Bob Lavigna, IPMA-HR SCP

As Senior Fellow – Public Sector for UKG, Bob advocates for, promotes, and advises on effective practices that enable public-sector organizations to attract and retain talent. He was previously the director of the Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement, assistant vice chancellor and director of HR at the University of Wisconsin, vice president of research for the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, and director of the State of Wisconsin civil service system. Bob began his federal government career with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and was selected as a “Public Official of the Year” by Governing magazine. The organizations he led also received innovation awards from the Ford Foundation, the Urban League, and others.

Bob writes frequently for professional publications and has spoken at conferences and events across the U.S. and abroad. His book, Engaging Government Employees (Harper Collins), is the first to focus on employee engagement in the unique environment of the public sector.

Bob, the first person in his family to graduate from college, has a B.A. from George Washington University and an M.S. in human resources management from Cornell University.

He is most proud that he and his wife Pat have been married for 42 years (to each other), and have two wonderful daughters and five (mostly) delightful grandchildren.