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Wisconsin agency recognized by Harvard

MADISON (WKOW)--Wisconsin's Office of Financial Literacy is being recognized by Harvard University as one of the nation's notable agencies.

The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University named Wisconsin's Office of Financial Literacy (OFL) to its 2009 list of Top 50 Innovations in Government. 

The Top 50 serves as the pool from which the Harvard Kennedy School will ultimately select winners of 2009 Innovations in American Government Awards.  The next step will be an announcement of finalists on May 18.  The process culminates with the announcement of six winners in September. 

According to state officials, The OFL has taken the leadership role and/or has been deeply involved in a number of groundbreaking initiatives.  Including,  

• The National Institute of Financial and Economic Literacy, the nation's only three-session, graduate-level teacher-training program for financial literacy now in its ninth year, recognized as "a best practice for teacher training" by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
• Money Smart Week Wisconsin-the first financial literacy, social awareness campaign in the nation aimed at an entire state, now in its fourth year (www.moneysmartwi.org)
• The Money Conference-a one-day program aimed at low- and moderate-income families that seven Wisconsin communities will host this year including two tribal sites (spun off and now run by nonprofit Asset Builders of America, Inc.) 
• Appointment of the OFL's Mancl to the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy in 2008-the only member representing state government due to Wisconsin's pioneering leadership in the field.
• Formation of and lead roles in the Wisconsin Jump$tart Coalition, an all-volunteer organization promoting financial literacy that won the first-ever "State Coalition of the Year" award in 2005 from the National Jump$tart Coalition and won a Governor's Financial Literacy Award in 2006.