In a Thursday announcement, President Kevin M. Guskiewicz highlighted John’s experience.

“Katie’s years of experience and her deep commitment to the transformative power of higher education make her uniquely qualified to lead Government Relations at Michigan State University,” Guskiewicz said.

Rebecca DeVooght, who has held the VP title since August 2024, could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. MSU Spokesperson Amber McCann said DeVooght “moved on from MSU to pursue new opportunities.” 

John’s appointment is effective immediately. The MSU Board of Trustees will formally consider her for the position during their September meeting.  

“As a proud Spartan, I am honored to serve in this role at such an important time for higher education,” John said in the press release. “Michigan State has a profound impact in every corner of our state, and I look forward to partnering with university leaders and lawmakers to advance MSU’s priorities and to champion the transformative work that is moving our state forward.” 

As VP for Government Relations, John will lead institutional advocacy across federal, state and local levels to secure legislative funding and policy initiatives. 

Prior to joining MSU in 2022, John worked at Western Michigan University where she served as an Assistant Vice President and later an Associate Vice President for government relations. There, she helped secure more than $80 million in additional supplemental state appropriations, the press release said. 

John went to undergraduate school at MSU and received a master’s degree in public administration from WMU.