More than 6,000 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. Many also volunteer with environmental or humanitarian causes, extending the community-based philosophy that is cultivated within the institute. Each year, the Nelson Institute honors several standout alumni whose work embodies the Wisconsin Idea. Since the first awards in 2014, 40-plus Nelson alumni have been recognized in two categories: the Rising Star Alumni Award, which honors recent graduates, and the Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes graduates with long-term success or impact in their field.
Awardees are honored at the annual Rendezvous on the Terrace event, held this year on September 27. We hope you can join us in celebrating this year’s cohort of honorees!
2024 Nelson Institute Rising Star Alumni Award Winners
Gloria Castillo Posada
Environment and Resources MS, 2015
A 2016 graduate of the Nelson Institute’s environment and resources master’s program, Gloria Castillo Posada has taken her degree back to the community through her outreach and engagement work. After completing her master’s coursework, she joined Sustain Dane as its sustainable communities director, then transitioned to the YWCA Madison as a race and gender equity coordinator. Since 2022, she’s been with Madison Gas and Electric, today working as their customer engagement and community services manager. In her role, she works with community-based organizations to develop culturally relevant energy-based engagement initiatives, including activities with the Madison Metropolitan School District.
Naomi Louchouarn
Environment and Resources PhD, 2023
After earning a dual bachelor’s in applied ecology and wildlife biology from Quebec’s McGill University and a master’s in conservation planning from the University of California–Santa Barbara, Naomi Louchouarn continued her academic journey in the Nelson Institute’s environment and resources PhD program. While completing her studies, she was a researcher in the Carnivore Coexistence Lab, published several peer-reviewed articles, and taught a course for Nelson’s two professional master’s programs. She now works as a river restoration project manager for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians in the lower peninsula of Michigan.
Laura Miller
Environmental Studies, 2019
Laura Miller, a participant of the Nelson Institute’s Community Environmental Scholars Program, graduated in 2019 with her degree in environmental studies. Today, she’s a program analyst with the Washington, D.C.-based Department of Energy & Environment where she manages two environmental workforce development programs, one for local master’s students and one for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers labor union. She also pays it forward by supporting the next generation of environmental leaders, volunteering career services at a local high school and supporting programs to increase youth, young adult, and BIPOC involvement in environmental careers.
Anna Weinberg
Environmental Studies Certificate, 2018
In addition to her environmental studies certificate from the Nelson Institute, Anna Weinberg graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in conservation biology and zoology (with honors) from the College of Letters & Science. She was an active member of campus, interning with the Office of Sustainability, coleading the student organization Campus Leaders for Energy Action Now, studying abroad, and researching in the Carol Lee Evolutionary Biology Lab. Today, she works as a research scientist in the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment’s Conservation and Adaptation Resources Toolbox (CART) program.
2024 Nelson Institute Distinguished Alumni Award Winners
Arlyne Johnson
Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development MS, 1993
Land Resources PhD, 2000
For decades, Arlyne Johnson has been on the front lines of international conservation. Her coursework at the Nelson Institute focused on land use planning for wildlife conservation in tropical ecosystems, which she translated to years of field research and program development in Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, and Laos through the Wildlife Conservation Society. In 2011, Johnson joined the nonprofit Foundations of Success, which accelerates the global impacts of conservation through education and outreach. Now an adjunct professor in the Nelson Institute, Johnson teaches the next generation of conservationists through the environmental conservation accelerated master’s program, which she helped develop.
Curt Meine
Land Resources MS, 1983
Land Resources PhD, 1988
When you think conservation, you think Aldo Leopold. And when you think Aldo Leopold, you think Curt Meine — or at least you should. For his dissertation in the Nelson Institute’s land resources program, Meine quite literally wrote the book on Leopold: a comprehensive biography of the famed conservationist called Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work. Today, Meine brings his knowledge and passion for conservation biology and environmental history into numerous organizations, including the Aldo Leopold Foundation as a senior fellow, the International Crane Foundation as a research associate, and UW–Madison and the Nelson Institute as an adjunct professor.
Jeff Rudd
Environment and Resources PhD, 2009
Jeff Rudd embodies the Nelson Institute’s interdisciplinarity emphasis and pay-it-forward mentality. After earning degrees in biological sciences, philosophy, and law, followed by a career as a criminal prosecutor, Rudd came to UW–Madison to pursue his PhD in Nelson’s environment and resources program. Coupling his problem-solving and research skills, Rudd then built an investment practice in Madison. He has since returned to the Nelson Institute in an advisory and support capacity, serving on the Board of Visitors and working hands-on with the energy analysis and policy program.