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CAREER PODCASTS

Career Conversation with Ashley Brown on Public Policy and Lobbying Careers

In this  episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to have the opportunity to interview Ashley Bown, Principal and Founder of FourConsultancy LLC, as part of our Career Conversations series. Ashley graduated from UW-Madison with a BA in Political Science in 2010. She earned a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy from UMass-Boston in 2012 and a Master in Public Policy from Northeastern University in 2015.  Ashley has served as Head of Government Partnerships, Canada for Spin, was Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Government Relations & Public Affairs to the University of Massachusetts Boston and was a Legislative Director for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – among many other impressive positions.  She’s also a member of the Political Science Board of Visitors.  We asked Ashley about her time at UW-Madison as well as her fascinating career path.  We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Ashley and hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversation with Kady Hogan on Public Service and Working in D.C.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited for the opportunity to talk with Katy Hogan, as part of our Career Conversations series. Katy graduated from The Ohio State University in 2011 with a bachelor’s in Political Science, and went on to earn an MPA from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at OSU in 2013. She now works with the Federal Workforce Programs at Partnership for Public Service as Senior Manager.

Career Conversation with Nicole Gulatz on Humanitarian Work and Nonprofits

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we enjoyed the opportunity to interview Nicole Gulatz as part of our Career Conversations series. Nicole graduated from UW-Madison with a BA in International Studies in 2007. She has served as Chief Development Officer of the American Red Cross of Wisconsin, was Vice President of Development of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, started her own consulting company and worked in Geneva, Switzerland as a Senior Officer in Partnerships and Resource Development for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. We asked Nicole about her time at UW Madison as well as her fascinating career path.  We thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and hope you will too! Listen here.

Success in Politics and Business with Laura Bishop 

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful for the opportunity to interview Laura Bishop.  Laura graduated from UW-Madison with a B.A. in International Relations and Scandinavian Studies and earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan.  Laura has a long and distinguished career working at the highest levels of politics and business.

Currently the CEO and Founder of Purpose Strategies with a focus on advancing sustainability solutions and advising environmental strategies, Laura previously worked in Washington DC at the White House and State Department, directed Government Relations at Best Buy, and was the Commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

We talked to Laura about her time on campus and her accomplished career trajectory.  We also sought Laura’s advice for students and alumni pursuing career pathways in the corporate and political world.  We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and learned so much.  We hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversation with Megan Arendt on Public Relations and Working in Washington D.C.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful for the opportunity to talk to one of our PS alumni, Megan Arendt as part of our Career Conversations series.   Megan is the Associate Director Of Communications at Action on Smoking and Health in Washington, DC.  She graduated from UW-Madison in 2010 with a B.A. in Political Science and a certificate in African Studies.  In 2014, Megan also received a certification in Communication and Media Studies from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Megan currently serves as a valued alumni mentor in University’s Wisconsin in Washington program.  We asked Megan about her time at UW Madison as well as her post-grad education and career path.  We also asked her for advice for current students and recent graduates navigating a challenging internship and job market.  Megan also offered some great insights for students looking to pursue opportunities in Washington, DC.  We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Megan and hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversation with Steve Kulig, Associate Director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful for the opportunity to talk to Steven Kulig, Associate Director at the  La Follette School of Public Affairs.  Steve earned his bachelor of science degree in Economics from UW-Madison in 2007. After graduation, he spent over six years working as a legislative assistant in the Wisconsin State Senate. While working at the capitol, he attended the La Follette School part-time, earning his master’s degree in public affairs in 2014. After graduating, he joined the Wisconsin Department of Health Services as a budget and policy analyst and then joined the La Follette School as administrator and career services coordinator in April 2016 before becoming the Associate Director at La Follette in 2018. We asked Steve about his time on campus as an undergrad, his experience as a legislative assistant and as a budget analyst, his decision to pursue an MPA, and about his current leadership role at La Follette.

Career Conversation Rodger Ervin on a Career in Presidential Politics, Diplomacy in Africa, and Business

In this episode 1050 Bascom, we were privileged to have the opportunity to talk to Roger Ervin, who received his MBA from the University of Wisconsin Business School and teaches courses at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Roger is an accomplished global operating executive with experience in the public and private sectors. Roger’s career has spanned from working as a campaign field organizer to the highest levels of presidential politics and diplomatic service to serving as the CEO of a 5,000-employee global company operating in 40 countries.  Roger was a senior advisor to the Biden 2020 presidential campaign and also served in the Clinton Administration as a Senior Advisor in the Africa Bureau of the State Department where he was deeply involved in some of the most crucial foreign policy matters of the time including helping Nelson Mandela’s rise to the presidency as well as resolving America’s intervention in Somalia and ending genocide in Rwanda.  In May 2021, he joined Putnam Partners as a firm partner. Next spring, he will teach a course at La Follette called Strategic Public Management.We were grateful to Roger for taking time out of his incredibly busy schedule to talk about his career in politics and business.  We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and learned so much.  We hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversation with Aaron Kutnick on Political Consulting and Education 

As the global pandemic continues to raise questions about the future and stability of the job and internship market, 1050 Bascom is reaching out to successful Political Science grads to help us navigate these uncertain times.  In this episode, we were grateful for the opportunity to interview Aaron Kutnick.  Aaron graduated with a degree in Political Science in 2007 and serves as a valued alumni mentor in our political science mentorship program.  We talked to Aaron about his time at UW-Madison as well as his career path into the world of high-level political consulting and his current transition into the education sector.   Aaron also offered some amazingly thoughtful on-the-ground advice for anyone on the internship or job market.  We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Aaron and learned so much.  We hope you will too. Listen here.

Career Conversations: Katie Harbath, Former Facebook Public Policy Director, on Political Media and her New Company 

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were privileged to have the opportunity to talk to PS alumni, Katie Harbath. Katie graduated from the UW-Madison School of Journalism with an additional major in Political Science in 2003.  We talked to Katie about her time on campus as well as her accomplished career trajectory from high level politics to Facebook where she served as the Public Policy Director for the last ten years.  Katie shared her insights into the evolution of political media and talked about her goals for her own DC-based company, Anchor Change.  Katie also offered some amazingly thoughtful on-the-ground career advice for anyone on the internship or job market.  We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Katie and learned so much.  We hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversation with Jamal Habibi, Chief of Staff of Housing at USDA 

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful to interview Badger alumni, Jamal Habibi, who was appointed by President Biden to be the Chief of Staff of the Rural Housing Service at the US Department of Agriculture.  Jamal is a 2011 Badger grad who majored in Political Science and Languages and Cultures of Asia.  Prior to his current position, Jamal worked as a Senior Associate at the Opportunity Finance Network and held executive positions at Discovery Inc. and the US Department of Treasury.  We asked Jamal about his time on campus and he shared with us his career pathway to his new leadership role at the Department of Agriculture. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Jamal and hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversations with Civil Rights Lawyer, Amy Bogost 

As the global pandemic continues to raise questions about the future and stability of the job and internship market,1050 Bascom is reaching out to successful Political Science grads to help us navigate these uncertain times.  In this episode, we were grateful to have the opportunity to speak with Amy Bogost, a civil rights lawyer at Bogost Law, LLC. Amy is a UW-Madison Political Science and History grad. She received her law degree from Chicago Kent College of Law and has worked in civil law in Seattle, Washington and California before moving back to Madison. Amy has most recently focused her practice on Federal Title IX representation of victims of sensitive crimes.

Through the Southwest Center for Law and Policy, Amy has provided training on implementation of Title IX within Tribal colleges and has taught at the National Tribal Trial College, co-sponsored and located at University of Wisconsin Law School.  Amy shared her insights on what she did to make the most of her time at UW-Madison and offered advice to students interested in pursuing careers in civil rights law and policy.  We enjoyed our conversation with Amy and learned so much.  We hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversations  with Sherry Kaiman on Consulting (and Working on the Hill)

As the global pandemic continues to raise questions about the future and stability of the job and internship market, 1050 Bascom is reaching out to successful Political Science alumni to help us navigate these uncertain times.  In this episode, we were grateful to have the opportunity to talk to Sherry Kaiman. Sherry, who continues to offer her time and valuable insights to our majors as an active alumni mentor in the department, was a consultant in the areas of education, workforce and health care issues.  She spent over two decades on Capitol Hill where she held an array of senior legislative positions, including staffing the 1988 Presidential Commission on the HIV Epidemic.  She is currently a Senior Advisor at Resolve.  We learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Sherry. We hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversations – Human Rights NGOs and the United Nations

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful to interview Hilary Miller who graduated with a B.A. in Political Science, History, and Jewish Studies from UW-Madison in 2019.  After working as a Goldman Fellow in Chicago, she joined UN Watch—an independent human rights watchdog NGO— in Geneva, Switzerland where she lived for a year.  In June 2020, Hilary testified before the U.N. Human Rights Council on a debate on human rights violations committed by Russia in Crimea. Hilary previously testified before the Human Rights Council on issues related to Israel and Equatorial Guinea.  We asked Hilary about her time on campus, and she shared her insights and advice about how her academic and professional pursuits led to a prestigious Goldman Fellowship, a position at the Louise D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, and now an influential role at UN Watch. We learned a lot from Hilary and hope you will too.  Listen here.

Law School Advice and Insights from UW Pre-Law Advisor, Caroline Fuchs

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, Caroline Fuchs, an immigration lawyer and pre-law advisor at the Center for Pre-Law Advising offers her advice to students thinking about applying to law school.  Caroline, who has a J.D. and MPA, shared with us her own career path and offered her insights on how to think about the decision to go to law school, what the application process looks like, LSAT preparation, recommendation letters, GPAs, and much more.  We learned so much from Caroline, and hope you will too.  Listen here.

Career Conversation with CO State Board of Education Director Angela Maramba

As the global pandemic continues to raise questions about the future and stability of the job and internship market,1050 Bascom is reaching out to successful Political Science graduates to help us navigate these uncertain times.  In this episode, we were grateful to have the opportunity to interview Angela Maramba, Political Science Badger alumni and Director of State Board Relations at the Colorado Department of Education.  Before rising to her current position, Angela worked as a Legislative and Research Assistant for the State of Wisconsin and a Research Analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures. We asked Angela about her time at UW-Madison, and she offered helpful advice to students about how to make the most of their experiences inside and outside the classroom.   We also appreciated Angela’s insights into career pathways in public service and state government, and valued her take on seeking jobs, communicating, and networking in our current professional environment.  Listen here.

Career Conversations with Kevin Allexon at Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. 

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful to have the opportunity to interview Kevin Allexon, a PS Badger alumn who worked as a Senior Policy Advisor for the George W. Bush Presidential Administration.  Kevin, who is now the Senior Manager of Government Relations at Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC, offered his insights into how he built a professional portfolio beginning in college that helped him advance to policy advising at the highest level of federal government.  He also offered his advice to people considering private sector paths in government relations, suggesting that finding meaningful work that aligns with your personal and professional values is key at every stage of the career-building process.  We enjoyed our conversation with Kevin and learned a lot — and hope you will too.  Listen here.

Pathways to Top Law Schools and Scholarship Advice with Phoenix Rice-Johnson

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we talk to 2016 Badger grad, Phoenix Rice-Johnson.  Phoenix, who majored in PS and International Relations, was awarded both the prestigious Marshall and Truman Scholarships, and received her MA in Public Policy at King’s College in London.  Phoenix is interning this summer at the Office of the Public Defender in San Diego and will start her second year at Yale Law School in the fall. Phoenix offered her insights on applying to top law schools and prominent scholarships.  We appreciated Phoenix’s down-to-earth honesty and insights into why she thinks top law schools like Yale are increasingly looking for students with nontraditional pathways as well as those who have taken gap years to grow personally and professionally and reflect on their motivation for pursuing post-graduate education.  We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Phoenix, and hope you will too.  Listen here.

Building Professional Pathways to Working in DC with Josh Mesner

We are excited to welcome back Josh Mesner to the podcast.  As many of you know, Josh was the first host and editor of 1050 Bascom before moving to DC to begin a position at Energy Impact Center.  Josh is a 2017 Badger who majored in Political Science and Environmental Studies.  Throughout his undergrad years and in the two years afterward, Josh built an impressive resume of internships and jobs in the legal field, the state legislature, and in environmental policy positions.  As part of our career conversations series, we wanted Josh’s advice for students hoping to eventually live and work in the nation’s capital.  Josh also shared his insights into what he thinks makes an applicant competitive in a tough job market and how to approach the early years of your career.

Career Conversations w/ Delaney Foster, Government Services Account Manager at Insight Global

We speak with Delaney Foster, an Account Manager in Government Services at Insight Global in the greater San Diego area. Delaney, a PS and History double-major who graduated from UW-Madison in 2017, offered insightful, practical advice for building a strong resume as well as a networking community while you are in college and into your early career years. Delaney highlighted the importance of be willing to venture outside of your comfort zone and making the most of any new learning opportunity. As a recruiter for Insight Global, Delaney also talked about how you can make yourself standout in your resume, cover letters, and interviews.

SuccessWorks on Badgers on Track and Microinternships

We talk to Emmeline Pratke and Kathleen Rause to talk about the work that SuccessWorks is doing to offer virtual resources and opportunities for students interested in working on career development in the current economic climate. Emmeline and Kathleen shared concrete advice on where to look for internships and jobs as well as online resources to build and compliment your skills outside of the classroom. They also talked us through SuccessWorks’ partnership with a company that provides students access to paid microinternship opportunities.

Career Conversations w/ Marie Koko at the La Follette School of Public Affairs

We interviewed Marie Koko, the Senior Career Services Coordinator in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. Many of our majors are familiar with Marie, who was an award-winning career advisor at SuccessWorks before moving over to La Follette last year. Marie offered us concrete advice for students seeking jobs and internship during the pandemic. She also shared helpful information about the undergraduate Public Policy Certificate at La Follette and the School’s Accelerated Master’s program open to selected UW-Madison undergraduates and preparing for post-graduate professional opportunities more generally.

Career Conversations w/ Kate Kruizenga, Head of Strategy and Operations for Dropbox

We interview Kate Kruizenga, Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy & Operations for the Business Development team at Dropbox in the San Francisco Bay area. Kate shared her hiring insights on how to distinguish yourself on the job market and offered concrete advice on developing a unique “narrative pitch” in your applications and interviews. Kate helped us think through questions of work/life balance, and told us why “work life flexibility” is a top consideration for her. We found Kate’s thoughts on the importance of identifying positions that reflect your values as students, employees, and citizens of the community inspiring.

Career Conversations with Sam Nitz, Partner at Fireside Campaigns in DC

We interview Sam Nitz, a Janesville native and 2004 Badger grad. Sam has worked at every level of campaigns starting as a field organizer in Madison. He also owned his own campaign consultant management company and is now partner at Fireside Campaigns in DC. Sam offers thoughtful insights on how to craft your own personal and career narrative to make your resume and interviews stand out. He also shared useful practical advice on managing early career job searches. We found his discussion about creating a healthy work-life balance that aligns with your goals and values inspiring.

A Conversation with Alyssa Mastromonaco on Politics and Career

We interviewed best-selling author and podcaster Alyssa Mastromonaco. A Political Science Badger alum and a member of the department’s Board of Visitors, Alyssa served as former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for the Obama Administration. She talked us through her political pathway from a feel-the-Bern intern in Vermont for Bernie Sanders and a politically active student at UW-Madison to working on several presidential campaigns and then for eight years focused on domestic and international policy in the Obama Administration. She also offered her take on leadership in divisive times and spoke to the ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd. We learned so much from talking with her Alyssa and found her practical career advice for people at all professional levels – always get the easy stuff right, show humility, be a meaningful team player – invaluable.

Navigating the Internship and Job Market in a Covid-19 World with Mindi Zissman

We interviewed Political Science Badger alumni, Mindi Zissman, President of Zissman Media, for her advice to undergraduates on navigating the internship and job market in a Covid-19 world.  Mindi offered her insights into preparing for and managing virtual interviews, and provided practical tips for setting daily and weekly career development goals.  She also shared with us her advice on how to best leverage your academic, personal, and organizational networks to identify professional mentors.

Listen to All 1050 Bascom Podcasts: