Felicia Brabec

Felicia Brabec was born in Aurora, Illinois. Brabec earned a B.A. in sociology and anthropology from Saint Mary's College at Notre Dame in 1995, an M.S.W. from Boston College in 1997, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in 2003. Her career experience includes working as a clinical psychologist with the University of Michigan Counseling and Psychological Services, a high school social worker, and a coach. Brabec has served on the board of Food Gatherers, the board of Garrett's Space, and the Washtenaw Psychology Society. As of her 2020 campaign, Brabec had served as a Washtenaw County Commissioner since 2011.[1][2]

Felicia Brabec has not yet completed [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Send a message to Felicia Brabec asking her to fill out the survey.

If you are Felicia Brabec, click here to fill out [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out the candidate survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete [the profile publisher]'s Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's [the profile publisher] profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 32,000 candidates have taken [the profile publisher]'s candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Felicia Brabec to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing teambrabec@gmail.com.

Felicia Brabec did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Felicia Brabec is running for reelection as State Representative because she is committed to making Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan a place everyone is proud to call home. Prior to being elected to her first term as State Representative in 2020, Felicia proudly served Washtenaw County on the Board of Commissioners for eight years. With over 200 bills sponsored and cosponsored ranging from expanding mental health care access, protecting the environment, protecting the right to choose, reforming criminal justice, and more, Felicia has proven her ability to be a bipartisan champion for Washtenaw County. The daughter of parents who would not have been able to be legally married just five years prior, Felicia’s life has been shaped by a strong commitment to working with others to create a community we all want to live in. As the representative for Michigan’s 55th house district, Felicia has advocated for our right to live free from environmental concerns like PFAS and Dioxane, students’ access to quality education, sustainable small businesses, and affordable mental and physical healthcare, including protecting women’s reproductive freedom, for everyone.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Every Michigander deserves access to quality, affordable health care including mental and physical health care.Every Michigan student deserves access to quality, public education and our public school employees deserve fair pay with good working conditions.Every Michigander deserves guaranteed safe drinking water.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a clinical psychologist, I am passionate about increasing access to mental health. As State Representative, I am most proud of my work to include Michigan in the PSYPACT, a pact between states that will expand mental health care options to increase accessibility. When I was a Washtenaw County Commissioner, I was proud to help pass our Racial Equity Policy and hope to implement a similar one statewide. I also stand firmly in support of the Reproductive Health Act and will support any measures to guarantee reproductive rights in Michigan. Criminal justice has always been a passion of mine, and I’ve proudly sponsored and supported bills that assist with reentry after incarceration, such as a bill to require state IDs to be provided to individuals upon release from jail and to provide training to law enforcement to better identify and assist individuals with mental illness.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at a local historic living farm. For several summers in high school, I had the opportunity to work there. I started in the kitchen and when I left I was assisting the Museum Curator. I loved being able to work on programming for the school children who came for field trips as well as work on the exhibits throughout the museum.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. As State Representative, I've worked closely with colleagues from both parties to pass important legislation to make Michigan a better place.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Felicia Brabec is running for State Representative because she is committed to making Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan a place everyone is proud to call home. Felicia has proudly served Washtenaw County on the Board of Commissioners for the past nine years. As the longest-serving current member, she has worked on everything from protecting our environment to supporting our schools. She has led the effort to bridge Washtenaw County's disparities by working with community members, elected officials, and County staff to create the County's first Racial Equity Policy, streamline the provision of Community Mental Health Services, and save taxpayers millions of dollars by earning and retaining the AAA bond rating. The daughter of parents who would not have been able to be legally married just five years prior, Felicia's life has been shaped by a strong commitment to working with others to create a community we all want to live in. As the next representative for Michigan's 55th house district, Felicia will advocate for our right to live free from environmental concerns like PFAS and Dioxane, students' access to a quality education, sustainable small businesses, and affordable mental and physical healthcare for everyone.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Every Michigander deserves access to quality, affordable health care including mental and physical health care.Every Michigan student deserves access to quality, public education and our public school employees deserve to be respected. Every Michigander deserves guaranteed safe drinking water.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a clinical psychologist, I am passionate about increasing access to mental health. Additionally, the work I am most proud of from my tenure as a County Commissioner is collaborating with our community to pass the Washtenaw County Racial Equity Policy. Additionally, I have worked to address pollution from the 1,4 Dioxane plume and look forward to supporting reinstating Polluter Pay and working to remediate PFAS pollution. I also stand firmly in support of the Reproductive Health Act.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

If elected, I would be the only mental health practitioner in the state house in Lansing. I would be able to speak to the experience of navigating our health care system as a provider and a patient, and work toward expanding health care access for all Michiganders. I have experience and strive to be a leader who brings people together to create the best solutions for residents. Through deep community discussion and working across political lines and personal experiences, I believe we can improve our communities. With experience in local government I will be able to hit the ground running in Lansing and be an effective legislator for our district.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at a local historic living farm. For several summers in high school, I had the opportunity to work there. I started in the kitchen and when I left I was assisting the Museum Curator. I loved being able to work on programming for the school children who came for field trips as well as work on the exhibits throughout the museum.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

For Good from the Broadway Musical Wicked.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Absolutely. Especially in a state with strict term limits, it is critical that legislators have previous local government experience and I look forward to bringing that with me to Lansing.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our greatest challenge will be providing quality health care, education, and rebuilding our infrastructure as we work to revitalize our economy in the COVID19 recession. We will need to be creative and solution-oriented to put our public dollars where they are needed most, and make sure corporations are paying their fair share too.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

I believe a governor and the state legislature should have a relationship based on providing

the most public good to our residents. That requires respect, intention to collaborate, and a willingness to put aside partisanship to do what is best for Michiganders.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. As a County Commissioner over my tenure I have worked hard to build relationships with my colleagues.