With decades of experience in government administration and policy development at state agencies in Wisconsin, Randy Romanski (MA ’95) was appointed in 2020 as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). As part of his role, he travels around the state to see Wisconsin agriculture in action. “Visiting with farmers, processors, agri-businesses, or consumers helps frame how important the resources the agency provides are to these partners,” says Romanski. “It also helps me share their stories with other policymakers to help inform their decisions. I am inspired every day by the partners I encounter.”
Romanski notes that Wisconsin is able to be such an agricultural powerhouse because of the soil and water resources available to farmers and stresses the importance of the role of farmers in caring for soil and water health. “Farmers are part of the solution to how food is produced sustainably in a changing climate,” he says. “A dairy farmer near Eau Claire who was particularly proud of the conservation practices used on the family farm said it best when he said, ‘My family takes care of the land and water because the land and water take care of us.’”
One of the things that has helped Romanski in his career is maintaining a focus on “getting to yes.” In fact, a book he read for one of his La Follette classes, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton is one that he continues to come back to. “Policies serve the public best when structured on mutually beneficial compromise and making sure that all stakeholders have a seat at the table. People may not hear about compromise in the public sector often, but opportunities for compromise are around us all the time,” he says.
Romanski is a proud product of Wisconsin public education, from kindergarten through his MPA at the La Follette School. Through a career in public service, he hopes to honor the quality education he received by giving back to his home state and being engaged in public policy in a way that focuses on continuous improvement. “As I like to say, this approach helps ‘leave the campsite better than we found it,’” he says.
Through working with consumers, businesses, and the agriculture industry, Romanski says he can apply the skills he learned at La Follette every day. “La Follette didn’t tell me what to think,” he says. “It helped hone my approach to how I think about finding solutions to public policy challenges.”
Romanski’s advice to current public policy students is to be open to opportunities that come your way. “You may open other doors and use your skills in ways that you may not have initially envisioned that wind up being very rewarding to you,” he says. One of the biggest challenges in Romanski’s role is recruiting and retaining all the employees the agency needs to accomplish its mission. “I am always recruiting, so interested La Follette School students or alums should keep their eye on wiscjobs.gov to identify ways they can serve the public by working in state government (especially DATCP),” he advises.
Environmental Public Policy Eat & Greet
You can meet Steven Little and Randy Romanski at the upcoming Environmental Public Policy Eat & Greet, co-hosted by La Follette and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, on January 26 at 4 p.m. at the Fluno Center. The event is an opportunity for alumni working at state agencies to meet the next generation of environmental professionals and for students interested in public service to learn from professionals at the State of Wisconsin agencies. Please register if you plan to attend.
Alumni in the Spotlight
To celebrate La Follette’s 40th anniversary, each month in 2024 we are highlighting alumni who influence policymaking at the highest levels in government, nonprofit, and private-sector organizations across the country and abroad. This month, alumni who have risen to leadership positions in Wisconsin state agencies share lessons from their diverse career paths.