President Barack Obama nominated an associate dean and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a position in the U.S. Department of Health on Feb. 12, continuing the legacy of Badgers serving the department.
Maria Cancian was nominated for assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families. Once approved by the Senate, Cancian will assist in administering over 60 programs targeted to support economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities.
As associate dean in the College of Letters & Science, Cancian developed financial policy plans to allocate the college’s annual $350 million budget. She currently overlooks research projects observing family organization policy, interactions of incarceration, child welfare and child support.
"Maria is a remarkably capable, wonderful administrator, scholar and person," Letters & Science Dean John Karl Scholz said in the press release. "The college is losing great talent, but that loss is balanced by the gain to America."
