Michael Luckey (MPA ’23) is an experienced public sector professional with expertise in government operations at the federal, state, and local levels. He has worked as chief of staff in the Wisconsin State Senate, as a policy advisor and legislative aide at the Wisconsin State Assembly, and currently as assistant to the county administrator in Jefferson County, Wisconsin.
In his work, Luckey has witnessed firsthand how decisions and policies made at every level of government affect constituents. “It sometimes feels to me like a camera lens, zooming in and out as you move from one level to another,” Luckey says. “Your focus shifts from questions like: ‘How do we make healthcare affordable’ to ‘How do we prepare Wisconsin for an aging population’ to ‘How do we connect seniors with activities like our Wednesday Walks?’ All these discussions are just different pieces of the same conversation.” He says that some challenges of a role in government are working within a balanced budget and operating under levy limits on local and state levels and handling large amounts of attention and press over decisions on the state and federal levels.
Working in county administration, Luckey and his team get to participate in discussions that touch on a variety of important issues, searching for solutions and how to make all the pieces fit together. “I really enjoy getting to know staff from each of our 26 departments and learning what gets them excited about the work they do,” Luckey says. “It’s the same type of thing that I enjoyed while staffing the Joint Committee on Finance in the State Assembly and State Senate. You could start a meeting talking about land conservation, take a detour into housing policy, and finish up making recommendations on foster parent payments before taking another meeting on sales tax collections.”
Luckey says that his time at La Follette made him a better consumer of information, and that educating people on skills of detailed policy analysis is an essential factor in facilitating good decision-making in government. “I entered La Follette with the same belief I left it with: that government should be limited and that not every problem will have a public sector solution,” Luckey says. “However, if the government is going to tackle a problem, it should do so with the best information possible.” As a legislative aide, Luckey was tasked with providing recommendations for one policymaker. In his current role, he is asked to make recommendations to 30 policymakers. “You can’t do that without good analysis skills,” he says.
As a master’s student at La Follette, Luckey studied with the intention of working in Madison at the state or federal level. Originally from Milwaukee, Luckey spent some time on the East coast, receiving his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and working on a political campaign in New Hampshire. But he says he always planned to return to Wisconsin— “Who could ever want to live anywhere else?”
Although he was intrigued by local government, the switch in his career focus was not something he originally anticipated. “My wife found the job opening for the position I currently hold in Jefferson County, where we had recently moved,” Luckey says. “The position description included something along the lines of “a master’s degree in public affairs preferred.” The job description piqued my interest, and it led to a busy May of 2023 – my daughter was born, a week later I received my degree, and a day after that was my first interview with Jefferson County. Luckily, many of the skills are transferable – and I still keep the textbook from my State and Local Finance course on my desk.”
Luckey’s La Follette capstone project focused on county government responses to childcare, a focus that remains integral in his work today with Jefferson County looking at ways to help connect families with childcare. “I’m grateful that my time at La Follette allowed me to hone some skills that will have professional benefits for years to come,” he says.
Alumni in the Spotlight
To celebrate La Follette’s 40th anniversary, we are highlighting alumni throughout 2024 who influence policymaking at the highest levels in government, nonprofit, and private-sector organizations across the country and abroad.