State Superintendent of Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Dr. Jill Underly, appointed School alum Sara Knueve to the role of Assistant Deputy State Superintendent of Academics in March 2025. Prior to this new role, Sara was a policy advisor for the agency. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Sara is an advocate for education for …
In January 2025, alum Jamie Kuhn was named Director of Public Affairs on the Government Solutions Team at Foley & Lardner, a Wisconsin based law firm. Commenting on Jamie’s hiring, Paul Wrycha, managing partner of Foley’s Madison office, explains, “Jamie’s proven leadership in government affairs and extensive relationships at the state and local level will …
Social Work Alum Stephanie Johnson has had a long career working in healthcare. After many years working as a medical social worker, she started her own consulting and coaching practice after her own transformational experience of seeking support from a life coach herself. Fourteen years ago, healthcare and support became personal when her husband Rick …
Students doing a Field Placement with a community agency also take a Field Seminar to complement and investigate their work. The emphasis in this unit is on problem-solving and multi-method, evidence-informed, interventions with active consultation, support, and teamwork from the student, agency staff, faculty, and other professional relationships. Ron Chance, Senior Field Instructor, has taught …
The Dane County Department of Human Services in Madison oversees a wide range of services aimed at enhancing the well-being of county residents, including child welfare, mental health services, support for individuals with disabilities, and several programs for children and families. For decades, the agency and its social work staff have supervised hundreds of students …
Mel Morgenbesser Kristin Scheeler’s, MSW ’05 Patient Advocacy and Case Management Practice After more than 20 years working in the field of gerontology working in hospice, nursing homes, and hospitals, Kristin Scheeler craved independence and an opportunity to focus directly on her clients’ goals. She recently founded Madison Care Management, a private practice providing a …
When Michael Hoffmeister arrived on campus as an undergraduate, he anticipated pursuing a degree in psychology. Instead, a social work class focusing on the formation of social welfare policies and the role of the social work professional, taught by Dr. Jan Greenberg, changed his trajectory. Three social work degrees later, Dr. Hoffmeister is now the Director …
Joan Levy Zlotnik, MSSW ’74, received the 2025 NASW Foundation’s Knee-Wittman Lifetime Achievement Award, “for her efforts in improving child welfare services and bringing awareness to the health and mental health needs of children and society’s most fragile communities. Zlotnik played a critical role in promoting the blueprint for training programs, supported through Title IV-E of …
Financing their education, social work alum Taylor Wilson and her husband, a medical student, had incurred substantial student loan debt. A novice to the financial management and planning world, Taylor’s initial goal was to begin making progress at reducing that debt. Reading extensively, taking coursework and listening to experts, Taylor explained, “I wished there was …
Yolanda is an alum (MSW ’16) and wonderful lecturer for the school. Check out this podcast where she “discusses the challenges of being a Black woman in predominantly white spaces, the importance of legacy and recognition, and her commitment to education and social work.” Read the full article at Black Oxygen: Trust Black Women