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Alumni and Friends: La Follette Notes Spring 2009

News from alumni and friends: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s

Wedding brings alumni together Thirteen La Follette School alumni from the classes of 2003, 2004 and 2005 gathered in September to celebrate the wedding of 2004 alum Chad Ruppel and Kelly Weis. The newlyweds continue to live in Washington, D.C., where Chad works for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Kelly consults for the Department of Homeland Security. The alumni are, front row from left: Anna Niles, 2004; Kelly Weis; Chad Ruppel, 2004; Trisha (Schmid) Helchinger, 2004; Daria Hall, 2003. Back row, from left: Dan Leopold, 2003; Trevor Pelot, 2003; Joe Thompson, 2003; Carrie Hoback, 2005; Eric Hudson, 2004; Matt Rosenberg, 2003; Sara Schnoor, 2003; Brian Mooney, 2003; and Kevin Girga, 2003.

1970s

1972 alum Tom Loftus is chair of the new Minneapolis-based Oslo Center–U.S. Foundation, which supports Norway’s Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights promotion of peace and human rights. These endeavors focus on governments and making contacts and maintaining dialogues with leaders in the public and private sectors. The foundation supports projects related to peace and human rights.

1980s

1982 grad Roland Couey is the new budget director for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. He leads the Bureau of Budget and Facilities Management, which develops the department’s biennial budget and capital budget requests. Prior to this position, Couey worked eight years as a budget supervisor in the Office of Policy and Budget for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

1990s

Alum working at Pentagon with Army Major Andrew Diefenthaler is back from a tour in Iraq. Now part of the Crisis Action Team at the Pentagon, the 1994 alum helps to monitor the U.S. Army's worldwide operations. Diefenthaler’s responsibilities in Iraq included training the Iraqi army and providing assistance to civilians. He is on extended leave from Virginia's Department of Planning and Budget for which he was a senior budget and policy analyst on financial policy for kindergarten through 12th grade and higher education. Send your photos and news to or fill out the online form.

Andrew J. Turner, a 2008 graduate with a dual degree in public affairs and law, has joined the law firm of Godfrey & Kahn. He practices in the corporate and health care groups in the firm’s Madison office.

Jon Montgomery has accepted a position in the senior executive service at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. The 1993 alum is director of mission support operations for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, responsible for budget planning and execution, strategic planning, outreach and education. Prior to this, he served as a senior aerospace industry analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, as well as a policy advisor to the assistant secretary for trade development and deputy assistant secretary for transportation and machinery. He started his career at the Department of Commerce in 1993 as a presidential management intern, providing export counseling to U.S. companies.

2000s

Peter Tempelis, a 2006 graduate with a dual degree in public affairs and law, is now prosecuting criminal cases as an assistant district attorney for Milwaukee County.

After a stint as a planner for the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, Liz Krueger, 2004, started working for the Department of Planning and Permitting in March. “I’m learning about land-use ordinances and permitting and all kinds of stuff,” Krueger says. “My new boss is excited because I’ll be able to handle some of the ‘wonky’ stuff in addition to the regular land use permitting. I’m busy and learning a lot in a short time — enjoying life as a planner.”

Twins arrive Callie Gray Langton, 2007, and her husband had twins Dexter, left, and Max in December.

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