in public administration and advises both the pre-law professional program and UM-Flint’s Moot Court team. 

“One of my favorite experiences at Flint so far has been related to the Moot Court team, specifically when we traveled to Wooster College in Ohio for the regional competition in the Fall of 2023,” she remembers. “We spent a lot of time together, preparing and practicing, and then the team made it into the playoffs, which was so much fun. It was great to connect with students off campus and in a new environment and to show off how hard they worked.”

Another of Kimberly’s favorite accomplishments blends her passion for building community with her previous experience in labor and employment law.

“It took two years of hard work, but our union was finally recognized in April 2024, and we’ll begin bargaining this fall,” she notes. “Almost every public 4-year institution in the state has a union protecting tenure-track faculty, and I’m incredibly proud that the Flint campus is the first in the University of Michigan system to establish it.”

Before working at UM-Flint, Kimberly hadn’t spent much time in Flint, but she has since fallen in love with it.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect Flint to crawl into my heart the way it has, and I’m so grateful that I get to be part of this city, its history, and its future,” she shares. “Even when things are chaotic, there are always sparks of hope and ways of organizing that Flint does differently. It’s one of those places that people think of showing the cracks in our democracy and society, how it’s broken. But, as Cohen sang, those cracks are how the light gets in.”

Regarding her future projects, Kimberly is working on a book that explores how the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision impacts IVF access and availability, especially for specific communities.

“I’m looking at the current laws in all 50 states through a reproductive justice lens that has been pioneered by black feminists, with a focus on how fat, LGBTQIA+, or disabled folks might be adversely impacted by legal limitations,” she explains. “IVF clinics already overlook these groups, and this decision marginalizes them further. Using the lens of justice rather than choice, I hope to start the discussion around who gets to be a parent in our society, who is supported in that, and why.”

But Kimberly’s scholarly endeavors won’t detract from her primary focus: Her students.

“I know it sounds cliche, but my absolute favorite part of this job is the students,” she exclaims. “They remind me of myself as a first-generation college student, and I love supporting them through this experience. I also want them to leave here with the understanding that our laws aren’t just old rulings shut away in dust-covered books somewhere; they are dynamic, and the policies they inform can impact our day-to-day lives. Knowing how to interpret, use, and even change them can, in turn, change lives.” 

It’s okay not to have it all figured out – in fact, it’s better not to!

Make plans, but be flexible.

Know that you’re going to change, that your plans will change, and be open to exploring new options.

That is your only task right now!

Be open.

Kimberly’s insights

Kimberly Loves…

• Tetris. “I have been playing Tetris longer than some of my students have been alive.”
• Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. “I enjoy dystopian books and movies of all kinds, but I particularly love Huxley’s interpretation of the consequences of our actions. ” 
• Traveling to National Parks. “I’m trying to fill out my park passport! This year, I went to Death Valley, where I stood at the lowest point in North America, and the Great Smoky Mountains.”

Flint in Three Words

• Talkative
• Artsy
• Enduring

Flint Faves

• Queen’s Provisions – A fun new wine and cheese joint
• Steady Eddy’s Cafe – In the market, one of Flint’s best restaurants

The best thing about Flint is the arts scene.

The auto industry may have built this city, but the artists are revitalizing it and shaping its future.

Kimberly on Flint