Of the 46 La Follette School 2022 master’s degree graduates, over half are working in government. 23.3% of graduates are employed in the private sector and 16.3% accepted positions with nonprofits.
Read more about graduate job placement »
Steven Little (MPA ‘91) was re-appointed as assistant deputy secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Prior to accepting the appointment for his previous role of director of management and budget for the DNR, Little was a senior vice president of government relations for Citigroup Inc., with a focus on state government relations in the Upper Midwest. He received a bachelor’s degree in government from Beloit College and an MPA from the La Follette School in 1991.
Tara Baumgarten (MIPA ’13) started a new position as strategy manager at Accenture, a global information technology services and consulting company. Previously, she worked as a senior strategy consultant for the organization. Baumgarten received a MIPA from the La Follette School in 2014 and a master of business administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2020.
Ken Smith (MPA ’18) started a new job as planner with the City of Glendale, WI in suburban Milwaukee County. Smith also recently helped to designate Milwaukee’s Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church as a Milwaukee County Landmark. He is working with the parish to have the church, which his family has attended since his great-great grandparents’ generation, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “I’ve had the opportunity to get in touch with my roots, better understand local history and immigration, and help preserve a gorgeous historical building,” says Smith. Previously, he worked as a research and policy analyst with Milwaukee County. Smith received a an MPA and a master of science in Urban and Regional Planning from UW–Madison in 2018.
John Connors (MPA ’22) is starting a new position as a legislative fellow for New York Senator Brad Hoylman. Connors served as an intern for Senator Hoylman in the spring of 2021. While completing his MPA, Connors worked as a policy research assistant for 1000 Friends of Wisconsin.
Juliana Bennett (CiPP ’22) was listed as one of the Cap Times’ 12 people to watch in 2023. Bennett joined the Madison City Council in April 2021 as the District 8 Alder. She was also featured in a recent UW News story about recent grads. Bennett graduated from UW–Madison in December 2022 with bachelor’s degrees in political science and real estate, with a Certificate in Public Policy.