Alumni

Students at UW–Madison will have expanded opportunities to explore the intersection of sustainability and entrepreneurship, thanks to a catalytic philanthropic investment of $660,000 in the Green Fund from alumnus Jim Weinert ’67, MBA ’69.

Long before Steven Lawry became an international leader in land rights and environmental governance, his career hinged on a phone call that changed everything.  

As a boy, Ken Conca fished for quahogs — large, hardshell clams — along the coast of Narragansett Bay.

If you look closely, you can find Nelson Institute alumni working in nearly every field and sector you can think of.

On Friday, May 8, conservation leader and Nelson Institute board member emerita Tia Nelson was recognized with an honorary doctorate at the UW–Madison spring 2026 commencement ceremony.

It would be easy enough to say that Alberto Vargas is an interdisciplinary scholar, teacher, and mentor.

When it’s Valerie Stull’s turn to send snack to her preschooler’s school or gathering, she doesn’t send cookies or string cheese.

Amintas Brandão Jr. started mapping roads in the Amazon as an intern.

In Boston’s East Fenway neighborhood, a stretch of pavement in front of Whole Foods comes alive.

Nearly 8,000 Nelson Institute alumni work in government, business, and nonprofit organizations, applying their knowledge and skills to make the world a better and more sustainable place.

On a fall day on campus, you might see sandhill cranes wading in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, house sparrows cleaning up by the food carts on Library Mall, and if you’re lucky, maybe even a pair of canvasbacks floating along the Lake Mendota shoreline.