In May 2026, Director of Strategic Initiatives Lisa Ellinger (MPA ’03) retired from La Follette after an illustrious career as a public servant that spanned a variety of public policy sectors.
Alumni
Alumni return to the classroom with real-world insights
This spring, the La Follette School welcomed a wide range of alumni back to campus, not as students, but as teachers.
La Follette alumni-student collaboration highlights policy research
This spring, La Follette alum Kevin Dospoy partnered with current MPA student Jacob Anderson to co-author the latest Forward Analytics Spotlight, “Affordability: More than Wages vs. Prices.”
Love stories from La Follette
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we’re looking back at just a few examples of love stories built at La Follette.
La Follette alumni bring their graduate research to the courts
A cornerstone of a La Follette graduate education is the opportunity for students to partner with real-world organizations to tackle real-world policy problems. Much more than academic exercises, these client-based projects make an impact far …
Tim Casper — Alumni in the Spotlight
Tim Casper (MA ’99) serves as the executive vice president at Madison Area Technical College.
The policy players behind higher education
Alumni Tim Casper (MA ’99) and Jen Klippel (MPA ’06) share their experiences working in higher education and how their La Follette School training helped them.
Pamela Ritger de la Rosa — Alumni in the Spotlight
Ritger de la Rosa (MIPA’13) serves as environmental sustainability program manager and deputy director for the City of Milwaukee Environmental Sustainability Office.
Connecting the classroom to local government
Master’s student Travis Austin (MPA ’26) and alum Theola Carter (MA ’91) discuss their involvement in local government.
2024-25 Highlights Report showcases an exciting year for La Follette
The 2023-2024 academic year is a momentous one for La Follette as we celebrate 40 years of training future policy leaders.