In addition to the Board members listed below, there are a number of current students and recent alumni serving as acting directors on the Sifting & Winnowing Foundation.

Howard Schweber, Faculty Director

Howard Schweber joined the University of Wisconsin Political Science department in Fall 1999. He received his PhD in Government from Cornell University and an MA in History from the University of Chicago after spending five years practicing law in Seattle and San Francisco. Schweber teaches courses focusing on constitutional law and legal and political theory.


Sig Janoska-Bedi, Permanent Director and President

Sig Janoska-Bedi is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs. He loves constitutional law and antiquities. He served as the Director of the 2018 and 2019 Ideas Conferences.


Luke Georgiadis, Permanent Director and Treasurer

Luke Georgiadis graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018, where he double majored in Political Science and Economics. He worked as the logistics coordinator for the 2018 and 2019 Ideas Conference, and as an editor of the Undergraduate Journal.


Iakovos Balassi, Permanent Director

Iakovos Balassi is a researcher of international security and African affairs, and recently graduated from Georgetown University with a master’s in security studies. During his time at the University of Wisconsin, he served as a founding member of the Ideas Conference