Patricia Strach received a Ph.D. in political science from University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2004 and is an assistant professor in the Departments of Political Science and Public Administration and Policy (on leave).  Her research examines the relationship between social and political institutions in American public policy. Previously, she mapped the role of family in the policy process and the consequences for policy when social practices changed over time. Currently, she is working on a project that looks at when and why organizations that wish to make a change turn to government (hence making public policy) and when and why they take alternative strategies (fundraising, marketing).