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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 6, 2009

Career Development: Internship Summaries 2008

Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago, IL
Inter American Development Bank, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Department of State, Warsaw, Poland
U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C.
European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Chicago, IL
National Academy of Social Insurance, Washington, D.C.
Congressional Research Service, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Department of State, Kathmandu, Nepal
Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri-Columbia
United Nations, Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland
Kema, Inc, Madison, WI
St. Mary’s Foundation, Madison, WI
State Environmental Leadership Program (SELP) in Madison, Wisconsin
Office of Legal Counsel for the Governor of the State of Wisconsin
Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx), University of Wisconsin-Madison
SmokeFree Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Wisconsin State Election Board
City of Madison, Division of Planning, AASPIRE
Dane County ECE Economic Impact Study
Wisconsin Supreme Court Office of Court Operations
Assistant Lobbying Administrator at the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, summer

The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) is a nonprofit organization that fosters interdisciplinary research into the “causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States. IRP serves as one of three Area Poverty Research Centers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with a particular interest in poverty and family welfare in the Midwest.” IRP sponsors the original research of its members, disseminates their findings through publications and via the web, and trains and mentors future poverty scholars.

My internship at IRP provided me with the opportunity to work on the “Child Support Policy Research Agreement” project funded by the Department of Workforce Development. As part of a data collection team, I traveled to twenty-one county courthouses across Wisconsin collecting court ordered child support and visitation data from divorce and paternity cases. Each randomly selected case was recorded using a computerized demographic and court hearing child support questionnaire. Throughout the collection, I also had the opportunity to work independently to clean data in order to help prepare the data for analysis.

This internship familiarized me with the nuances of data collection through field research. I was given hands-on exposure to hundreds of court cases and courthouse personnel which allowed me to gain in-depth knowledge of Wisconsin family law and child support policy. As a result, I have a much greater awareness of how parental decisions can impact the well being of children. Upon the completion of the collection and cleaning tasks, the child support data will be used to examine trends in placement and child support orders between parents in Wisconsin

Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago, IL, summer

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is an independent public agency created by the State of Illinois in order to operate transit services to the City of Chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs. Today it is the second largest transit system in the U.S. with over 1.6 million average weekday rides.

My internship was part of the CTA Presidential Fellows Program. This program seeks to attract top graduate students to work in the CTA under projects that the President of the CTA, the top executive, deems of critical importance. I was assigned to the Technology Management division and given authority over two important projects: the implementation of Microsoft Share Point as a new technology tool at CTA, and creating a quantifiable system of evaluation for repairmen.

Implementing Microsoft Share Point was a process that involved working with consultants and managing an implementation schedule. It allowed me to be a project manager and use those skills in introducing new technology.

Creating an evaluation system for repairmen was also a critical project that was an extension of the President’s drive to performance management. I was tasked with finding quantifiable ways of evaluating performance and developing daily performance metrics. I was allowed to exercise my own judgment in developing these metrics, and drew upon courses where we talked about the issues in quantifiable standards.

My experience at the CTA was rewarding, especially with a series of “brown bag lunches” we had weekly with experts in the field, and the social cohesion among the Fellows. I recommend the CTA Presidential Fellowship Program to any students interested in mass transit and transportation.

Inter American Development Bank, Washington, D.C., summer

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is today the main source of multilateral financing for sustainable economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as for regional integration. It helps foster sustainable economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean through its lending operations, leadership in regional initiatives, research and knowledge dissemination activities, institutes and programs. The Bank assists its Latin American and Caribbean borrowing member countries in formulating development policies and provides financing and technical assistance to achieve environmentally sustainable economic growth and increase competitiveness, enhance social equity and fight poverty, modernize the state, and foster free trade and regional integration.

During my time in this institution, I worked in the Regional Public Good’s Program. This IDB's program promotes coordination between countries in the region to deal jointly solving problems of transnational nature or common problems in the public arena. The design of the program is characterized by incorporating collective action as a basis for its operation, by promoting ownership of projects, where countries are investing in solutions in response to their own demand. It also incorporates an approach of early risk reduction in the management of projects, all this within a framework of South-South technical cooperation. To date the program has 47 projects in its portfolio, all in different stages of implementation, where more than 25 countries in the region participate.

My responsibility along these three months was to contribute to the development of a strategy for formation of clusters of knowledge and the organization and design of two workshops in Ecuador and Guatemala. The purpose was to promote the networking among the projects with a shared goal or in the same sector, with the final objective to enhance the development impact of the program, generate value from the experiences of ongoing projects and support the reduction of risk surrounding the sustainability in the production of Regional Public Goods.

As part of this excellent experience working in an international organization, I had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala and Ecuador as part of a mission and learn about innovative experiences in the field of the biodiversity and ecosystems and information systems and risk management. Besides, I had the opportunity to actively participate in the life of the bank, attending a directory meeting to learn about the functioning of the bank, and having informal meetings with experts in Latin America in the areas of my interest.

As a personal experience, I met professionals interested in Latina America from the World Bank, OAS and the IDB, who contributed to enrich my vision about the challenges that this region is currently facing and the perspectives for the future.

An internship at the IADB is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in international organizations, technical cooperation with special interest in Latin America.

U.S. Department of State, Warsaw, Poland, summer

I spent my summer internship at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland. I chose this particular location because of my cultural and linguistic experience as well as previous study of the history and politics of Poland. During my time at the Embassy I have been entrusted with a wide range of responsibilities. My primary duties consisted of investigating and reporting on daily economic developments in Poland relative to U.S. interests.

To this end, I assisted in the delivery of demarches, investigated official reports as well as contacts within the Polish government and business community, I attended meetings with business leaders and conferences organized by the American Chamber of Commerce regarding changes to the Labor Code and even met with the head of a Polish pharmaceutical company to hear out his concerns regarding the procurement and reimbursement procedures in the health sector. Additionally, I coordinated Embassy outreach and cooperation utilizing our colleagues in the Foreign Service National section. I interviewed representatives of the Polish government to gain insight into specific Polish efforts at combating corruption and freeing the labor market. I reported these and other information by drafting and sending official cables through the classified system of the Department of State.

When not saving democracy and promoting freedom, I observed and assisted in the work of the Consular section and attended and helped organize official functions, such as the 4th of July Party at the Ambassador’s Mansion, in conjunction with the Management and Public Affairs sections. During the 4th of July celebrations I served as a point man for arriving foreign diplomats in which capacity I met and chatted with the Polish MFA Radek Sikorski and assorted ambassadors. In recognition of my work at the Embassy, I had been personally invited by the Ambassador to an informal dinner at his residence where I enjoyed fine wine and conversation with the Ambassador Ashe as well as the ambassadors of France and Israel and a 93-year-old survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Overall, I have to judge my entire time in Warsaw as an invaluable and cherished experience, not only because of the full extent of my involvement in the life of the U.S. Foreign Service abroad but also because of the unique beauty and charm of this magnificent and proud city. Niech zyje Warszawa!

U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington D.C., summer

First student

I interned as an analyst at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) during the summer of 2008. Congress created GAO in 1921 to assist with government oversight. GAO investigates the potential for corruption within federal programs and by researching methods to improve the efficiency and quality of government-funded programs. The teams within GAO are organized by topic. For example, I worked on the International Affairs and Trade Team. Within each team are smaller teams composed of analysts who are assigned to an ‘engagement,’ or project that lasts approximately 9 months. The engagement corresponds to a request for investigation by Congress.

The team I worked with was composed of 4 other analysts. Our engagement involved researching and analyzing the United Nations’ peacekeeping capabilities. Because the United States pays about a quarter of the assessed costs for peacekeeping, Congress was interested in 1) the extent to which the UN’s peacekeeping operations are efficient and 2) the ability of the UN to take on additional peacekeeping missions in the near future.

I researched the evolution of peacekeeping over the past ten years. Others in my team gathered data on current peacekeeping operations from UN officials, academic researchers and the United States Department of State. Together, we discussed how historic peacekeeping operations could help explain current trends. We looked at current resource allocations and performance reports to determine where the UN experiences shortfalls and challenges. I was able to travel to the United Nations for a Round Table discussion with the UN officials responsible for planning peacekeeping missions. GAO stresses in-person interviews as a method for gathering evidence to write its reports. The majority of my internship took place during the data collection phase of the engagement, which involves interviews and other research. By the time I finished the ten-week internship, my team had completed the outline of our report to Congress. The final report will be published in the fall of 2008.

Second student

During the summer of 2008, he served as an Analyst Intern at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington, DC. Assigned to the Acquisition and Sourcing Management team (ASM) within GAO, he worked with policy professionals at GAO to analyze the federal government’s practices for procuring goods and services form the private sector. The experience drew on both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of his education at the La Follette School.

The student’s primary assignment was an audit of several federal agencies regarding their use of a particular contracting vehicle. As part of the audit, the student had to quickly get up to speed on the obscure minutia of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Soon after, he dove directly into the qualitative analysis of the contract files on an unnamed agency. He also helped to perfect a software tool for analyzing these files, prepared numerous letters and other documentation, and participated in an ongoing series of methodological discussions about the audit.

His secondary assignment consisted of an intensive intern project, where along with ASM’s other interns, he analyzed trends and issues with the acquisitions practices at major federal agencies. Here he engaged in a great deal of quantitative analysis, producing complex analyses not only for his assigned agency but for the project as a whole. The interns’ work culminated in a presentation to ASM’s leadership and the production of a series of written summaries for each agency analyzed.

In addition, Justin had the privilege in participating in high-level meetings at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA). Here he was tasked with summarizing the meetings in detailed written memos used to support later GAO work. This was above and beyond the requirements of the internship, but proved to be both enjoyable and valuable

Balancing these multiple priorities while learning about GAO’s culture and applying its exacting methodology made for a challenging summer, but it proved to be a critical experience for his education in public policy.

European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, summer

From June 5th to August 25th I interned as a Junior Policy Analyst Stagiaire with the European Commission’s DG RELEX (External Relations). I was assigned to work with the Russian policy aspect of the Unit. My work within the unit involved constructing daily policy briefs on various aspects of EU-Russia relations and preparing to participate in the EU-Russia Summit in June. I was also asked to write a speech for the Director of RELEX, which he delivered on July 16th at an EU seminar on Russian Energy Policy.

Currently, work is a little hectic as 85% of the commission is adjourned for August break, which has only left myself and two principal policy analysts to do the majority of research and memo publishing on the current Russia-Georgia conflict. The work I am currently drowning in has offered me an unbelievable opportunity to see my policy research put into practice in real time by the EU Mission in Moscow.

At the conclusion of my stage, I will continue to work on two sponsored research projects. The first project is on EU-US relations following the US elections in November, and is sponsored by DG RELEX C1. The second project is sponsored by the director of DG Trade and centers on the EU’s ability to strengthen the external dimension of the Lisbon Strategy by more closely adhering to ILO regulatory standards. This will involve weekly communications with the director on the progress of the research and will conclude with a 20 to 30 page communication which will be published by DG Trade pending approval.

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Chicago, IL, summer

CMAP, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, is the regional planning agency for the seven county Chicago area. Founded in 2005, the mission of the agency is to integrate land use and transportation planning for the region. Additionally, CMAP focuses on policy and planning issues relating to economic and community development, the environment and natural resources, housing, and human services. CMAP is required to prepare a comprehensive plan for the region, and the Go To 2040 plan will be released in 2010.

My fellowship was with the Comprehensive Planning team working on two major projects: strategy white papers on issues of regional importance, and development of indicators that will be used by local policymakers and municipal employees to gauge the health of their communities.

I worked on two separate strategy white papers: one covering Travel Demand Management (TDM) technologies, and one on Public Transportation. I performed literature reviews of current research on both subjects and provided quantitative data for the TDM paper. I also drafted portions of the Public Transportation paper, and would have been the primary author if I had more time with the agency.

I also worked on public outreach with the indicators project team. This team was conducting a series of ten workshops throughout the region for policymakers and other stakeholders to gather their input on proposed tracking statistics and indicators. I helped facilitate the workshops and compiled input from participants as well as preference surveys they completed.

National Academy of Social Insurance, Washington, D.C., summer

My internship this past summer in Washington, D.C., provided a unique experience. I interned with the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), who in turn placed me with AARP. This meant that I had responsibilities to both organizations. My responsibilities at NASI included attending weekly seminars that discussed issues ranging from Social Security to Long Term Care. The seminars provided an open forum to learn, analyze, and/or debate a number of social insurance topics among other interns and the experts leading the discussion. In addition, we were required to submit weekly memos that expanded on any aspect of our previous week’s discussion.

My responsibilities at AARP were primarily research-oriented. I have conducted research on a number of specific topics that fall under the wider umbrella of economic security. These topics included research on asset tests in means-tested programs, automatic 401(k)s and automatic IRAs, the history of American insurance regulation, redistricting politics, and state constitutional amendment politics. Furthermore, I have had both the responsibility and the opportunity to attend a number of conferences and to report back on them. This was an opportunity because I was able to gain a wide array of knowledge on topics such as health care reform, pensions, and poverty reform, in a timely and high impact manner.

Lastly, both organizations allowed me the opportunity to interact and meet with a huge variety of officials, academics, and politicians. It was certainly a novelty to be able to speak with academics whose research you have utilized, politicians you have read about, and such officials as the director of the CBO and the CEO of AARP.

Congressional Research Service, summer

In the summer of 2008 I was a Policy Research Associate in the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a department of the Library of Congress that was established in 1914. CRS is unique in that it exclusively serves the United States Congress through objective, non-partisan assessments of legislative options for addressing public policy problems. While CRS’s substantive work varies in relation to Congress’s legislative agenda concerning the ever-changing issues of the nation and world, it maintains three core values to be confidential, authoritative and objective and non-partisan. The organization has a diverse group of 700 employees with analysts, experts and professionals covering five interdisciplinary research divisions: 1) American Law, 2) Domestic Social Policy, 3) Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade, 4) Government and Finance, and 5) Resources, Science and Industry.

Under direction of the regional specialist on Latin American affairs I worked on inquiries with Congressional staff, memorandum concerning policy issues for committee hearings and also comprehensive reports on U.S. relations in the hemisphere. While at CRS I contributed to and coauthored reports and memos on relations with the Caribbean region, Cuba, China, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela. I attended and reported on congressional hearings as well as conferences at the Organization of American States, Council of the Americas, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the CATO Institute and the New America Foundation. Overall, I had a well rounded internship experience that allowed me to work directly and objectively on current policy issues, as well as experience the legislative process and the Hill’s engagement with both non-profit and private interest groups.

U.S. Department of State, Kathmandu, Nepal, summer

I had the wonderful opportunity of spending the summer interning with the US Department of State at the US Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal. Nepal has recently undergone a major political transition, and it was an exciting time to be there. Because the US has little geopolitical interest in the country, the mission’s two main goals are delivering development aid (carried out by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is housed in the same building as the Department of State – together they are called the U.S. Mission to Nepal) and promoting democracy and democratic reforms.

As an intern in the Political and Economic section of the Embassy, my work focused largely on the (painfully slow) formation of a government and the newly elected Constituent Assembly (CA). A major part of my work was profiling different caste and ethnic groups who had gained major representation in the CA through the new proportional representation system, which required every party to appoint a certain percentage of these different groups. I became particularly interested in one of these groups, the Madhesis, who inhabit the southern plains region of Nepal, and had the opportunity to travel to the Terai (Nepal’s southern plains region) to conduct more in-depth research. I also worked closely with the officer who handled the Trafficking in Persons portfolio, and was involved in organizing the week-long visit of a senior anti-trafficking official from Washington at the end of my internship.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., summer

This summer I have interned with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Assistant Secretary for Resources and Technology, Office of Budget, Division of Health Benefits and Income Support, Program Management and Medicare Branch. The mere name is a good reflection of the bureaucracy in the Federal Government, as well the rigorousness required in delivering of the tasks. I have yet to figure out an easy way to precisely describe where I am interning without using acronyms and all organizational levels.

Aside from the scary name, I have had an extraordinary experience, far beyond my expectations. From the very first day, my supervisor made sure I was involved in the Medicare team work. We set up a plan of tentative tasks for the whole internship period, in order to make sure that I would be exposed to various aspects of the work they do. It included Senate and House Committee hearings, control documents, analytic projects, and briefings. However, a large share of the work turned out to be in ad-hoc assignments, which is also a reflection of the diverse work that Federal agencies do.

My longest and most favorite assignment was working on the In-Patient Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule for the next financial year. It is a one-month intense process of reviewing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid proposed regulations, structured in several segments depending on complexity and political feasibility, and involving many stakeholders. The loads of paperwork for revision and write-up, ardent debates, briefings at various levels, close deadlines, and close hold documents were the best hands-on demonstration of how public health policy is developed in the US.

Because this is a transition year for the Federal Government, there was no ordinary budget process. However, it was interesting to witness the preparations for transition, and contribute to the development of analytic papers for the briefing of the new political appointees.

All in all, I had a very steep learning curve this summer. Besides the enormous amount of readings for research and briefings, discussions on the complex issues like hospital wage indexes or capital payment adjustments, meetings on topics like performance evaluation and quality measures, I participated in many brown bag training sessions, networking and informative gatherings that filled up most of my lunch and evening time. I was certainly lucky to be part of the DC policy process, even if for just one summer.

Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri-Columbia, summer

This summer I interned at the Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri-Columbia (FAPRI-MU). FAPRI-MU focuses on encouraging effective agricultural policy and development through the development and operation of comprehensive analytical systems. These systems are focused on assessing impacts of food and agricultural policies on the economy and environment.

One of my first tasks at FAPRI-MU was to help create and maintain a crop yield forecast model for corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, and cotton. Later, I was given my own project to work on for the remainder of my time at FAPRI-MU. My project was a policy paper analyzing the effects of biofuel policy options on the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan and the Food Stamp Program. For my policy paper I used STATA to estimate equations modeling food price changes. I also was introduced to some of the comprehensive analytical systems modeled in SAS when I applied different biofuel policy option scenarios to my equations.

During my time at FAPRI-MU I was able to use many of the analytical and economic skills taught at LaFollette. I also learned a lot about agricultural policy, food assistance programs, and applied research.

United Nations, Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland, summer

I have spent the summer of 2008 interning for the United Nations/International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN/ISDR) secretariat in Geneva. I was involved in the production of the ISDR system’s first biennial Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR). The GAR will be launched by the UN Secretary General in 2009 and presented to the second session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction. This internship was great experience for me since I could look at organizational operations at the center of global environmental governance and participate in the first landmark assessment report on disaster risk reduction by UN. I worked with the GAR team which consists of three staff, who are the best scholars and engineers in this field, responsible for a whole process of producing reports and coordinating all relevant partners. Since the GAR is the first project dealing with disaster risk assessment by UN, it seemed that all staff was fully exerting their energy and efforts into the project.

As an intern in the 2009 GAR team, I spent much of my time researching all relevant literatures for the part of the thematic analysis in the report, working on annotated bibliographies, and compiling all information and data coming into the GAR team. I also attended a staff meeting discussing the outline and introduction of the 2009 GAR at least twice a week, and participated in brainstorming for searching relevant background studies which will be inserted into the report. I also had an opportunity to compile disaster statistics from 13 disaster prone countries from 1992 to 2005 thanks to a great help from UN/OCHA in Geneva. Analysis based on the disaster profiles what I supported will be included in the GAR.

This internship enabled me to broaden my perspectives on global environmental governance what I have been looking at through the coursework at the La follette school, especially in terms of policy implementation and coordination at a global level.

Kema Inc., Madison, WI, summer

KEMA, Inc. is an international, for-profit, energy company. One of the firm’s major divisions is Consulting, which employs hundreds of energy consultants in the United States. The Madison office primarily does evaluation research on energy efficiency and electricity demand side management programs for public utilities.

As a summer intern, my role was to cover the administrative tasks that supported the more sophisticated work of senior consultants and analysts. Please do not get the idea that this was in anyway menial, because it definitely was challenging professional-caliber work. Expectations after the first two weeks were high and meeting deadlines was a driving force of daily life at the office. I worked directly with project teams for several major client engagements doing research and data analysis.

Examples of these tasks include revising wording of computer aided telephone interview (“CATI”) and expert engineering surveys, conducting telephone interviews of energy efficiency product vendors, creating dozens of charts and graphs to display research results for a client report, coding completed written surveys to prepare them for data entry, and doing secondary research on commercial and industrial building renovation rates.

While I learned a lot about doing energy research and data analysis, I also got an experiential education in what it is like to work for a fast-growing global company with high technical standards at a time of increasing environment risks and rising electricity prices.

St. Mary’s Foundation, Madison, WI, summer

I did my internship at St. Mary’s Foundation, which is nonprofit organization providing philanthropic support to St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI. The Foundation was involved in the St. Mary’s recent capital campaign, assists with their 10-year strategic plan and helps gain community support for various hospital initiatives.

I have gained a significant amount of experience in nonprofit management during my time at St. Mary’s Foundation. I am particularly interested in philanthropy and development and have obtained new insight into this field. I have been directly involved in the processing gifts that are given to the Foundation as well as researching prospective donors. As part of my internship I was trained to use the Raiser’s Edge database, which is a popular fundraising software program utilized by many nonprofits. Knowing how to use this program will be beneficial to me throughout my career.

In addition to the daily activities that I am involved in, I have been able to observe and learn from an Executive Director who has many years of experience and is knowledgeable in fundraising and donor relations. I have also been able to attend board meetings to learn more about how a nonprofit operates and have participated in seminars dealing with fundraising and nonprofit management. My time at St. Mary’s Foundation has cemented my belief that our communities have a need for the services that nonprofits provide and that a career in philanthropy will allow me to play a role in their continued success.

State Environmental Leadership Program, Madison, Wisconsin, summer

As part of my studies at the La Follette School of Public Affairs, I completed an internship at the State Environmental Leadership Program (SELP) in Madison, Wisconsin. The internship consisted of working with two nonprofit organizations to help them assess the efficacy of the business side of their organization with the goal of making them more sustainable and successful advocates for the environment.

This project involved visiting the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters and the Vermont Alliance of Conservation Voters over the course of the semester, conducting organizational assessments and submitting a written report to each organization detailing the strengths and weaknesses of its internal structure. The assessments examined organizational governance policies and infrastructure, organizational and personnel management and financial management. The reports outlined our suggestions for strengthening the organizations. To produce a meaningful, informative document for the participating organizations I collaborated with SELP’s Executive Director, Bill Davis.

The internship at SELP was designed to utilize the knowledge acquired through my coursework at the La Follette School as a Public Affairs candidate with a focus on Nonprofit Management, as well as draw upon my experiences evaluating the organizational infrastructure of nonprofit environmental groups. As a result of working with these groups to assess their organizations, I was also able to better assess the strengths and weaknesses of my supervising organization, SELP, and have come away with a better sense of what it takes to make a nonprofit organization strong and successful.

Office of Legal Counsel for the Governor of the State of Wisconsin, summer

My internship was with the Office of Legal Counsel for the Governor of the State of Wisconsin. The Office of Legal Counsel, located in the state capitol, provides legal counsel to the Governor on a wide variety of topics. Day-to-day activities include reviewing legislation, drafting and negotiating contracts, considering extraditions and pardons, doing comparative legal analysis across jurisdictions, and responding to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

During my internship, I had the opportunity to concentrate on legal research and writing as it applied to the Governor’s policy initiatives. While I did some smaller projects responding to Freedom of Information Act requests from the public, the majority of my time was dedicated to several two to three week research projects. For these projects I was asked to consider the policy implications of existing or proposed legislation in Wisconsin, consider the policy outcomes of legislation in other jurisdictions, or examine potential interpretations of Wisconsin statutes. The work was very rewarding because I was given substantial responsibility and freedom by the legal department and had the opportunity to do extensive and in-depth research on policy issues. Professional ethics and confidentiality rules prohibits me from describing the exact details of each project I worked on. However, a hypothetical project might be to compare a proposed Wisconsin statute capping liability consumer goods producers with a similar law in another jurisdiction, consider the likely impact it would have on both consumers and Wisconsin industries, and conclude whether or not the Governor should support such legislation.

The internship was the perfect opportunity to blend my public affairs and legal education. The most exciting aspect of the job was the ways in which I was asked to actually make recommendations and reach conclusions about the policy implications of certain legal decisions or proposed legislation.

The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx), summer

During this fall semester I interned at the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) located in the Mechanical Engineering Building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. As part of the UW-Madison’s Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS), NIATx works with addiction treatment and mental health care providers across the country to improve processes that increase access to and retention in substance abuse treatment. In just a few years (from its founding in 2003), the organization has become a leader in helping treatment providers increase efficiency in the face of dwindling resources, raise the quality of patient care, and maintain financial stability.

My main project while at NIATx was to develop the agenda for and facilitate the Women’s Interest Circle Call, a monthly conference call that brings providers together to discuss topics related to women’s addiction treatment. In addition, I created and conducted a survey of treatment providers, consulted with process improvement coaches and treatment providers for ways to increase call participation, and disseminated notes and information gathered from the calls. Through my efforts more providers became aware of the work being done with relapse prevention specifically related to women and strategies for including family members in women’s addiction treatment.

I also coded and analyzed a number of “walk-throughs” that had been conducted by behavioral health facilities. In my final report, I compared these walk-throughs with those of addiction treatment facilities previously analyzed by the NIATx Research Director. As NIATx expands into mental health treatment, this analysis will help the Deputy Director assess the similarities and differences between the two types of treatment facilities.

My internship with NIATx proved to be a challenging and rewarding experience for me and, I hope, of value to the NIATx organization and the providers and patients it serves.

SmokeFree Wisconsin, summer

For the past 9 months I have worked at SmokeFree Wisconsin as a policy intern. The mission of SmokeFree Wisconsin is to promote effective tobacco control policies that will protect nonsmokers from second-hand smoke; prevent the initiation of smoking, especially among young children; and insure that there is a well funded, comprehensive and effective statewide tobacco prevention program. SmokeFree Wisconsin has three main priorities; to increase the price of tobacco products, to ensure that Wisconsin’s Tobacco Control program is well funded and that the funds are used appropriately, and to increase the number of smoke-free environments across the state. To address these three goals, SmokeFree Wisconsin serves three key functions: advocacy, training, and lobbying. In my position at SmokeFree I was able to observe and participate in all three of these functions.

In my position I had a variety of responsibilities related to both policy and organization management. I researched and drafted memos in response to questions and concerns from legislators. I also researched local communities regarding the political climate and feasibility of passing local smoke-free ordinances. I was responsible for tracking and analyzing media coverage of SmokeFree Wisconsin issues and responding accordingly. I maintained and wrote for our blog regarding policy research and current events. I assist in the maintenance and management of databases, setting up press conferences, and responding to requests for information from legislators and the community.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation, summer

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation supports all forms of transportation in the state, including public transit and specialized transportation for the elderly and disabled. A variety of state and federal programs fund these services, administered by the Public and Specialized Transit Section of the Bureau of Transit, Local Roads, Railroads and Harbors. Funding is used for capital purchases such as buses and vans, operating expenses not fully covered by fares, and planning and training opportunities for transportation professionals.

My role with the Transit Section was twofold. First, I was brought on board to help address a backlog of projects, from documentation for a federal compliance audit to the development of informational handouts on funding programs. Second, I supported an inter-agency council working on transportation coordination, the sharing of available resources to provide more rides to more people. The most significant project with the council was drafting and editing a report to the Governor, summarizing its activities and making policy recommendations.

I had the opportunity to observe and participate in both ends of the policymaking process. Working with the council involved taking a policy study from a consultant and turning it into specific actions recommended to the Governor, balancing long-term goals with short-term abilities and priorities. Working with program staff gave me a sense of how policies are enacted and programs administered. The challenge of intergovernmental relations was illuminated by ongoing conflicts between policies created in Washington, their implementation from Chicago, and realities on the ground. Overall, it was a valuable experience.

Wisconsin State Elections Board, summer

I did not have an internship this past Fall in the same regard that most other LaFollette students have or will have had. I had held a full-time position with the Wisconsin State Elections Board (SEB) since March 2007 while continuing to work towards my Masters of Public Affairs degree with the LaFollette School of Public Affairs.

SEB is a public agency charged with administration of Wisconsin elections in a manner that protects the integrity of the entire electoral process. Enforcement of all election and campaign laws, regulating and monitoring campaign finance activity, serving as a source of information about the elections process, and administering elections at the state level are the main activities of the SEB.

My official title with the SEB was Elections Specialist – HAVA Compliance. I worked in election administration, which required me to know Chapters 5-12 of the Wisconsin State Statutes and to be able to advise local elections office of the responsibilities and duties they have under these statutes. Additionally, as the HAVA Compliance specialist, I was responsible for ensuring receipt of federal funds through grants and required disbursements for the State of Wisconsin as well as the narrative and financial reporting requirements for these funds.

My day-to-day duties included drafting official correspondence, fielding election administration questions, conducting trainings around the state, preparing training materials, and developing and reviewing elections administration policy.

In terms of the applicability of my LaFollette education, PA 878: Public Management by far was the most useful course I have taken; however, the writing skills learned in PA 873: Intro to Policy Analysis and PA 874: The Policymaking Process have also been significantly helpful in being successful at my job. Additionally, although not a LaFollette course, Administrative Law has proven to be extraordinarily useful in my field.

Department of Planning & Community & Economic Development, Planning Division, City of Madison, Wisconsin, summer

As part of the City of Madison’s AASPIRE program I interned in the Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development’s Planning Division. During my internship I supported the Northport-Warner Park-Sherman Avenue Neighborhood Planning process mostly through data-collection, writing draft sections of the plan, interviewing residents and community-based organization representatives, meeting facilitation, and logistical support for a market study. I also supported the City’s Downtown Plan process mostly by helping with meeting logistics and organizing community member feedback. I also interviewed cities across the country to collect information regarding how other cities support and interact with their neighborhoods.

The Planning Division staff was very supportive and always made an effort to share information and include me in a variety of projects and meetings which gave me exposure to many parts and processes of city government.

Dane County ECE Economic Impact Study, fall

This internship opportunity gave me an opportunity to approach analysis on a policy issue from several perspectives. I participated in a working group that consisted of Dane County UW-Extension professionals in child education and economic development, City staff running publicly-funded early childcare programs, nonprofit stakeholders and a university professor. I completed several on-site visits to learn more about the way Dane County child care programs are administered, the conditions in local ECE facilities, and the policy priorities for different groups on the early childcare education issue. In addition to the visits, I collaborated on research and data analysis, and served as the lead author on a policy paper discussing the economic impacts of the ECE industry in Dane County. This paper will be circulated to local policymakers for discussion throughout the first half of 2009. I also developed a companion trifold piece and PowerPoint presentation for working group members to use in disseminating ECE information as it relates to our findings.
Prior to beginning this internship, I held no substantial knowledge about the role of early childhood care and education programs. I've always believed in the importance of education though, as a human capital and economic development tool. This project reinforced my belief in the importance of access to educational opportunities, and expanded my understanding of the analytical justification behind my opinions, as well as the beliefs of parties who tend to disagree with my perspective.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Office of Court Operations, fall

As an intern in the Wisconsin Supreme Court Office of Court Operations, I assist with the implementation of the S.T.O.P. Grant, which is authorized through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The Office of Court Operations provides technical assistance to the circuit courts in areas such as records management, caseload management, policy analysis and budget. The S.T.O.P. Grant, in particular, is used to provide national scholarships and in-state training opportunities for state court judges and other court staff to learn about domestic violence and sexual assault issues as well as develop other court policies to more holistically address these and related topics.

In this capacity, I tend to administrative details of the grant, including compiling quarterly and annual reports. I also communicate with S.T.O.P. Grant Advisory Committee members, assist with their projects and provide other support to the Committee. Occasionally, I collaborate with other staff in the Director of Courts Office for projects and policies with implications for domestic violence cases as they come before the courts.

A major component of the grant relates to funding judicial scholarships for national training opportunities; subsequently, a large portion of my duties involve coordinating Wisconsin judges’ enrollment in such seminars and initiating follow-up upon their return. Most recently, I compiled a summary report of the feedback from judges who had attended one particular type of seminar within the last four years and submitted it to the Advisory Committee to assist in members’ determination of the direction of future grant funding.

Assistant Lobbying Administrator at the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, fall

As the Assistant Lobbying Administrator at the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, I have learned a great deal about the legislative and policy-making process. During the summer and early fall, I worked independently on monitoring and enforcing Ch. 13 Wisconsin Statutes, also known as the Lobbying Law. On a daily basis, I corresponded with lobbyists and lobbying organizations to ensure proper compliance. As the only individual overseeing the lobbying program (the Lobbying Administrator was on military leave), I also managed the lobbying database and performed numerous audits.

The main projects I worked on were the bi-annual Lobbying Report and an analysis of the agency’s FOCUS subscription service. The Lobbying Report involved processing registered lobbying organizations’ Statement of Lobbying Activities and Expenditure reports and assisting these groups with any questions or concerns about filing. After the deadline, I drafted letters to any organizations that were not in compliance with the reporting requirements. After compiling and examining the data, I wrote a report detailing general lobbying statistics and trends during the legislative session-to-date.

In analyzing the FOCUS subscription, an online system offered to lobbyists and lobbying organizations that wish to keep track of specific legislation, I researched similar services in other states and presented several recommendations to increase readership and improve the system’s format and functionality.