Marie Koko

About

After 10 years as the Career & Internship Specialist for Government/Policy/International Affairs & Law at SuccessWorks, Marie is thrilled to be part of the La Follette School of Public Affairs. She brings expertise in applying to government agencies – especially in the intelligence community – but has worked with students applying to virtually every area of public service including AmeriCorps/Peace Corps, the Boren Scholarship/Fellowship, Congressional/State Legislature positions, nonprofit organizations, consulting companies, and many more. In this role, she meets with MPA and MIPA students as well as undergraduate certificate students to assist them in all aspects of the career development and application process. Marie is an active participant in UW-Madison’s Wisconsin in Washington program, the Law & Public Policy Working Group (which she co-founded), and the Government College Relations Council – a group that works to create strong connections between member universities and government agencies and hosts a Government Career Fair in Chicago every November.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in corporate finance from Drake University and her master’s in counseling from Concordia University. Before joining UW-Madison, she worked at Concordia University-Chicago, Florida Gulf Coast University, and The University of Nevada–Reno in career and academic advising roles. Earlier, she was a property manager for a large private management company and the largest private property owner in the Oak Park, Ill.,  area, her hometown. Her first job out of college was working for an international freight forwarder as an Ocean Import Logistics Agent which just goes to show – major does not always equal career!

Marie has traveled to most of the world, including a year in Vienna, Austria, during her study abroad, and she is working on several bucket-list destinations. In her spare time, she can be found watching far too much TV, helping find homes for homeless cats as the volunteer orientation coordinator for Angel’s Wish in Verona, and looking for “treasures” in thrift and antique shops.

Marie was interviewed on a 1050 Bascom podcast episode and offered concrete advice for students seeking jobs and internships during the pandemic. She also shared helpful information about the La Follette School’s Undergraduate Certificate in Public Policy program and the Accelerated Master’s program open to select UW-Madison undergraduates.

Podcast interview