This year’s conference will include a Fireside Chat for our featured speaker session. The chat, moderated by Dr. Travis Wright, will include Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent, Dr. Joe Gothard in conversation with UW’s Dean of the School of Education, Dr. Marcelle Haddix. These local leaders in education will discuss the role of educational institutions in our communities as tools for democracy and social transformation. They’ll consider how our institutions might collaborate to be responsive to the needs of students as well as the communities they serve.
Dr. Travis Wright is the founder/director of the BASES Project, a school and community-based intervention for homeless preschool students, their families, and teachers. Dr. Wright is a nationally recognized expert on resilience and emotionally responsive teaching, especially for children developing in the midst of adversity. Previously, he worked as a school-based mental health counselor, public school teacher, and early childhood educator in Washington, D.D. and Boston Public Schools.
Dr. Joe Gothard, a Madison native, is firmly grounded in the community and in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). An MMSD alum, Dr. Gothard grew up on Madison’s east side and attended Elvehjem Elementary School, Sennett Middle School and La Follette High School. Having dedicated more than 30 years to public education, Dr. Gothard is a long-time supporter of students, staff and families and believes that people are at the center of everything they do.
Marcelle Haddix is the dean of the UW–Madison School of Education, a position she started on Aug. 11, 2024. Over the previous 16 years, she held numerous leadership positions at Syracuse University, including most recently as associate provost for strategic initiatives. In that role, Haddix partnered with top university officials to connect academic affairs with the campus and surrounding community. She also served for two terms as chair of the Department of Reading and Language Arts in Syracuse University’s School of Education.