Speaker Vos Announces Creation of Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership

Madison…Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) joined Governor Scott Walker, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and his legislative colleagues to unveil a proposal to create the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership at the UW-Madison. Its core mission is to facilitate research, leadership training, and bring speakers and public events to campus.

“I’m proud that we can honor the leadership and accomplishments of Wisconsin’s longest serving governor by establishing a new center of learning and innovation,” said Speaker Vos.

The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership would be run by a director overseen by a seven-member public leadership board within two departments at the UW Madison: the Department of Political Science and the La Follette School of Public Affairs.

“On our college campuses, we need to hear more than just one side of the debate; we need to ensure every voice is heard,” said Speaker Vos. “This center will promote an even more rigorous debate of the current issues and hopefully, bipartisan solutions.”

The new leadership center is being proposed in a budget motion to be taken up by the Joint Committee on Finance. The proposal allocates $1.5 million for each year of the biennium, with $500,000 set aside to sponsor speakers across the System campuses. The goal is to have the center open in time for the new school year in September.

“Tommy Thompson was an innovator, collaborator, and one of Wisconsin’s finest political leaders,” said Speaker Vos.  “His legacy will live on through the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership and hopefully, influence a new generation of public servants in Wisconsin.”

“I would like to thank UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank for her collaboration on this important project and look forward to its opening this fall,” said Speaker Vos.

The 63rd Assembly District includes the communities of Rochester, Burlington, Town of Burlington, Yorkville, Dover, Union Grove, Mount Pleasant, Sturtevant.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.