The Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS) will be commemorating 10 years of promoting civic engagement and community service at a special celebration April 4. The public is invited to a dinner, live auction and special awards presentation at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wausau.
Governor Thompson and Dr. Donna Shalala will be VIP speakers for the evening, and will engage in a discussion moderated by Lynn Sprangers, former long-time Milwaukee broadcast journalist, PR executive and community volunteer. Thompson and Shalala will discuss, “Wisconsin, Past, Present and Forward.”
“We’ll hear their thoughts on where we stand in terms of the political divide, affordable and accessible health care and whether and to what extent we are educating our young people to be successful leaders for tomorrow,” said Eric Giordano, who has been WIPPS executive director since its founding in 2007. “There will also be time for more ‘serious’ debate around the outcome of this year’s Orange Bowl,” he noted. Thompson and Shalala are long-time friends, and both share a common bond with the UW Badgers.
As former governor of Wisconsin from 1987-2001, Thompson is the longest serving governor in the state’s history. He focused on revitalizing the state’s economy and gained national attention for his efforts with welfare reform and expanding access to health care for low-income people and education reforms. He served as Health and Human Services Secretary under President George W. Bush.
Shalala, former Health and Human Services Secretary under President Bill Clinton, served as chancellor of UW-Madison from 1988-1993. She was the first woman to lead a Big Ten Conference school, and only the second woman in the country to head a major research university. She is also the former president of the Clinton Foundation, as well as former long-time president of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
At the celebration, WIPPS will announce the first recipient of the “WIPPS Bill Kraus Lifetime Achievement Award in Civic Leadership,” as well as a $500 scholarship recipient for the“WIPPS Young Adult Civic Engagement Award.” For scholarship details and to apply, go to wipps.org/yacea_award. Application deadline is February 28.
To RSVP for the anniversary celebration, go to https://wipps.org/10-year-
Event details:
WIPPS 10th Anniversary
Date: Wednesday, April 4
Time: 5:30-8 p.m.
Location: Hilton Garden Inn
2101 N. Mountain Road
Wausau, WI