Pathways to Public Service
While the notion of public service may seem quaint in this time of deep partisan divisions, the careers of these four alumni prove that there are many ways to work for the collective public good, and that the liberal arts and a Beloit education have always been invaluable preparation for that work.
Zak Williams’97
Political Consultant, Duluth, Minnesota
- Hometown: Lubbock, Texas
- Majors: Communications and political science
- Beloit Activities: WBCR disc jockey and station manager
Zak Williams grew up in a military family and went to high school in Germany. He is a partner at the political communications firm Zenith Strategies. He takes a hands-on approach to political and public relations campaigns, working with candidates and staff on the ground. A political veteran of 25+ years, he has worked on hundreds of campaigns at the municipal, state, and federal levels. He also ran a fundraising firm for six years, focusing on judicial and down-ballot statewide campaigns.
Why Beloit?
My French teacher, who was from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, told me about Beloit, saying that it would be perfect for me. And it was. I received VHS marketing tapes from Baylor and from Beloit. The Baylor video was traditional, reverent, and boring. The Beloit video began similarly, but with a record scratch, it shifted into something unconventional and unique. My mom turned to me and said, “Beloit is perfect for you.”
Any noteworthy people or experiences at Beloit?
In 1994, my first-year advisor was Art Robson. [Professor Robson taught Greek, Latin, and film studies from 1966 to 2009.] His wife, Judy, was in the Wisconsin Assembly. She served 12 years in the Wisconsin State Senate and 12 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Rock County. She was the first female Democratic State Senate majority leader in Wisconsin history. Georgia Duerst-Lahti [professor of political science from 1986-2018] and John Rapp [emeritus professor of political science] gave me the encouragement and the tools to get involved with campaigns, while encouraging me to challenge myself and continue to learn, even after Beloit.
I really enjoyed WBCR. I worked there for four years and managed the station my senior year. I’ve continued to be involved in community radio — I have a Wednesday morning blues and R&B and soul show where I can just shut my brain off away from politics and play music.
Where did you go after Beloit?
Beloit gave me the tools to do what I wanted to do, helped create opportunities, and opened doors to do what I’m doing now. My first political campaign was my sophomore year in 1994, helping Judy. It was a tough year for Democrats, but Judy did well. I caught the campaign bug and continued to work with candidates while at Beloit and afterwards. The first campaign I managed after Beloit was for Dan Schooff [vice president for advancement and facilities and former Wisconsin state representative] when I was only 22. I traveled the country managing campaigns after that. Eventually, I moved back to Wisconsin and started my own fundraising firm. I have been a partner in two firms I helped found.
The issue of civil rights is very important to me. A lot of my early clients were African-American candidates, like Milwaukee City Treasurer Spencer Coggs, Philadelphia Sheriff Marion Brown, and Nashville Register of Deeds Karen Johnson, all historic elections. I cut my teeth working on urban races and understand how important it is for everyone to have a seat at the table and a voice in the community.
My consulting business is client-centric, which is not always the case in politics. It’s important to develop relationships. I’m still involved with the college, and I frequently have students or alums reach out to me — [now State Sen.] Mark Spreitzer’09, for instance, when he was a student. I never imagined I’d have my own political consulting business and work all over the country, and internationally. I would not be where I am today without Beloit.
What’s next?
Things have gotten more partisan and more personal, much less working across the aisle, which frankly is what voters want. This has been exacerbated by redistricting, which has resulted in far fewer competitive districts. This year, it’s going to be pretty exciting — really interesting races further down the ballot that frankly really matter. The stuff that matters to people are the local races that really impact them the most.
Jasmine Nears’09
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Beloit, Wisconsin
- Hometown: Oakland, California
- Major: International relations, theatre minor
- Beloit Activities: Black Students United (BSU), McNair Scholar, Trio
Jasmine Nears is the director of strategic initiatives at America Votes (AV), a nonprofit that works with over 400 national and state-based partner organizations to advance democracy and increase voter turnout. She previously worked for Everytown, where she headed successful legislative campaigns in Maine and Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on preventing guns in schools, and ran a senate accountability campaign in New Hampshire.
Why Beloit?
I wanted to get away from home, and to study abroad. I was learning German and wanted to go into the foreign service. There was a book in the 1990s about schools that change lives [Loren Pope’s Colleges That Change Lives], and I saw Beloit in the chapter on the best schools for Black students. I ended up only applying to one college — Beloit.
Any noteworthy people or experiences at Beloit?
[Manger Professor of International Relations] Beth Dougherty was one professor who made a difference for me. I learned a lot in her classes about the world and about politics and how everything works together. That perked up my interest in learning more about history, and specifically about social movements in places like South Africa and Turkey.
Having a small liberal arts college experience was very important for my development — aligned with my love of travel and cultures and languages — and provided opportunities to get involved. My best friends are the friends I met at Beloit; I wouldn’t be the person I am today if not for Beloit.
I was accepted into the McNair Scholarship program, and one summer lived at the University of California, Irvine researching the universal pre-K movement and learned how people can come together to affect change. At Beloit, I was in BSU with people I’m still friends with, campaigning to increase diversity. Discovering the power people have when they come together with a vision to make change built a foundation for what I eventually came to be doing.
I volunteered on President Obama’s campaign right before I graduated, knocking on doors in Beloit, and remember what a beautiful moment it was when he won. Everyone went to the Wall, cried together, and sang the national anthem. That was democracy working to do something historic.
Where did you go after Beloit?
When I graduated in the midst of the recession, I just thought about getting a job. I worked on a grassroots campaign to overturn Prop 8 (a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage; it passed in the November 2008 state elections and was later ruled unconstitutional in federal court). I taught English in Turkey, and I worked in admissions at Beloit. I read More Than Good Intentions (by Dean Karlan and Jacob Appel), which was transformative, and led me to get a master’s degree in public administration at NYU. I interned with Everytown in its first year, researching gun violence and working on gun laws — it changed my life. Although there was a lot happening around the world, I realized that a lot of things needed to be changed right here at home.
After 2016, I realized I wanted to be a part of the 2020 election, so I returned to Wisconsin to work with America Votes supporting a non-partisan progressive coalition of phenomenal organizations to elect progressive leaders who share our values. The first campaign I worked on after returning to Wisconsin was the governor’s race, helping to elect Governor Tony Evers.
What’s next?
This election season is colored by a tough economic environment with a lot of concern around cost of living and inflation, and there is a very real threat to democracy with recent laws making it harder to cast a ballot or register to vote. Though I’m still in Beloit, I’ve been promoted to a national role focused on initiatives to get young people to vote and increasing election access at local, state, and national levels. Young people, especially college students, were pivotal in 2022, letting their voices be heard on issues that matter to them, reproductive health issues, and environmental issues. This year, they could be the deciding factor. They have incredible collective power to make change.
Mark Spreitzer’09
State Senator, Beloit, Wisconsin
- Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
- Major: Political science
- Beloit Activities: Student Government Association (SGA), College Democrats, Interfaith Club, Outdoor Environmental Club (OEC)
Mark Spreitzer is the State Senator for Wisconsin’s 15th Senate District, and lives in Beloit. He was elected to the State Assembly in 2014 and to the State Senate in 2022. He is one of six out LGBTQ+ state legislators in Wisconsin. He previously served on the Beloit City Council and worked in the alumni office at Beloit College. He serves on the board of the Welty Environmental Center and the Finance and Facilities Board at United Church of Beloit.
Credit: Doug Hyant
Why Beloit?
I was interested in politics in high school and knew I wanted to major in political science. My favorite teacher in high school was my history and government teacher. He was a Cornell grad and a big proponent of small liberal arts colleges. He gave me the book Colleges That Change Lives. I looked at the colleges in that book that were in the Midwest. I visited Beloit on a day in June, and it felt like a good fit.
When I initially got to Beloit, I wanted to be a high school social studies teacher, but quickly realized I wanted to do hands-on politics. In 2006, there was a constitutional amendment on the Wisconsin ballot banning same-sex marriage, and I interned with the campaign against it. I’d come out after high school.
Growing up in Chicago, I knew who my alderman was, but they didn’t seem accessible. In Beloit, local and state government officials were accessible. On election nights, you could go downtown to Denali’s Restaurant and elected officials would be at election watch parties — you had access to them. Senator Judy Robson was occasionally on campus, and so was Chuck Benedict, a state representative at the time — his wife Nancy was vice president of admissions. Pretty much everyone in the Beloit community has some connection to the college. These people felt accessible to me as a Beloit College student.
When I was a sophomore, I volunteered to be on a city committee. I’d walk down to City Hall and sometimes get a ride back with a city council member. By the time I graduated, at 24, I’d chaired a city council committee (the appointment review committee) and had a broad understanding of the way that a city council works.
Any noteworthy people or experiences at Beloit?
[Associate Professor of Sociology] Carol Wickersham’s “Doing the Right Thing Well” course, a leadership seminar in which I analyzed my experience and frustrations in student government. That class transformed my leadership style. I learned lessons and made adjustments that still serve me.
I did a special project with political science professor Georgia Duerst-Lahti. I read books on campaign management, interviewed campaign managers, and wrote up a project. I did an internship with Fair Wisconsin, creating and running a Beloit field office out of my dorm room and the Women’s Center. I organized students and gained skills in grassroots campaigning. I also did a ninth semester internship at the State Capitol with Senator Robson (set up with Professor Duerst-Lahti) during which I gained important exposure to state politics. Judy has been a mentor and incredibly helpful to me. The things I did at Beloit College — nine consecutive semesters of learning and growing — directly laid the groundwork for what I’m doing today.
Where did you go after Beloit?
My first job after graduation was with Russ Feingold’s 2010 campaign in his Janesville office. He lost, and I worked for a while at a café in Shopiere while running for the Beloit City Council. I recruited a Beloit College alum to run in the spring 2009 school board election and ran her campaign. In spring 2011, I re-tooled that campaign plan for my own successful run for City Council.
While serving on the City Council, I worked at Beloit College in the alumni office. There were opportunities to stay connected here, to visit classes and talk to students. I connected with Zak Williams’97, a campaign consultant, while planning his class reunion, and he helped me run for the State Assembly when the seat opened up in 2014.
What’s next?
I’m up for re-election in 2026. We’ll be working to get a majority in the State Senate in hopes of succeeding with the legislative agenda I’ve been working on for 10 years. You have to care — to be motivated by a true passion to make people’s lives better and to make the state a better place. But if you care too much, you get burned out. So, you have to have patience, too.
Vid Johnson’73
Retired State Senator, Scotia, Nebraska
- Hometown: West Branch, Iowa
- Major: History
- Beloit Activities: Basketball, Tau Kappa Epsilon, WBCR disc jockey
David “Vid” Johnson, a self-described “perpetual Field Termer,” worked as a teacher, manager of research expeditions to Antarctica and Greenland, newspaper publisher, award-winning journalist, dairy farm worker, firefighter, and first responder. Then, for 20 years, he was a state lawmaker and leader on agriculture and rural policy, the environment, healthcare, and human services. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and in the Iowa Senate from 2003 to 2018.
Why Beloit?
I wanted a small college experience and I wanted to get out of Iowa and start fresh where I didn’t know anyone. I found a book of colleges listed alphabetically. Amherst (College) appealed to me, but I’d missed the deadline. I got to the Bs and there was Beloit. My dad and I went to see the campus and met with Coach Bill Knapton. It was spring break, so there were no students around. I thought, okay, this is it. Boy, was I in for a culture shock when I got there in the fall with short hair. Everybody was talking about Woodstock. But Beloit was the best thing for me, the right choice at the right time — the Field Term and the liberal arts fit me perfectly.
Any noteworthy people or experiences at Beloit?
The history of Greeks and Romans with [Professor of History] Lynn Osen, a mentor who encouraged me to work harder. Lanier Gordon’67, basketball coach and alum, gave me a second chance, which taught me that it’s important to give people second chances. John Biester’41, the Field Term director, encouraged me to accept an opportunity at The Washington Post. I have a thirst for knowledge, for knowledge’s sake. I studied so many subjects at Beloit. I studied the humanities, all those fields, and related them to what was happening, wove it all together.
I was raised to respect all human beings, and the anti-war demonstrations, the turmoil in the country at that time, the Civil Rights Movement — all of that influenced my thinking about politics and public service. I probably read six to eight newspapers a day in the Beloit library, following the war and what was happening. In 1971, when the Pentagon papers came out, the details didn’t surprise me.
Where did you go after Beloit?
Beloit laid the foundation for everything I’ve done since college. I’ve learned by reading and by doing, and I built on the public service tradition in my family. I went back to The Washington Post, and was there when Woodward and Bernstein broke the Watergate story. At 25, I read in The New York Times about logistical support for scientists in Antarctica and thought that would be a great thing to do. People were talking about climate change even then. I applied, received an offer by telegram, and had six days to decide. I’ve always been a person [who believes] if you see a door of opportunity, walk through it if it intrigues you. In Antarctica in 1978, I connected with researchers going to Greenland, and went there the summer of 1979.
I never took a journalism class, but I bought the newspaper in West Branch, Iowa. I learned about community service by example from both sides of my family. Like my father and his father before him, I served as president of the local chamber of commerce. We brought new life into our downtown, which was half-empty, as small towns had withered during the 1980s farm crisis. And the newspaper was all-in with the effort. We published a feature story on every building downtown. We had faith we could turn things around, and we did. We earned historic district designation on the National Register of Historic Places. And when the town needed volunteer firefighters and first responders, with the newspaper office just two blocks from the station, I volunteered.
In 1996, I’d been working in newspapers for 20 years and I was ready for a change. I heard about a guy who needed help on a dairy farm. I was confident that I could learn, and I did. I took on hosting a local tradition: a Thanksgiving dinner open to all at no cost. I organized this event of food and fellowship for 25 years. One year as folks were leaving, an older woman who I knew lived alone pulled me aside and whispered, “Thank you. I didn’t have anywhere to go.” No greater reward than that.
I served four years as president of a national organization of state lawmakers working on rural and agricultural policy. Rural America continues to be left behind, and I purposely picked a rural village to hitch my wagon.
What’s next?
I became disenchanted with our two-party system in 2016. I became an independent, the first in the Iowa Senate since 1927, and I was severely punished by my former party. In 2023, I moved to the Sandhills of Nebraska, to a village with a bank, a bar, a gas station, tattoo parlor, garden center, a couple other small businesses, and friendly people. I’ve got the longest ponytail I’ve ever had now. You know David Gilmour’s song, “Coming Back to Life?” Like he says, “You have to let go of the past and head straight into the shining sun.”
