Madison, WI. – The Joseph P. Mettner Foundation (jPMF) has announced that it is awarding its Annual jPMF Scholarship to Hannah Stewart, from DePere, Wisconsin, a third year law student at the University of Wisconsin Law School. The $10,000 scholarship is awarded to law students planning careers in public service, and honors the life of Joe Mettner, also from DePere, who held a passion for public policy and was a devoted public servant himself.
“We continue to be impressed with the quality of applicants pursuing careers in public service at the University of Wisconsin Law School. The future public law and policy leaders are well prepared to carry on the tradition of the Joseph Mettner Foundation,” said Michelle Mettner, who, along with friends of Joe, formed the foundation in honor of her late husband. “Hannah is a great example of the future lawyers the Foundation seeks to support --- a commitment to public service and high value in equitable application of the judicial process in criminal justice arena”, said Ms. Mettner.
Hannah seeks to return to the Green Bay area and work for the District Attorney’s office upon graduation. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service and has interned with the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin; worked to support the Wisconsin Public Interest Law Foundation and volunteered as an Income Tax Assistant with the Richard Dilley Tax Center, preparing taxes for low income individuals and families. “I am honored to receive this scholarship and carry on Joseph Mettner’s legacy of public service. This award will allow me to continue my work towards a legal career that promotes the Foundation’s ideal of service,” said Ms. Stewart.
The jPMF was created in 2010 to honor the life of Joe Mettner by providing financial assistance to law students in need who are pursuing a career in public service. He attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration (1986) and a juris doctorate (1992). He began working for Governor Tommy Thompson while still in law school and, in 1993, Governor Thompson appointed him to serve as a Commissioner on the Tax Appeals Commission. He served in that role until 1996, when he was appointed as one of three members—and later as chairman—of the state's Public Service Commission.
Past jPMF Scholarship Recipients
Jamie Yoon (2011)
Ms. Yoon is currently in private practice, and also supervises law students in the Criminal Justice Clinic at UC-Irvine Law School. This Clinic provides representation to indigent clients before the Orange County Superior Court. Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Yoon worked as a Policy Analyst at the Council of State Governments Justice Center where she focused on prisoner reentry issues, and then worked as a Trial Attorney for the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services, Public Defender Division, where she represented indigent clients charged with felonies, misdemeanors, and violations of probation.
Scott Zehr (2012)
Following graduation, Mr. Zehr joined the Wisconsin Public Defenders Office. In late 2017, however, he became an Assistant District Attorney for Chippewa County, Wisconsin.
Colin McGinn (2013)
Since graduation, Mr. McGinn has been an Assistant State Public Defender in Milwaukee. In 2015, the Wisconsin Law Journal profiled him as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” where he explained that he had decided to leave teaching for a career in law because he wished to use his abilities to help people in need.
Sydney Hawthorne (2014)
Ms. Hawthorne applied her legislative background to a position as one of six staff supporting the District of Columbia Committee of the Whole, the District’s governing body. In addition to being responsible for the functions that a City would normally undertake, the Committee is also responsible for coordinating the Council’s relationships with the Congress and the Federal executive branch, monitoring legislation in Congress, and drafting legislation affecting the District.
Michael Polich (2015)
Following graduation, Mr. Polich went to work for as a program specialist for the Great Lakes Commission, an interstate/international agency which works on joint Great Lakes efforts between the states and provinces in the region. He recently left the Commission and accepted a position as Legislative Counsel for the Texas Legislative Council, a nonpartisan legislative agency that serves as a source of impartial research and information for state legislators.
Whitney Ederer (2016)
Ms. Ederer graduated with both a law degree and a Masters of Public Health. Since graduation, she has been a Fellow with the Wisconsin Population Health Service Fellowship. This two-year service and training program is designed for early career individuals in public health and allied sciences. Fellows are placed throughout Wisconsin in practice-based settings and guided through a curriculum focused on health equity and collaborative leadership.
Marisol Gonzalez Castillo (2017)
The most recent graduate, Ms. Castillo, joined the Milwaukee Legal Aid Society in early 2018. The Legal Aid Society is one of the oldest operating public interest law firms in the nation, providing free legal representation to over 8,000 of Milwaukee’s most vulnerable residents. In addition, the Legal Aid Society advocates for equal justice for the poor.
Robert Lundberg (2018)