Professor Melissa Kono, a municipal clerk specialist in the Local Government Education program, was named the 2026 recipient of the Wisconsin Idea Teaching Award. Kono was honored for her work to exemplify the guiding philosophy of UW–Madison’s outreach efforts to extend the borders of the university.

Kono meets her students where they are — literally. Her classroom is the town halls, county buildings and community rooms of rural Wisconsin, and her students are town clerks and election workers responsible for administering elections and sustaining public trust in the democratic process.

As an Extension educator, Kono designs and delivers nonpartisan election training for hundreds of election workers each year, drawing on her own experience as an elected town clerk. She ensures participants understand procedures and the reasoning behind them in order to make sound decisions under pressure. Central to Kono’s work is her belief that the Wisconsin Idea is fundamentally reciprocal. She listens closely to rural election workers and has conducted research on perceptions of election security, amplifying voices often missing from national conversations. 

But Kono’s impact is felt most clearly at the local level. Clerks describe her courses as essential to their work. Through election training initiatives and statewide partnerships, Kono continues to expand access to high-quality professional education for rural officials.

“Her career is an outstanding example of what outreach education to rural Wisconsin can achieve when it is rooted in community, driven by data, and led with compassion and innovation.” — Professor Patricia L. Malone

Learn more about the 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award Winners.