- Welcome
- Calendar
- For Prospective Students
- For Students
- Degree Programs
- Faculty and Staff
- Research
- Public Service and Outreach
- Career Development
- For Alumni and Friends
- News
- Contact Us
Robert M. La Follette
School of Public Affairs
1225 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: 608.262.3581
Fax: 608.265.3233
Last updated:
October 21, 2011
© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
Alumni and Friends: Advisory Board
The La Follette School created its Advisory Board in fall 2009 to replace the Board of Visitors. Members include these alumni and friends of the school:
Mission Statement
The Advisory Board for the La Follette School of Public Affairs was formed to provide support and advice to the La Follette School and strengthens the network of relationships among its faculty, current students, alumni, and friends. Membership consists of the La Follette School Director, Associate Director, staff, and distinguished alumni and friends.
The mission of the Advisory Board is to provide guidance and support to the La Follette School in the achievement of its longer-term goals and to assist the school in the promotion and enhancement of a network of its current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the school. The Advisory Board will continuously seek new and better ways to grow and develop the network and to facilitate the exchange of ideas, job opportunities, and mentoring and social relationship among the network members.
The Advisory Board members will meet at least once each year in connection with a La Follette School outreach event and will also meet as needed by teleconference.
Alumni and Friends Members
Robin J. Erdmann, MAI ASA MRICS
Principal, The Robin Erdmann Group, Petaluma, CA
Education: 1976 bachelor of arts in Economics, History & International Relations; 1977 master of arts in Public Policy & Administration (Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration*); 1987 master of science in Business/Real Estate Appraisal & Investment Analysis, all from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Robin is a real estate economist with more than 25 years of experience. He specializes in real estate valuation and land-use economics, with a special emphasis on litigation. Robin’s skills include complex valuation, market feasibility, financial and due diligence analysis, highest and best use, and strategic planning. He also holds a certificate in facilities management from the University of California, Berkeley Extension. He has undertaken additional continuing education coursework at American University in Washington, D.C. Robin has been an officer of the Northern California Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, serving as secretary, treasurer, and vice president. He has also served as vice president and president of the American Society of Appraisers NorCal Chapter. He is active in the California Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, serving in various capacities. He holds several professional designations in real estate.
Eric Fine
Portfolio manager, Van Eck G-175 Strategies, New York, NY
Education: 1987 A.B. degree, Duke University; 1989 master of public administration, Kennedy School, Harvard University.
Eric Fine has been conducting business in emerging markets for 20 years. He runs Van Eck Global G-175 Strategies, an emerging market macro hedge fund focused on emerging market debt. Prior to this, he worked at Morgan Stanley for 14 years. He founded and ran Morgan Stanley’s Emerging Markets Proprietary Trading group from 2004 to 2008, where he generated substantial profits, never had a down year and maintained excellent risk/return statistics. For the 10 years prior to this, he ran the firm’s Global Emerging Markets Economics and Strategy research group, winning numerous awards and outperforming indices with his model portfolios. He also started and led Morgan Stanley’s Europe/Middle East/Africa Economics and Strategy research group. He joined Morgan Stanley in 1994 after starting and leading a telecommunications company in Russia that built the country’s first securities clearing system.
Peggy LeMahieu
Education: 1970 registered nurse diploma; 1973 Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services, public health certification; bachelor of arts in psychology from St. Norbert College; 1985 master of arts in public policy & administration with an emphasis in health policy.
Peggy retired in 2010 as a lead consultant in the Quality Care and Innovation Department at the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation. In that role she assisted with clinical initiatives around improving care to patients in the University of Wisconsin Health System. Peggy has held positions in many facets of health care: home health care, health care insurance, and inpatient and ambulatory care settings. She was vice president of patient cares services for St. Mary's Medical Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin, for more than 10 years prior to relocating out of Wisconsin with her husband. During that time, she worked with Kaiser Permanente in northern California.
Jennie Mauer
Program Coordinator, Project LAUNCH, Wisconsin Department of Children and Familes, Madison, Wisconsin
Education: 2003 bachelor of arts in French & legal studies; 2008 master of public affairs
Jennie is coordinator of Project LAUNCH for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Project LAUNCH is a federally funded grant that promotes primary prevention programs in the city of Milwaukee. The project's priority areas include the promotion and expansion of developmental screening, home visiting and mental health consultation. After graduating from the La Follette School in 2008, she worked at the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families as a program and planning analyst in Secretary Reggie Bicha’s office, then as an analyst with the Legislative Audit Bureau. Prior to enrolling at La Follette, she was a course manager for the Pharmaceutical Education Research Institute. She worked at Bread for the City, a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. She represented low-income clients in their interactions and hearings with the Social Security Administration and provided some case management services. She earned a bachelor's degree in French and legal studies from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2003. Jennie lives in Madison and in her free time she can be found swimming, biking, running, and paddling around town.
Joseph Quinn
Senior Client Advisor / Vice President, First Business Bank, Milwaukee, WI
Education: bachelor’s degree in Economics, University of Michigan; 1974 Law degree, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Joe has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has led the corporate trust and employee benefits teams of a major regional bank and served in commercial lending. For more than 10 years, Joe has served institutional investment clients throughout the United States. Earlier in his career, Joe was in private legal practice in Detroit and served the commercial and succession planning needs of business owners. He is a member of the state bars of Wisconsin and Michigan.
Eric Stanchfield
Executive Director of the District of Columbia Retirement Board, Washington, D.C.
Education: bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Psychology; 1982 master’s degree Public Policy and Administration, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Eric is the executive director of the District of Columbia Retirement Board, a public pension agency with assets of more than $4.5 billion serving District of Columbia police officers, firefighters and teachers. He oversees both the investment of pension assets and the administration of pension benefits. Eric previously served as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds. Appointed in 1992, he served as the chief executive officer of the state agency that administers employee benefit plans for state and municipal employers. He also served as the chief operating officer of ETF. Prior to his positions with ETF, he served as executive director of a multi-specialty medical clinic and vice president of a health maintenance organization. He also held state management positions in employment relations and human services. He is active in several professional associations and served as president of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators.
Michael Youngman
Education: 1975 bachelor of arts in political science and economics; 1982 master of arts in Public Policy & Administration,
Michael retired in 2010 as vice president of government relations for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. In that position he worked on legislative and regulatory matters at the federal, state and local levels. Prior to joining the company in 1986, Youngman was a legislative assistant in the Wisconsin Assembly. He became a fellow of the Life Management Institute in 1990. He served as president of the Wisconsin Association of Life and Health Insurers and as president of the Association of Wisconsin Lobbyists. Youngman holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in public policy and administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
* The Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration was a precursor of the La Follette School of Public Affairs.