Notable Undergraduate Alumni

Sociology Education enables Kingsley to aid the Communityheadshot photo of Kingsley Gobourn

Gobourne Kingsley has over 17 years of experience in leadership and community development, including 7 years in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion. He has a master’s degree in organization development programs from Edgewood College.

His is currently the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator for UnityPoint Health Meriter a chartered community hospital serving the greater Dane county area. He leads the organizational effort to improve culture and climate for all 3500 employees while focusing on assessing community needs and developing collaborative partnerships to dismantle systems and policies that contribute to disparities in Health based on bias and privilege.

Kingsley is on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, with roles on the Governance and Family Selection committees. He is also currently serving on Board of Visitors for the Sociology Department at the UW-Madison and Chairs the Engagement Committed for United Way’s Business Volunteer Network.

Study of Social Movements Theory Leads to Horn’s Career in Civil Rights Case Work

Headshot of Alison HornAlison Horn got her B.S. in Sociology in 2008.  She is the Investigative Supervisor at Civil Rights Corps (CRC), a non-profit legal organization that specializes in innovative civil rights litigation to reform the American criminal system. In her role, Alison spends much of her time interviewing and telling the stories of people directly impacted by injustice in the criminal legal system, and trains and mentors new investigators to work with CRC’s litigators.

While at Wisconsin, Alison had the opportunity to assist Professor Pamela Oliver with her research analyzing data on racial disparities in prosecution and incarceration and completed a senior honors thesis focusing on voting rights for people with felony convictions.  Influenced by these experiences, she became a criminal defense investigator at two public defender offices while working on development and reentry at Free Minds Book Club prior to obtaining her current position.

Sanchez Inspires Students with Research and Teaching

A headshot of BoV member Laura SanchezLaura Sanchez received her B.S. and Ph.D. in Sociology at University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She is a professor of sociology at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), and a family sociology researcher, with a focus on women’s and men’s gendered division of labor, parent-child relationships and human-animal interaction. She began her career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and earned tenure at Tulane University before moving to Bowling Green, Ohio to take up opportunities as a BGSU sociology department faculty member and an affiliate of the Center for Family and Demographic Research. She teaches undergraduate classes on methods and introductory sociology, while holding seminars on teaching, population and society, and sociological theory at the graduate level.

Sparkman uses his Education to Address Structural Inequity

Wesley Sparkman's head shotWesley Sparkman is the Director of The Tamara D. Grigsby Office for Equity and Inclusion.  He has worked in local government administration for over 20 years. He implements Dane County’s Equal Employment, Civil Rights, and racial equity and social justice initiatives while working with Dane County leadership to promote policy and organizational change to establish equity in public service.

Wesley received his B.A. in Sociology at UW-Madison in 1996 and later earned his M.P.A. from the LaFollette School of Public Affairs in 2000.

headshot of alumnus Kenny DichterDichter’s Liberal Arts Background led to Entrepreneurial Career

Kenny Dichter currently serves as the Founder & CEO of Wheels Up, a private aviation company. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UW-Madison, he began his journey as an entrepreneuer. He and his wife, Shoshana Dichter ’92 explain how their liberal arts education helped launch their successful careers in a video vignette prepared by the College of Letters and Sciences that feature Badgers sharing advice with current students.