Alumni News & Profiles

This past spring, the La Follette School launched Elevating Equity in Policymaking and hosted two outstanding alumni. Theola Carter (MA ’91) and Frances Huntley-Cooper (MA ’94) shared brief information about their careers in public service and answered questions from students. Read more...

The La Follette School’s first all-virtual alumni reunion is less than a month away! Alumni from 1975 through 2018 already have registered for the hour-long event on Thursday, May 13. Read more...

Andrew D. Kemp (MA ’91) passed on February 8 at the age of 53 from complications of COVID-19. Read more...

President-elect Joe Biden has nominated alumna Linda Thomas-Greenfield U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield received her master’s degree in public administration from UW–Madison’s Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration – the La Follette School’s predecessor – in 1975. Read more...

Tawsif Anam (MPA ’13) has been nominated for a Professional Elevation Award by Madison Magnet, Madison's largest young professional organization. Voting continues online through Friday, Sept. 11. Read more...

After 13 years’ experience in international humanitarian aid, Bill Schmitt (MIPA ’05) joined United Methodist Children’s Services of Wisconsin (UMCS) in Milwaukee as its executive director. He previously worked for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), leading relief efforts for some of the world’s most challenging crises, including the Darfur Genocide, the War in Afghanistan, the West Sumatran Earthquake, and the Syrian civil war. Read more...

Like everyone across the globe, Dr. Allison Couture (MPA ’20) had her world turned upside down when COVID-19 struck. However, Couture had a unique vantage point: as a master’s degree student at the La Follette School of Public Affairs and as a practicing doctor. Read more...

As Kassandra Martinchek (MPA ’19) marked her one-year anniversary at the Urban Institute, she reflected on her efforts promoting evidence-based, actionable solutions for household financial well-being and food security. Read more...

The Committee to Celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Wisconsin’s Ratification of the 19th Amendment selected Frances Huntley-Cooper (MA, 1994) for its inaugural Women Who Inspire award. Read more...

Kyle Weatherly (MPA ’06) of Milwaukee was among three University of Wisconsin System Regents appointed by Governor Tony Evers on June 1. Read more...

Colin Higgins (MPA ’16) has played a key role at The Governance Project since 2018. As program director, Higgins has contributed to projects that help municipalities stimulate private investment in low-income communities, effectively finance community-focused development projects, and support small business through the COVID-19 crisis. Read more...

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers named Randy Romanski (MA ‘95) as secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP). This will be Romanski’s second stint as DATCP secretary, previously leading the agency during Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration. Read more...

Incoming University of Wisconsin System President and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson announced that Tom Loftus (MA ’72) and Scott Neitzel will co-chair his transition team. Read more...

The La Follette School of Public Affairs welcomed two alumni to its Board of Visitors (BOV) – Theola Carter (MA ’91) and Carolyn Hill (MA ’96). Read more...

Nineteen graduate students participated in the La Follette School’s third career exploration visit to Chicago in October 2019. Over two days, students visited four employers and learned about career paths during a panel discussion with alumni. Read more...

Sam Austin (MIPA ’08) joined the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) as a senior policy advisor in December 2019. Read more...

Abby Swetz (MPA ’19) spoke about the need for housing for survivors of domestic violence in Wisconsin during a segment of PBS Wisconsin’s Noon Wednesday on November 6, 2019. Read more...

Richelle Andrae (MPA ’17) announced her candidacy for the Dane County Board of Supervisors, District 11. Andrae is a strategic policy analyst at Deloitte, where she works with Wisconsin Medicaid’s eHealth & Quality Team to support the state’s health IT priorities. Read more...

Katie Sanders (MIPA ’05) has joined the Milwaukee Public Museum as chief planning officer after nearly six years as executive director of Safe & Sound. In her new role, she will coordinate the planning of exhibits and visitor experiences, space planning, partnerships, lobbying, public relations, and building and construction planning. Read more...

Darin Harris (MA ’95) left his position in UW–Madison’s Office of Strategic Consulting in September to focus on the leadership and consulting company he co-founded three years ago – Living, Giving Enterprises. The company serves leaders who want to thrive in today's complex, fast-changing conditions. Read more...

The most recent episode of the Thank You, 72 podcast features Daniel Speckhard (MA ’82) and Laura Bunn, a student in the La Follette School’s Master of International Public Affairs (MIPA) program. Read more...

Several members of the La Follette School Class of 2009 got together in late August for a 10-year reunion. Alumni came to Madison from as far as Oregon and Massachusetts, enjoying a reception at the Memorial Union with spouses, significant others, and a few children. Read more...

Since graduating from the La Follette School, Andrew Behm (MPA ’15) has moved between the private and public sectors, but his work has always involved helping municipalities pay the bills. His new position as a capital finance officer at the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) is in the same vein. Read more...

After 11 years with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), Alexis MacDonald (MPA ’08) has accepted a position as a professional staff member for the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. MacDonald also recently received the Badger of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s DC Chapter. Read more...

May was a busy month for Bryan Gadow (’05 MPA). On May 3, he graduated from the Wisconsin Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program. A week later, he was the Graduation Ceremony Keynote speaker for the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture (DPLA) master’s degree program in urban and regional planning at UW–Madison. Read more...

Elizabeth Doyle (MPA ’17) won an uncontested election for District 1 of the Dane County Board of Supervisors in June. Doyle replaced Mary Kolar, who is now serving as secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs in Governor Tony Evers’ administration. Read more...

The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership has named Eric Tempelis (MPA ’03, JD ’06) as its new assistant director. He previously worked in local, state and federal government, most recently as a prosecutor. Read more...

Josh Todd (MPA ’02) celebrated six years as executive director of Campus Compact of Oregon, the largest nonprofit network of higher education in the state of Oregon. Before joining the organization, he was director of the Commission on Children, Families, and Community in Multnomah County, Oregon. Read more...

With more than 30 years of consulting and communications experience, Terry Lierman (MA ’71) has joined the La Follette School’s Board of Visitors. Lierman is a founding partner of Summit Global Ventures, which he began after serving as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer from 2007 to 2011. Read more...

The U.S. Senate recently confirmed Patrick Fuchs (MPA ’11) to serve a five-year term as a member of the Surface Transportation Board. Previously, Fuchs was a senior professional staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Read more...

Nick Osborne (MPA ’05) began his duties as Polk County’s chief administrative officer (county administrator) in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, on February 25. Previously, he served as assistant to the county administrator in Rock County, Wisconsin, for eight years. Read more...

Elizabeth Doyle (MPA ’17) is seeking election as District 1 Dane County Board Supervisor. A former member of the Verona City Council from 2013 to 2018, Doyle is a health care rate analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Read more...

Mark Starik (MA ’78) is a contributing faculty member in Walden University’s Public Policy & Administration Doctoral Program. He also conducts research and writes academic and practitioner articles about sustainability management. Read more...

A capstone project by three La Follette School students was featured in a WisContext story as part of its series on food security and assistance in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ (DHS) Division of Medicaid Services sought the students’ assistance with evaluating the FoodShare Employment and Training (FSET) program, including whether it improves employment and earnings outcomes and increases self-sufficiency. Read more...

Jonny Hunter (MPA ’11) received his fifth straight nomination for a prestigious James Beard Award in the category of Best Chef: Midwest. The awards are considered the top honor in the culinary world. Read more...

Two La Follette School alumni recently shared their expertise with public radio listeners. John Vander Meer (MPA ’06) discussed the difficulties facing skilled nursing facilities in Wisconsin, and Anne Chapman (MPA ’12) addressed education funding in the state. Read more...

Daniel Kaneshiro (MPA ’04) was promoted to senior policy analyst at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He is the lead policy analyst for several initiatives in the OMB’s Office of Federal Financial Management, including enterprise risk management, internal controls, and reporting and data integrity in accordance with guidance in OMB Circular No. A-123. Read more...

La Follette School student Erik Gartland and alumnus Brett Halverson (MPA ’14) were accepted into the New Leaders Council (NLC) fellowship program for spring 2019. Read more...

La Follette School alumni Peter Barca (MA ’83) and Randy Romanski (MA ’95) have accepted positions in Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ administration. Read more...

Molly Askin (MIPA ’03) returned to campus December 7 for the American Antitrust Institute’s Food & Agriculture Competition Roundtable at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She participated on the panel discussion Food Supply Chains: Integration, Globalization, and What it Means for Competition and Stability. Read more...

Daniel Speckhard (MA ’82), a member of the La Follette School’s Board of Visitors, is leading the unified Lutheran World Relief-IMA World Health, after the two faith-based humanitarian organizations merged January 1. Speckhard, a former US ambassador, has led Lutheran World Relief since 2014. Read more...

Jennifer Klippel (MPA ’06) was named director of UW–Madison’s Budget Office on January 9. She served as interim director since July 2018, succeeding Tim Norris, who led the office since 2004. Read more...

Hilary Shager (MPA ’05, PhD ’12) will discuss the Institute for Research on Poverty’s efforts to bring rigorous scientific evidence to bear on some of society’s thorniest problems during Wednesday Nite @ The Lab (WN@TL) January 16 from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Read more...

After several years working on health policy and in public service, Sara Eskrich (MPA/MPH ’15) has taken her passion for making a difference in a new direction. She now serves as chief of staff for Katherine Gehl and executive director of FixtheSystem–Wisconsin. Read more...

Bryan Gadow (’05 MPA) is teaching the Planning Workshop course for UW–Madison’s Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture (formerly Department of Urban and Regional Planning) this fall. Gadow is village administrator for New Glarus, in southwestern Wisconsin. Read more...

Nearly half of La Follette School alumni in the Class of 2008 gathered in Madison from September 14 to 16 to celebrate its 10-year reunion. Joining them were approximately 25 children and 15 guests. Read more...

The Fall 2018 issue Edible Madison featured the work of La Follette School Alumnus Jonny Hunter and the Underground Butcher. “While pursuing his studies and following his heart toward a life in politics, Hunter learned to cook, and from that perspective took interest in the more elemental aspects of sustainable local food systems,” Andy Radtke wrote. Read more...

The Public Management Research Association (PMRA) honored John Bryson (MA ’72) with the 2018 H. George Frederickson Award for his career contributions to the field of public management. He is the McKnight Presidential Professor of Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Read more...

Jason Gerlach (MA, JD ’96) credits much of his success to the quantitative skills he learned at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Read more...

Joshua Cruz (MPA ’18), a student in the Neuroscience & Public Policy Program, is giving a presentation titled Poverty, Pregnancy, and Public Assistance Programs: A Neuroscience & Public Policy Perspective on Thursday, October 4. Read more...

The National Interest published an article by La Follette School alumnus Christopher Russell (MIPA/JD ’16) about Ukraine’s long struggle against corruption and the Revolution of Dignity movement. Read more...

Erika Jones (MPA ’11) and Jessica Jones opened Giant Jones Brewing Company on Madison’s near East Side in June. Erika Jones, executive director of FairShare CSA Coalition, is chief executive officer of the brewery, and Jessica Jones is the brewer. Read more...

Kelsey Mueller (MPA ’17) and Wade Vincent were married on May 5, 2018, at the Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. Read more...

Richelle Andrae (MPA ’17) co-authored the 2018 Healthcare Workforce Report published by the Wisconsin Council on Medical Education & Workforce (WCMEW). Read more...

An article in the July 26 edition of The Economist referenced a paper written by La Follette School Professor Menzie Chinn and Kavan Kucko (MIPA ’08). The article discussed how the yield curve for government bonds inverted just before each of the most recent U.S. recessions. Read more...

UW–Madison Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Laurent Heller appointed Jennifer Klippel (MPA ’06) as interim budget director following the retirement of Tim Norris, who served in that role since 2004. Read more...

The Health Behavior and Policy Review has published a paper by Joseph Bates (MPA/MPH ’17), Key Stakeholder Responses to Impaired Server Ordinances in Selected Wisconsin Municipalities. Read more...

Dominic Habjan (MPA ’18) is seeking election as county clerk in Missouri’s Vernon County. The primary election is August 7, and the general election is November 6. Read more...

Daniel Speckhard (MA ’82), president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief, has joined the La Follette School’s Board of Visitors (BOV). Lutheran World Relief, an international development and relief organization, works in more than 30 countries. Read more...

Lisa Ellinger (MPA ’03) joined the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) as its new vice president of public policy. Read more...

Portland Business Journal selected Sarah Foster (MPA, MPH ’14) for its 40 under 40 class of 2018. Foster will receive the award June 22 for her work as executive director of the Oregon Healthiest State Initiative. Read more...

Nick Heckman (MPA ’12) is one of the presenters at the 2018 University of Wisconsin Obesity Management Summit in Madison on May 18 and 19. Read more...

Andy Richards (MA ’92) has been selected as director of UW–Madison’s Discovery to Product (D2P) office. Read more...

Katie Sanders (MIPA ’05), executive director of the Milwaukee nonprofit organization Safe & Sound, received a Driven to Achieve Award from the Donald Driver Foundation on March 24. Read more...

Classmates Karina Virrueta (MPA ’17) and Mitch Running, who is completing the dual MPA/MPH degree program in May, are planning a summer 2019 wedding. Read more...

Michael Rodriguez (MPA/MSURP '09) joined CBRE as the Greater DC Area Leader of Market Research and Analysis. Read more...

Michael Heifetz (MA ’91) joined Michael Best Strategies in December 2017. He is leading the state and federal healthcare practice at Michael Best, one of the nation’s fastesdt-growing business-to-business consulting companies. Read more...

UW-Madison’s Center for Child and Family Well-Being is sponsoring a presentation by La Follette School alumna Erika Cheng (MPA ’11) on Wednesday, March 14. Read more...

The Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) named Raul Leon (MIPA ’07, PhD ’10) as one of its eight Forward under 40 recipients for 2018. Read more...

Mark Nicolini (MA ’83) retired in September 2017 as the city of Milwaukee’s budget and management director, a position he had held since 2004. Throughout his career, he has shared his expertise with and provided guidance to dozens of La Follette School students. Read more...

Two La Follette School alumni – Richelle Andrae (MPA ’17) and Sara Koliner (MPA ’14) – are among the panelists for the next Evidence-Based Health Policy Project (EBHPP) briefing. Read more...

David Boardman (MPA ’16) has joined the University of Wisconsin System as a government relations specialist. Most recently, Boardman was a legislative aide for State Rep. Joan Ballweg. Read more...

Brenda Mayrack (MPA, JD ’08) was appointed Delaware’s state escheator in the Department of Finance. In her new role, Mayrack will direct the state’s Office of Unclaimed Property. Read more...

State Rep. Gordon Hintz (MPA ’01) began his duties as Assembly minority leader October 1. Hintz, a state lawmaker from Oshkosh, was elected by his colleagues to replace Rep. Peter Barca (MA ’83), who resigned. Read more...

Katie Maguire-Jack (MPA ’06) and two colleagues received a $3 million grant to address substance abuse problems in Ohio. Maguire-Jack, who received her doctorate in social welfare from UW–Madison, is an assistant professor at The Ohio State University’s College of Social Work. Read more...

Allison Quatrini (MIPA ’09) is an assistant professor in the Behavioral Sciences Collegium at Eckerd College in Florida after receiving a doctorate in political science from The George Washington University. She teaches Chinese Politics and Government, Comparative Politics, and Chinese Environmental Politics. Read more...

Led by Katie Sanders (MIPA ’05), the nonprofit organization Safe & Sound has increased its profile in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and beyond. Read more...

La Follette School Professor Emeritus Dennis Dresang and Peter Tempelis (MPA, JD ’06) will discuss their study about the high rate of turnover among assistant district attorneys (ADAs) during a La Follette School Policy After Work gathering on Tuesday, October 17. The networking opportunity for La Follette students, alumni, and friends begins at 5 p.m. at Brocach, 7 W. Main Street. Read more...

Don Eggert (MPA ’15) is living out his dream of working for NASA, thanks to his Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) and La Follette School Associate Director Hilary Shager, who connected him with Jon Montgomery (MA ’93). Read more...

A paper about the corporate tax base co-authored by Austin Frerick (MPA ’14) inspired the Iowa native to delve deeper into the issue of economic concentration in the United States. Further research prompted a return to his home state, where he launched a campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives this summer. Read more...

As incubator director of the Filene Research Institute, Adam Lee (MPA ’08) is organizing a free community event in Madison on October 2 featuring author Lisa Servon. Lee joined Filene in May 2016 and leads the Reaching Minority Households project. Read more...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker appointed Melinda (Mindy) Tempelis (MPA, JD ’02) as Outagamie County’s district attorney. Read more...

The Evidence-Based Health Policy Project (EBHPP) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is sponsoring a public discussion about community health on Friday, September 8 at UW–Fox Valley. State Representatives Dave Murphy, Mike Rohrkaste, and Amanda Stuck are hosting the event, which features six local groups working to improve health in the region. Read more...

California’s County of Monterey is implementing several recommendations from a student project in Professor Don Moynihan’s Performance Management class. Kate Battiato (MPA ’07), a management analyst in Monterey County’s Resource Management Agency (RMA), proposed and coordinated the students’ work. Read more...

The editors of the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis selected a paper by Deven Carlson (MPA ’15) and colleagues at the University of Oklahoma and University of New Mexico as one of the three best articles published during 2016. Read more...

John Vander Meer (MPA ’06) participated in a panel discussion about the implications of Wisconsin’s aging population and growing long-term care workforce crisis for state policy May 2 in Madison. Read more...

Daniel Bush (MPA '09) joined the School District of Lodi as business manager in summer 2016. He is responsible for managing the district’s financial and other business affairs as well as developing and supervising a $20 million budget. Read more...

Bryan Gadow (’05 MPA) received the Richard B. Schmied Leadership Award from the Green County Development Corporation (GCDC) on April 25. Schmied, who served as president of the New Glarus Village Board, was president of the GCDC when he passed away in 2000. Read more...

Two La Follette School alumni – Carolyn Clow and Bradley Campbell – are seeking election in their local communities. Clow is running for the McFarland Village Board, and Campbell hopes to join La Follette alumna Sara Eskrich on the Madison City Council. Read more...

Rob Meyer’s commitment to improving K-12 students’ academic success spans three decades. As an educator and researcher, he has shared his passion with students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and school leaders across the country. Read more...

La Follette School alumnus Peter Tempelis (MPA, JD ’06) received a Forward under 40 Award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) on February 2. Read more...

Alumni spanning four decades of graduation years gathered with La Follette School faculty, students, friends, and staff February 2 for a mid-winter reception at The Madison Club. Read more...

Leona Yi-Fan Su (MPA ’14) joined the Department of Communication at the University of Utah as assistant professor in communicating science, health, environment and risk. Read more...

Since 2005, almost 40 students have benefitted from Mark Stone’s generous donations to the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Stone, who lives in Illinois, has given several gifts to the La Follette School over the past 10 years to help graduate students gain the skills needed to improve the lives of people in the United States through public service. Read more...

Drew McDermott (MPA ’16) joined Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) as a business analyst on its Data Science team. Read more...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published several papers written by Alisha Bower (MPA ’16) while she was an international agriculture intern in Lima, Peru. The papers focus on biotechnology, climate change, and trade issues related to Peru’s agricultural industries as the country’s new president – Pedro Pablo Kuczynski – assumed office. Read more...

Sam Austin (MIPA ’08) joined the Evidence-Based Health Policy Project at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as its director in mid-October. Austin previously served as a budget analyst with the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB). Read more...

The interdisciplinary Neuroscience Training Program (NTP) drew C.P. Frost to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The NTP’s joint graduate program with the La Follette School of Public Affairs – Neuroscience & Public Policy – sealed the deal. Read more...

Distinguished scholars Ron Haskins, Isabel Sawhill, and C. Eugene Steuerle (MA ’72, MS ’73, PhD ‘75) will discuss Improving Opportunities for Children during the 2016 Paul Offner Lecture on Thursday, November 3. Read more...

Serving others is a high priority for students at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. So it should come as no surprise that alumni eagerly volunteer with their alma mater. Read more...

Dan Leopold (MPA ’03) recently was promoted to the chief intelligence officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago. Read more...

Christopher Russell (MIPA/JD ’16) has been awarded a Fulbright Program grant to work in Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice through the Clinton Public Policy Fellowship. Read more...

In a recent article on Madison’s diverse 13th Aldermanic District, The Cap Times highlighted the work of Sara Eskrich (MPA/MPH ’15), who has represented the district since April 2015. Read more...

Austin Frerick (MPA ’14) co-authored a paper about how the corporate tax base has changed during recent years. Frerick and Laura Power, both in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis, used micro-economic tax return data from 1992 to 2013 to compute the first time-series on the normal return fraction for all nonfinancial C corporations, for multinationals, and for industries. Read more...

Seven La Follette School students learned the intricacies of federal program evaluation and auditing at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) this summer. They also experienced the tight group of La Follette School alumni in and around the nation’s capital – known as the DC Bobs. Read more...

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel named Peter Tempelis (MPA, JD ’06) an assistant attorney general in the Medicaid Fraud Control & Elder Abuse Unit of the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Read more...

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission unanimously selected Brian Bell (MPA ’10) as its first administrator. Bell currently serves as a budget and policy analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. Read more...

Mark Hadley (MA '97) was named deputy director of the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO), where he has worked for 15 years in various capacities. He began his new responsibilities June 6. Read more...

Deven Carlson (MPA '07) and Jared Knowles, a 2015 Gladfelter Award for Government Innovation recipient, co-authored a report in the Summer 2016 issue of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Their report is titled The Effect of English Language Learner Reclassification on Student ACT Scores, High School Graduation, and Postsecondary Enrollment: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Wisconsin. Read more...

Michael Rodriguez (MPA/MSURP '09) co-authored his first major publication as director of research at Smart Growth American/George Washington University. The report, Foot Traffic Ahead 2016, ranks the country’s top 30 metropolitan areas based on the amount of commercial development in Walkable Urban Places (WalkUPs). Read more...

Steve Kulig (MPA ’14) returned to his alma mater as the La Follette School’s new career services coordinator and department administrator in April. As career services coordinator, Kulig helps students devise job-search strategies, manages alumni job placement data, and maintains the School’s network of potential employers, including those appropriate for internships. Read more...