Sherman co-authors book on nonprofit organizational management

Anne Sherman (MA '93) co-authored Building Nonprofit Capacity: A Guide to Managing Change Through Organizational Lifecycles (Jossey-Bass, 2012). Sherman is the vice president for nonprofit strategy at Growth Philanthropy Network (GPN) in New York City. Before joining GPN in March, Sherman was the director of strategy at the TCC Group.

Connect with Anne:

Tock hired as associate director of the International Fellowships Program

Rosa Tock (MPP '01) will start December 3, 2012, as associate coordinator for the International Fellowships Program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Tock originally is from Guatemala, where she worked as an elementary school teacher, a university administrator, a political analyst, and a consultant for national and international organizations. In Minnesota, she worked for the City of Saint Paul as a human rights investigator, for state agencies on legislative issues and community outreach with diverse populations, and as a planner for a federal grant in the area of special education. Tock was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, selected as a Policy Fellow at the Humphrey School, and has served on different boards in the nonprofit sector. She currently is a trustee of the Women's Foundation of Minnesota and writes a biweekly column on current events for a Guatemalan e-magazine. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and playing volleyball.

Tock recently was featured in the Daily Planet.

Connect with Rosa: rosatock@gmail.com

Emerson to lead Goff Public's lobbying effort

Elizabeth Emerson (MPP '02) is now the director of government relations at Goff Public, where she helps lead the organization's lobbying team. In this role, Emerson integrates grassroots, legislative advocacy, and public relations tactics into effective campaigns which protect clients' interests and reputations at the State Capitol. Emerson also is a registered lobbyist who sets strategy, drafts legislation, communicates clients' positions to key decision makers, prepares testimony, and monitors legislative proceedings. She will lobby on a variety of issue areas, including specialties in commerce, regulated industries, and workforce development.

Emerson previously worked as a lobbyist for Lockridge Grindal Nauen, a Minneapolis-based law firm. From 2006 to 2012, Emerson served as a commissioner for St. Paul's Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Commission and was a part of the League of Minnesota Human Rights Commission.

Connect with Elizabeth: Elizabeth@goffpublic.com

Anderson joins MnDOT

In May, Mei-Ling Anderson (MURP '10) joined the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in the Office of Capital Programs and Performance Measures as a senior transportation planner. The Office of Capital Programs and Performance Measures oversees planning and programming for capital improvement projects that take place on the state highway system, and also reports on agency-wide performance management data.

Since beginning the position, Anderson primarily has worked on the project team for the Minnesota 20-Year State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP). This summer, Anderson collaborated with other MnDOT offices to define different levels of investment and corresponding outcomes for state highways over the next 20 years. She also worked extensively in developing outreach materials for the plan (such as graphics, written material, and formatted handouts) and in distributing this information through webinars, social media, and MnDOT's website. Many of these efforts culminated in a month-long public engagement process that took place this fall, during which Anderson's team traveled throughout the state to facilitate scenario planning exercises with the public to solicit their feedback.

Anderson and her team are now in the process of summarizing the input they received at these meetings; MnDOT will consider the public's input as it decides how to prioritize its investment in future highway projects. She writes, "I have really enjoyed working with a variety of people and blending creativity, data analysis, and collaborative problem-solving on a daily basis."

Connect with Mei-Ling: mei-ling.anderson@state.mn.us

Franzen wins Minnesota Senate seat

On Tuesday, November 6, Melisa Lopez Franzen (MPP '01) was elected to the Minnesota State Senate for District 49 (Edina/Bloomington). She defeated GOP incumbent Keith Downey. Franzen ran on a platform that focused on education, jobs, and clean energy. She is an attorney with Target Corporation.

Schmit elected to the Minnesota Senate

Former Humphrey School student Matt Schmit (MPP '03) was elected to the Minnesota State Senate for District 21 (Redwing) on Tuesday, November 6. Schmit beat out Republican incumbent John Howe. Schmit plans to focus on job growth, school district sustainability, and local property tax relief. Schmit has worked with the Minnesota Senate K-12 Education Finance Committee, created his own public policy consulting firm, P3Strategies, and has worked with the Humphrey School's State and Local Policy Program as a research assistant.

Bobbitt begins position with Washington State Department of Transportation

Bradley Bobbitt (MURP '10) began a position with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) on August 27, 2012, as a transportation data analyst. WSDOT manages and operates Washington's state highway, freight and passenger rail, and ferries systems. WSDOT is considered a national leader among state DOTs in such areas as implementation of new traffic management technologies, ferry systems operation (Washington State Ferries is the largest ferry system in the country), and performance management.

Bobbitt works as a member of WSDOT's strategic assessment office (SAO), which is responsible for performance reporting on all WSDOT activities to the state legislature, governor's office, and the general public. In his role at the SAO, Bobbitt collaborates with staff from other offices within WSDOT to create quarterly and annual reports on topics ranging from project compliance with the Endangered Species Act to how effective new High Occupancy Toll lanes have been at reducing congestion on Interstate Highway 5. He also serves as the office's mapping and geographic information systems expert.

Since moving to Olympia, Washington, Bobbitt has seen jellyfish, harbor seals, the Hoh Rainforest, the Olympic Mountains, leaping salmon, sad Washingtonians writing poetry on rainy windows, Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the San Juan Islands.

Connect with Bradley: bobbitb@wsdot.wa.gov