Since 1970, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW–Madison has produced nearly 5,000 environmental leaders, their expertise spanning from sustainability initiatives to resource management to conservation efforts. Each year, the Nelson Institute honors several standout alumni whose work embodies the Wisconsin Idea: the philosophy that education should extend beyond the walls of campus to the world.
Since the first awards in 2014, nearly 50 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. This year, one recipient of the Rising Star Alumni Award and all three Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are living out the Wisconsin Idea across the state.
A 2016 graduate of the Nelson Institute’s environment and resources master’s program, 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.
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.
Meine’s academic journey at the Nelson Institute — a master’s and a PhD in land resources — culminated in a dissertation on Aldo Leopold, which quickly turned into the authoritative text on the “father of conservation.” 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. Meine has also helped lead conservation and restoration efforts in the Badger Lands, former home to the Badger Army Ammunition Plant.
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.
The Nelson Institute also awarded Rising Star Alumni Awards to Naomi Louchouarn (Traverse City, MI), Laura Miller (Washington, DC), and Anna Weinberg (Tucson, AZ). All of the awardees will be recognized at the institute’s annual Rendezvous on the Terrace event for alumni and friends, happening on September 27, 2024.
About the Nelson Institute
The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies is an academic unit at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition to housing four interdisciplinary research centers, the Nelson Institute offers an undergraduate major and certificates, as well as graduate degrees and certificates. An interdisciplinary community of knowledge and practice, we foster the next generation of leaders in sustainability and engage in scholarship to protect and preserve the environment. Learn more at nelson.wisc.edu
