Hometown
Mazomanie, WI
Undergraduate education
B.S. in Political Science, certificate in Public Policy and Environmental Studies
Professional/research interests
Public health policy, particularly HIV care and prevention & entertainment/sports economic policy with an emphasis on copyright and media rights policy
Accomplishments
- Elected Official – Board of Supervisors: Town of Berry, WI (2022-2024)
- Vice Chair – City of Madison Ethics Board
- Chair – UW Health HIV Community Advisory Council
Expected graduation date
May 2026
Why an MPA?
I realized fairly quickly after graduating with a degree in political science that most of my career opportunities primarily involved working within partisan spaces. I did not enjoy that area of the policymaking process quite like the analytical and nonpartisan skills you gain while at La Follette.
Why La Follette?
I received a certificate in public policy from La Follette when I was an undergraduate at UW–Madison, and I loved the material and skills that I was learning as part of that program. Living in the Madison area for my undergraduate studies was also great, and my partner was still attending UW–Madison as an undergraduate student, so choosing La Follette was the obvious choice for me.
Career Goals
I want to pursue a professional, analytical, and nonpartisan career in public policy. The broader partisan political arena isn’t my cup of tea, but I want to ensure that policymakers have accurate and well-researched policies to inform their decision-making. La Follette’s cost-benefit analysis course has given me concrete and regularly used skills within the field of policy analysis that can assist me in providing estimates of the monetary impacts of policies to future clients.
Assistantship
UW Population Health Institute: County Health Rankings and Roadmaps
-
- Graduate Project Assistant (3 semesters, employed over winter and summer breaks); 20 hours/week, tuition remission
- Authored analyses and content updates supporting national public health frameworks and policy guidance; conducted systematic literature reviews across academic databases to inform policy recommendations
- Drawn to the position for the ability to work on public-facing research and analysis in public health
La Follette School of Public Affairs
-
- Grader / Reader (current semester); 90 hour max for semester
- Graded policy papers using quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria
- Lower time commitment during my final semester while job hunting; ability to work on reviewing /feedback skills
What courses have you taken in which you’ve done work for real clients?
PA881: Cost-Benefit Analysis. My client for this class was the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WI DHS) HIV Drug Assistance Program (HDAP). The analysis considered changing which ACA metal level of insurance the program can provide to clients, the impacts of an insurance application assistance program, and initiating a waitlist. The analysis found the highest benefit for an insurance application assistance program, recommending such to WI DHS for their HDAP program.
PA869: Workshop in Public Affairs (Capstone, still in progress). This project is an evaluation of local economic development policies, with a focus on food truck licensing, which is currently being conducted for the Sauk Prairie Chamber of Commerce.
Mentors
Bill Cosh and Nicholas Schaefer – Badger Boys State. Their leadership, mentoring, and guidance in bringing me into the fold of volunteer staff with the organization have helped me grow in my career and leadership skills, while giving back to a pivotal program that I attended in high school.
Advice for prospective La Follette School students
If you come to La Follette, get involved in your new community! Madison is an amazing place to live, so don’t hesitate to head out and explore what the city has to offer.
Most rewarding experience at the La Follette School?
The most rewarding experience of this program is the ability to work on client projects that have real impacts, and even having personal connections to some of the projects.
Before La Follette
I have been a lifelong Dane County resident and graduated in 2023 from UW-Madison, where I was a 4-year member of the UW Marching Band. During this time I earned my bachelor’s degree in political science with certificates in public affairs and environmental studies. Since earning my bachelor’s, I have worked for the UW Athletic Department in an administrative capacity before returning to higher education. While working towards my MPA, I have worked as a project assistant with the evidence and policy analysis team for County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, a program that draws attention to why there are differences in health within and across communities, and I am currently a grader for an undergraduate La Follette course.
Volunteer activities?
I get involved in my local community through volunteering with the Badger Boys State program, refereeing local youth/high school hockey, serving as the co-chair for the UW-Health HIV Comprehensive Care Community Advisory Council, and running for local office!
Anything else?
In my free time, I enjoy traveling, hiking, photography, and biking around the Madison area. I was also elected to serve my hometown on the Town of Berry Board of Supervisors from 2022 to 2024 and ran for a campus area seat on the Dane County Board of Supervisors in 2024.