NASW Wisconsin Chapter Advocacy Day 2025 Presenters

Nadir Carlson, MSW, NASW-WI Membership and Communications Coordinator

 Nadir Carlson, (he/him) is the Membership and Communications Coordinator for NASW-Wisconsin Chapter. He received his MSW from UW-Milwaukee in 2022. Before attending graduate school, he was a Residences Hall Director at Lawrence University for three years. He received a B.A. in Political Sciences and Sociology from Beloit College in 2016. Nadir called Seattle, Washington home as an AmeriCorps member for a program called City Year.

Nadir enjoys being able to connect with social workers across the state. Nadir loves the ability to help members solve problems and support the macro work at NASW-WI. 

Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski

Secretary Sarah Godlewski is a fifth generation Wisconsinite from Eau Claire. She is a pragmatic leader who has an impressive career in both government and business. Appointed by Governor Evers as the 29th Secretary of State of Wisconsin, Sarah made history by becoming only the third woman to hold this esteemed position.

Prior to becoming Secretary of State, Sarah successfully led a bipartisan coalition to save the State Treasurer Office after politicians tried to remove the office through a ballot initiative. Sarah was elected and served as the Wisconsin State Treasurer from 2019-2023. In this role, she prioritized economic opportunities and building wealth by creating a program that supports first-time homebuyers and assists Wisconsinites facing foreclosure. Further, she was recognized for her leadership developing a child savings account program called 401(K)ids. As the State’s Chief Financial Officer, Sarah fostered taxpayer transparency by creating the first-ever taxpayer reports and a task force of local treasurers that developed a property tax portal to assist taxpayers. 

As chair of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, Sarah leads a $1.4 billion trust fund that provides essential resources to Wisconsin public schools and invests in local communities. Sarah started as chair for the BCPL in 2019 as State Treasurer and was re-elected to this position in 2023 as Secretary of State. Since Sarah’s tenure on the BCPL, the fund has provided record-breaking distributions to public schools annually and has invested in over 600 community projects. When the pandemic hit, Sarah led the fund to provide an additional $5.25 million to Wisconsin schools to support remote learning and address the digital divide.

Prior to her public service, Sarah co-founded MaSa Partners, an impact investment firm that invests in early-stage, mission-driven, businesses. She also served as a founding member of WE Capital Fund, which empowers female entrepreneurs through financing opportunities and separately supported micro lending work in rural India – in both experiences she saw how access to capital can transform communities.

Sarah started her career supporting the Pentagon for nearly a decade where she helped save taxpayers millions of dollars. She graduated with a degree in peace and conflict resolution from George Mason University and was a national security fellow with the Air War College. She has a Certificate in Public Treasury Management from the National Institute of Public Finance and Pepperdine School of Management.  Sarah loves spending time outdoors with her husband Max, son Hartley, and their rescue dog Tanner. In addition, Sarah enjoys cheering on Wisconsin sports teams and is a proud Packers shareholder.

Francesca Ipsaro, NASW-WI MSW Intern

Francesca Ipsaro is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pursuing a Master’s degree in social work after earning her BSW there. She is also an NASW-WI intern and a social work teacher’s assistant. Her area of focus is in children, youth, and family welfare policy and administration, and she is set to graduate in May 2025. Following graduation, Francesca plans to pursue a career in legislative policy in Madison. Originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, she is bilingual in English and Italian, with an immigrant family background.  Francesca is deeply committed to causes like immigration reform, housing security, survivor rights, and LGBTQ+ advocacy. Outside of her studies, she enjoys going on hikes with her partner and their dog, exploring thrift stores, baking, and crafting!

Nick Matuszewski | Associate Executive Director | WAVE Educational Fund

Nick Matuszewski is an attorney and advocate for gun violence prevention. He serves as Associate Executive Director of WAVE Educational Fund, Wisconsin’s oldest and largest gun violence prevention organization, and leads the Wisconsin Community Violence Intervention Funding Coalition and the Wisconsin Gun Violence Prevention Coalition. A William & Mary Law School graduate, Nick is committed to creating a safer, more equitable future for all.

William Parke-Sutherland, Government Affairs Director

William works to protect and expand access to affordable, quality health coverage and care–especially for those impacted by health disparities and in cycles of poverty. He also helps Kids Forward strategize paths to advance health equity in Wisconsin and move toward a system with universal access to health care for all.

William grew up as a white kid in Missouri, and was the first high school student to serve on the board of MidMissouri Peaceworks. He got his formal education from Antioch College, where he learned about the impact of policy, the responsibility for white people to confront racism and white supremacy, and the power of collective action. Previously, William served as executive director for a statewide mental health advocacy and peer support organization where he engaged policymakers, providers, and other stakeholders to redress barriers and build for power with people with mental health challenges. When not diving into policy, William is listening to legal and other nerdy podcasts, hiking around Wisconsin, or playing pool.

Stephani Payne, LCSW

Stephanie Payne, LCSW, works in private practice in Monona. she specializes in borderline personality disorder and trauma. Additionally, she serves as the president of the National Clinical Social Work Association.

Lieutenant Governor, Sara Rodriguez

Sara Rodriguez is the 46th Lt. Governor of the State of Wisconsin, being first sworn in in January, 2023. Before being elected to her current role in 2022, she served in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Assembly District 13 with a particular focus on healthcare and insurance coverage in Wisconsin.

Before entering state government, Lt. Governor Rodriguez worked as the Vice President of Population Health and Integrated Cares Management at Advocate Aurora. She also was an epidemic intelligence service officer with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

She is a graduate of Brookfield East High School and earned masters degrees in both public health and nursing from John Hopkins University. She is very passionate about community service as a returned Peace Corps volunteer, a former Girl Scout Troop Leader and a lifelong Girl Scout. She, her husband Baltazar, and their two children currently call Waukesha home.

Dan Romportl, Hubbard Wilson & Zelenkova Government Relations Lobbyist

Dan joined HWZ in 2021 after thirteen years in state government, the last eight serving as Chief of Staff to the State Senate Majority Leader. Dan has been involved with the development of state budgets and legislative agendas under three different governors, and has held numerous policy, political, and administrative roles. He holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and resides in the Milwaukee area with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Sophie.

Barbara Sella, Executive Director, Wisconsin Catholic Conference

Barbara Sella is Executive Director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC), which is the public policy arm of the state's Catholic bishops. The WCC advocates for the life and dignity of every human being and for the common good.

Katie White, Hubbard Wilson & Zelenkova Government Relations Lobbyist

 

Katie White is a Senior Associate at HWZ with 15 years of combined lobbying and legislative experience. Katie brings extensive knowledge of the legislative process to HWZ having spent several years managing constituent relations and office operations for former Republican State Senator Rob Cowles. She has spent nearly a decade lobbying, crafting, and advancing policies and political strategies for a variety of sectors including health care, transportation, environmental, and children and families. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin- Madison.