Kate Austin Stanford

Director of Operations, Public Health Madison & Dane County
Kate Austin Stanford earned her master of public affairs and master of public health degrees from UW–Madison in 2015. The dual degrees have made a perfect fit for Kate in her current role as Director of Operations at Public Health Madison & Dane County, a city-county agency that supports community health initiatives while also providing health services and environmental health information.

Yang Tao

City Traffic Engineer, City of Madison


Yang Tao has been with the City of Madison since 2006, and currently directs the staff and operations of the City’s Traffic Engineering Division. Yang obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering from UW–Madison with a minor in Business, and is a graduate of Madison’s Leadership Development Program.

Michelle Buchanan

Deputy Director for Science and Technology at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

After earning her PhD in chemistry from UW–Madison in 1978, Buchanan went on to become the Deputy Director for Science and Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Erin Probst

Fiscal Analyst for the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau

Working in public service was a lifelong interest for Erin Probst, and her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs made it a reality.

Gordon Shaw

Research Chemist, Mass and Force Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Gordon Shaw pursued his PhD in chemistry at UW–Madison, now working as the Research Chemist, Mass and Force Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Alison Patz

Associate Director for the Boren Program for the U.S. Federal Government

A passion for public service and foreign languages has taken Alison Patz around the world and back. She spent time in Morocco with the Peace Corps, attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs for a master’s degree in public administration, and traveled to Egypt on a Boren fellowship. She now works as the associate director for the Boren program in the Department of Defense.