Center for Wisconsin Strategy

COWS is a national policy center and field laboratory for high-road economic development — a competitive market economy of shared prosperity, environmental sustainability, and capable democratic government.

COWS' work is collaborative, experimental, and evidence-driven. Working with business, government, labor, and communities, we try out new ideas, test their effectiveness, and disseminate those with promise. We believe that the best way to predict the future is to start making it, particularly in our states and metro regions.

Some areas of COWS' program focus are:

    Economic and workforce development
    Sectoral strategies and career pathways
    Clean energy and energy efficiency
    Labor markets and job improvement
    Strategies for improving low-wage work

COWS is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, famous for the “Wisconsin Idea” that the University should help informed democratic experiment. Since its founding 18 years ago, COWS has often been called “the Wisconsin Idea in action.”

COWS is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, educational and charitable organization. Its budget comes from foundation and individual gifts and grants and technical assistance contracts.[1]
COWS staff

    Joel Rogers Director
    Laura Dresser Associate Director
    Breann Boggs Center for State Innovation - Policy Analyst
    Michelle Bright Administrative Program Specialist
    Matías Cociña Project Assistant
    Kari Dickinson Marketing and Communications Specialist
    Anthony Gad Center for State Innovation - Policy Director
    Becky Glass Senior Development Specialist
    Sam Harshner Center for State Innovation - Policy Analyst
    James Irwin Senior Associate
    Jessa Lewis Valentine Senior Research Specialist
    Emily Ley Center for State Innovation - Assistant
    Fratney Miller Center for State Innovation - Policy Analyst
    Sam Munger Center for State Innovation - Managing Director
    Edo Navot Project Assistant
    Alidz Oshagan Assistant
    Adrienne Pagac Project Assistant
    Sigrid Peterson Project Assistant
    Satya Rhodes-Conway Senior Associate
    Eric Sundquist Senior Associate and Policy Analyst
    Monica Wedgewood Center for State Innovation - Assistant
    Sarah White Senior Associate
    Matthew Wyndham Administrative Program Manager
    Ayca Zayim Project Assistant
    Jonathan Zeitlin Faculty Associate