About Us

The Wisconsin Certified Public Manager Program is a program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies, Department of Professional Development and Applied Studies. Thank you for the opportunity to get to know you and serve your learning needs. The instructors who teach for the CPM program are experts in their fields with years of experience in government management. On this page, you will find information about our staff and instructors (including a profile of a "featured" instructor) and, when available, contact information.

• CPM staff
• Featured instructor Guy VanRensselaer
• Instructor descriptions

CPM staff

Robbi Dreifuerst is the associate director for the Wisconsin Certified Public Manager Program. Phone: 608-262-3830. E-mail: rdreifuerst@dcs.wisc.edu.

Featured Instructor

Guy VanRensselaer

“Successful leaders have the ability to change and help others change,” says public management consultant Guy VanRensselaer.

“Leaders take people where they wouldn’t be able to go themselves. That involves how to manage change,” he says. “Organizations need to be always evolving and changing.”

VanRensselaer has 25 years of professional experience managing and adapting to change as an organizational improvement specialist for the City of Madison. His diverse experience managing and consulting has informed and updated his approach to teaching effective public management.

A high regard for learning has helped VanRensselaer develop a learner-centered, hands-on teaching style. The most important part of the learning process is practicing in a non-threatening environment, he says. His classes involve analyzing case studies and trying tangible exercises, as well as lecture and discussion.

The City of Madison hired VanRensselaer as a budget analyst with a bachelor’s degree in statistics and horticulture. In the early 1980’s he received additional training in quality improvement, planning, team building, and leadership. Former Madison Mayor James Sensenbrenner asked VanRensselaer to lead a team that would introduce quality improvement to agencies in Madison.

As quality improvement efforts progressed and expanded, VanRensselaer joined the Office of Organizational Development and Training. He became specialized in leadership development and measuring the effectiveness of the city’s organizational improvement.

“It’s necessary for Madison to be able to quantify its efforts in a way that is understandable and meaningful to the public,” he says, an issue he covers in CPM classes.

VanRensselaer also has applied and taught management outside city government, building the range and depth of his expertise. He opened a consulting business in 2003 after requests from organizations wanting his help increased to more than he could handle in his free time. Consulting with many different organizations, along with running his own apple orchard, has helped him understand how public management applies to different fields and disciplines.

“The ability to work with other organizations kept me learning,” he says. “I am constantly learning new skills and grappling with issues I might never have seen as a municipal employee, things pertinent to the state, counties, or nonprofits.”

VanRensselaer has taught thousands of learners in the CPM program in the areas of productivity and quality improvement, organizational performance measurement, analysis and interpretation of measurement results, project management, and leadership.

Instructor Descriptions

Instructors are listed in alphabetical order. More instructors and information to be added soon.

• Marni Bekkedal is a neuroscientist with expertise in brain chemistry and the processing of emotions. Her teaching emphasizes the importance of the brain in emotions and controlling our behaviors, making complex neuroscience understandable and applicable to daily life.
• Eng Braun is former administrator of the Division of Research and Analysis in the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
• Harold Coltharp has worked for the State Records Center of the Wisconsin Department of Administration for over 11 years.  He is a Wisconsin Certified Public Manager and has been a member of the Madison chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators for over ten years.
• Jeanine Critchley is director of the UW-Madison Office of Risk Management.
• Michael Daun is deputy comptroller for the City of Milwaukee.
• Robbi Dreifuerst is an outreach program manager in the Department of Professional Development and Applied Studies at UW-Madison and coordinator of the Wisconsin Certified Public Manager Program.
• Boris Frank, president of Boris Frank Associates, is a nationwide consultant on fundraising, proposal writing, and grants development.
• Susan Fuszard is a trainer with Living on Purpose Training & Consulting who has a wealth of experience in the field of employee assistance.
• Sarah Gibson is president of Accent Business Communication in Madison, a training and development firm she founded in 2004.
• Dan Gilbert is a managing partner in Barrett and Gilbert Law Offices, and a graduate of the FBI Academy National Law Institute.  He has taught law courses to judges, prosecutors, police executives and  public managers throughout the United States.
• Al Guyant is a nationally recognized trainer, facilitator, coach, and author with over 35 years of experience.
• Bob Hanle has been a team leader in the State Budget Office in the Department of Administration for twelve years, working in Wisconsin state government for more than 25 years.
• Mary Hoddy coordinates Staff Education and Training at UW-Madison's Wisconsin Union, where she develops and facilitates programs in communication skills, coaching, management, learning styles and workshop design. 
• Alice Honeywell has helped adults improve their writing skills for more than 20 years.  She has worked at both the University of Wisconsin Press and the UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs, and has written and edited for a variety of business, nonprofit and public sector organizations.
• Sue Hunter is a trainer with Living on Purpose Training & Consulting. She has been a trainer in the areas of wellness, stress management, EAP, alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and intervention for over 25 years.
• Tim Jeffery is a human resource consultant who previously served 14 years as director of labor relations for the City of Madison and 11 years as director of human resources for the Madison Metropolitan School District.
• Keith Krinke is the former director of Finance, Budget and Management for the Wisconsin Technical College System. He has extensive experience in public sector labor relations and negotiations at both the state and local level.
• Mordecai Lee is a professor of governmental affairs at UW-Milwaukee and coordinator of UW-Extension's Governmental Affairs Consortium.  He has also served 3 terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly and 2 terms as a State Senator.
• Tyrone Letto is manager of Middleware in the Division of Information Technology at UW-Madison.  He formerly served as chief of the General Applications Section in the Division of Enterprise Technology in the Wisconsin Department of Administration.  Ty is also a Wisconsin Certified Public Manager.
• Peter Maier is the director of research and planning at the Center for Self-Sufficiency in Milwaukee, a non-profit organization that offers its services through partnerships with federal agencies, and state and local governments.
• Helen McCain is the director of the Bureau of Procurement in the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
• Gregg Miller, co-director of ProfCen Enterprises, Inc.,specializes in supervisory strategies and employee retention.
• Susan Paddock is a professor of governmental affairs in the Department of Professional Development and Applied Studies at UW-Madison and director of the Wisconsin Certified Public Manager Program.
• Jeff Russell, co-director of Russell Consulting, Inc., specializes in helping organizations successfully respond to the challenges of continuous change with a focus on leadership, strategic thinking, leading change, and performance coaching. More about Jeff Russell.  
• Guy VanRensselaer is an organizational improvement specialist with the City of Madison who teaches classes in productivity and quality management throughout the state.