WWIG: Announces 2022 Legacy and Rising Star Award recipients

Wisconsin Women in Government (WWIG), a statewide, bipartisan, non-profit organization, is proud to announce the recipients of awards that will recognize two outstanding women in careers interacting with public service. The awards will be presented at WWIG’s Annual Scholarship & Recognition Gala, taking place April 13, 2022 at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center in Madison. Register Now!

The “Legacy Award” honors a woman who has made significant professional contributions throughout her career to local, state, and/or national government. WWIG is thrilled to present this year’s Legacy Award to:

Marcia MacKenzie

Marcia MacKenzie started her career with 25 years in the Fashion industry. In her early 40s, while raising her daughters as a single mother, she went back to school and earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

After ten years working at private law firms, primarily in the area of commercial litigation, Marcia was selected by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk to be the county’s first woman Corporation Counsel. As Corporation Counsel, Marcia reorganized and expanded that office to focus more services on children and families and behavioral health, as well as instituting evidence-based policies to benefit the vulnerable. Marcia is most proud of the many Assistant Corporation Counsels, paralegals and staff that have developed careers changing the lives of those in need without having to sacrifice their families.

In addition to her legal career, Marcia has supported and served on nonprofit boards through the years. In the 1980s, during the struggle to force recognition of Title 9, Marcia was a founder of her daughter’s high school athletic booster club, which worked to ensure girls’ sports got a fair share of the budget. More recently, Marcia chaired the Madison Civics Club, sat on the Board of the Madison Community Foundation’s A Fund For Women, and spent nine wonderful years on the Board of Madison Audubon Society, six as Vice President. She continues to work in fundraising for the Henry Vilas Zoo and Madison Audubon Society.

The “Rising Star Award” honors a woman who has been in her profession for 10 years or less, but has demonstrated excellence by making an extraordinary impact in her profession relative to her years of service. WWIG is thrilled to present this year’s Rising Star Award to:

Olivia Shanahan

Olivia Shanahan has served as the Energy Grants Manager in the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin-Office of Energy Innovation since 2016. She currently administers the Energy Innovation Grant Program to support the equitable transition to a zero-carbon future with energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for public and private entities.

In 2021, she graduated from the State of Wisconsin Enterprise Management Development Academy, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts from University of Wisconsin-Madison with double majors in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

Olivia began her state service at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, where she built a career foundation in grant program administration and stakeholder engagement. She has served as an agency liaison to the DNR Urban Forestry Council and the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, and has held leadership roles with the PSC Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Awareness, and Service (IDEAS) Council, the State Wood Energy Team, and the Wisconsin Arborist Association.

Whether planting a tree on the Capitol grounds with Smokey Bear, or donning a hardhat and stepping into a wind turbine, Olivia enjoys the continual service-learning aspect to state service and takes seriously her role as a “good news generator.