Melinda Tempelis (MPA ’02) published an article in Wisconsin Lawyer’s December issue titled Justice is Owed to the Accused and to the Accuser. In the article, Tempelis, who is the district attorney of Outagamie County, argues that inadequate funding of pay progression for prosecutors jeopardizes the delivery of justice and protection of crime victims’ rights in Wisconsin. Prior to being appointed district attorney, Tempelis served as deputy district attorney for Outagamie County and served for almost 15 years as a prosecutor.
Shishir Khanal (MIPA ’05) was elected to Nepal’s Federal Parliament as a representative from Kathmandu in November. As a member of Parliament, Khanal hopes to champion issues related to access to education and quality healthcare, and to create an environment that enables entrepreneurs to provide high quality services to citizens.
Jami Crespo (MPA ’12) joined ChangeLab Solutions as a senior attorney. In this role, Crespo combines public health, law, policy, and systems change, focusing on the role of health departments and community members in advancing health equity. Previously, Crespo spent eight years in local public health as a policy analyst with Public Health Madison & Dane County, where she worked to improve health and racial equity by analyzing laws and policies and creating system change in the areas of behavioral health, mental and emotional well-being, and infant mortality.
Carly Hood-Ronick (MPA ’12) co-wrote an op ed in the Lund Report about Oregon’s health insurance coverage plan. Hood-Ronick is the chief executive officer at Project Access NOW, a nonprofit in the Portland area working to provide culturally appropriate health care access and social service navigation regionally. She has worked with communities in multiple states and countries to develop upstream programs and has published work on best practices in financing social care efforts. Hood-Ronick co-wrote the article with Maribeth Guarino, a health care advocate at the Oregon Public Interest Research Group. Hood-Ronick received an MPA and a Master of Public Health from UW–Madison.
Amy Maniola Allen (MPA ’19) started a new position as a justice research analyst at RTI International, where she will work in the area of corrections and re-entry research. RTI International is an independent nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Previously, Allen worked as a research manager at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, where she developed study designs for major evaluations to assess the impact of the Colorado Department of Corrections programs on recidivism and other outcomes.
Abby Swetz (MPA ’19) participated in a panel featured on Channel 3000’s For the Record to discuss recently released results from the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, which showed that the rate at which youth in Wisconsin are seriously considering suicide is at the highest level since 2003. Swetz is a communications director at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Previously, she worked as a communications specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and as a teacher.
Anna Barry (MPA ’21) was featured in a Morgridge Center for Public Service story that details her career journey in the nonprofit world. “The Morgridge Center for Public Service sparked my interest in college, and now I am continuing at the American Institutes for Research,” says Anna. “Civic education, youth advocacy, and equity will continue to be centered in my projects.”
Manpreet Kaur Sandhu (MPA, Master of Urban and Regional Planning ’22) was recently appointed to the city council in her hometown of Bakersfield, California, the ninth largest city in California. Kaur graduated from UW–Madison in May 2022 with an MPA and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning. She is the youngest woman ever appointed to the Bakersfield City Council, and the first Sikh and South Asian to be appointed to Bakersfield’s City Council.