About Alder Derek Field (he/him/his)

Alder Derek Field (he/him/his) grew up on his family's farm in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin and moved to Madison in 2012 to attend UW-Madison. Derek studied Economics and Political Science and participated in student activism and organizing for college access and affordability, student food insecurity, student voter registration and civic participation, and other student issues. He earned his Master of Public Affairs degree from UW-Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs in 2017.

Derek then worked two state agencies, WI Department of Public Instruction and the WI Department of Children and Families, in roles that improve how school districts and state agencies use data to improve public education and public services for children and families. In February 2023, Derek began a new role at UW-Madison. He is now an Institutional Policy Analyst in the Office of Data, Academic Planning, and Institutional Research. In this role, Derek uses UW-Madison's institutional data to answer analytical questions about how UW-Madison serves its students.

Derek and his partner, also named Derek (it's not as confusing as it sounds!), will get married on the East Side in Fall 2024. They live in the Hiestand Park neighborhood and enjoy gardening, cooking, hiking and camping at WI's excellent state parks, and spending as much time outside as possible over the summer and fall.