Board of Visitors

The Board of Visitors serves as an external advisory body to the dean. Members of the board have attained prominence in their field and are chosen because of their value in providing sound advice and counsel. Board membership includes graduates, emeritus faculty and staff, and friends of the School of Education. The current members of the board are:

Mary Gulbrandsen, Chair of Board 

Mary Gulbrandsen is executive director of the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars (FFWS), founded in 2007. The FFWS is a private not-for-profit foundation providing need-based grants to recent graduates of Wisconsin public high schools who are attending University of Wisconsin universities full time. A pediatric nurse practitioner and former school district administrator, Mary continues to dedicate her career to helping children by combining her interest and expertise in health care and education.

Gulbrandsen joined the Madison Metropolitan School District in the mid-1980’s to implement and run the program that placed health-services staff in all Madison public schools. She served in a variety of leadership roles in the school district during her nearly thirty-year tenure, including as chief of staff and director of student services, where she worked on long-range planning, finance and operations, and programs designed to improve student achievement and well-being.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and  master’s degrees in pediatric nursing and in administrative medicine, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.  Gulbrandsen devotes substantial time to volunteerism, committee work, and board service. She is currently a board member of the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation, the Fund For Wisconsin Scholars, and the Oakwood Foundation.

Carla Austin, Board of VisitorsCarla Austin

Carla Austin was born and raised on the east side of Madison. She was a first-generation college student and earned her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She met her husband there, as well. In 1982, the couple moved to Dallas, Texas, where they raised two children.

Austin has retired from her pediatric occupational therapy practice but continues with board and committee work with three nonprofits serving individuals with special needs in the Dallas Metropolitan area. She is passionate about education and occupational therapy’s unique contribution to the functioning of children and their families. She is inspired by working with children and witnessing their parents’ dedication to them. Her volunteer work is a daily reminder of what is helpful in life — being helpful, telling someone you love them, and taking time to appreciate the small joys.

Austin and her husband enjoy biking and traveling, and are especially happy when they combine the two on bike vacations. She enjoys reading and gardening, and follows Badger football and basketball.

Paula BonnerPaula Bonner

After earning her bachelor’s degree In physical education in 1975 from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Paula Bonner earned her masters in physical education and higher education leadership at the UW–Madison School of Education in 1978. Her 41-year career with the UWMadison began in 1977 as the associate director of Women’s Athletics, then as director of Women’s Athletics from 1982-1989. Bonner was inducted into the UW Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

In 1989, Bonner joined the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) as associate executive director and became the organization’s CEO and president in January 2000. During her time with WAA, Bonner emphasized the importance of innovation to modernize alumni engagement through greater diversity of programs and more collaboration and partnerships with UW–Madison’s schools, colleges, and the Chancellor’s Office.

Recognizing the need for more strategic and structural alignment across advancement to better serve alumni,donors and the university, discussions were initiated between WAA and the UW Foundation (UWF). The boards of both WAA and UWF agreed to a merger plan that began July 1, 2014.

WAA’s 150th anniversary sparked ideas and plans, which culminated in the opening of Alumni Park, One Alumni Place, and the Goodspeed Family Pier in the fall of 2017, creating new stories, spaces, and places for students, alumni, friends, and families to keep that Badger Spirit alive.

Bonner’s commitment to the advancement profession included service leadership positions with the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Council of Alumni Association Executives, and serving as a consultant for universities in the Big 10 and Pac 12. She currently serves on the Friends of PBS Wisconsin Board. A post-retirement “first project” involved working with the Wisconsin Historical Society on its publication of Richard Wagner’s two-volume gay history of Wisconsin

Bonner is married to Ann Schaffer, also a School of Education graduate. They live in Shorewood Hills with their perfect dog, Howie. Bonner enjoys swimming, gardening, cooking, reading poetry, and the arts.

Stacey Brickson

Stacey Brickson received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy (PT) and a certificate of athletic training (ATC) from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1992), and earned her Ph.D. through the Department of Kinesiology in exercise physiology (2002). She has worked in many aspects of health care, including clinical practice, industry, and academics.  Currently, she has a private physical therapy practice, CronoPT, and teaches anatomy and physiology at Madison Area Technical College.

Born and raised on a farm in Edgerton, Wisconsin, Badger blood runs deep in Brickson’s family. Her great-great grandfather, Magnus Swenson, received  one of the first research degrees ever awarded at the University of Wisconsin in 1882.

Brickson lives with her husband, Tom, in Middleton, Wisconsin. Her two children are students at Iowa State University. An avid cyclist and cycling advocate, she can often be found enjoying her bicycle on the road, mountain trail, or snow, and is a board member of the Capital Off Road Pathfinders.

Photo of Helen BurishHelen Burish

Helen Burish, a Wisconsin native and first-generation Greek, received her bachelor’s (1975) and master’s (1995) degrees in art education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her 27-year teaching career included positions at Green Bay Preble High School and Middleton High School, where she served as chair of the Art Department. During her tenure at Middleton, Burish developed and advanced the school’s first photography program, highlighting both darkroom and digital alternative processes. As an associate of the American Society of Interior Design (ASID), she also has contributed concepts and interior design services for Epic Systems Corporation and Milestone Senior Living.

Burish currently enjoys her role as chair of both the Chazen Museum of Art Council and the University of Wisconsin Art Department Board of Visitors, where she is able to further her passion for the arts and education, as well as elevate them in the community through museum collaboration. She has served on local boards, including Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) and the University of Wisconsin Medical School’s Healthy Classroom Foundation.

Among her many interests outside the art world, Burish especially enjoys golf, biking, and travel. She and her husband have participated in two around-the-world trips, one sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association, and most recently have explored Antarctica.

Kathy Chazen

Kathy Chazen launched a career in the insurance industry after graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She has had an insurance and estate planning practice in New York City since that time. She is currently a trustee of National Jewish Hospital, board member of the 92nd Street Y in New York, and is involved in arts and music education for New York City public schools, as well as a board member for The Jewelry Center at 92Y. She is an active and longtime supporter of the UJA Federation. She also serves on the board of the University of Wisconsin Hillel and the Chazen Museum of Art Advisory Council.

Chazen was a founding member of the Stop AIDS Project, a non-profit organization for AIDS education, and a founding member of the Asthma Immunology and Respiratory (AIR) Society, a non-profit organization to benefit National Jewish Hospital.

Chazen received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the School of Education in 1974. She lives in New York City with her husband, Larry Miller, a music executive and professor at New York University; her daughter, Anna; and son, Zachary. She comes from a family of Badgers, including her son, Zach, her two nephews, Ross and AJ Banon, and her parents, Jerome and Simona Chazen — longtime supporters of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Ginny ConwayGinny Conway

Virginia (Ginny) Conway graduated from UW–Madison’s School of Education in 1978. After graduating, she moved to Houston and was soon involved with teaching people how to train their dogs. She was one of the founding members of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

From 2003-17, Conway lived in London, providing obedience training to new pet owners from her own company. She also provided support to new expats and was the president of the Petroleum Women’s Club of London. She is an accomplished seamstress and taught people the basics of sewing and quilting in Kew, London, England,

Since returning to Houston, Conway continues to teach weekly classes in obedience, scent work, and Tai-Chi. She also is a tracking and scent work judge. She is a member in the Affinity Council for Houston Public Media.

Conway has a passion for teaching and for supporting others to improve their teaching skills. She has been working closely with the Department of Kinesiology’s Adapted Fitness program and in providing support for teaching and other endeavors.

Over the years, Conway has volunteered with the Houston Zoo, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf (in the UK), and most recently helped the local community learn how to sew masks.

She is married to Mike (also a UW–Madison graduate) and they travel around the country with their two dogs.

Justin CruzJustin Cruz

Justin Cruz currently serves as vice president of auto product development at American Family Insurance, based in Madison. Prior to this, he served in several executive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles, helping develop the company’s current DEI strategy and programming. The majority of Cruz’s 21 years with the company has been spent in leadership roles within data science and actuarial science. He began his career as a mathematics teacher, at a bilingual high school in the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Cruz holds bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, Spanish and secondary education from UW–Madison and a master’s degree in mathematics from UW–Milwaukee. He is also a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Cruz is a current board member with the YWCA Madison and UW–Milwaukee Foundation. He is also an executive sponsor for American Family’s Adopt-a-School partnership with the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools. At the UW–Madison, he has previously served on the board for the Nielsen Center for Marketing Research and helped launch the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute. He is also a former Chancellor’s Scholarship Program participant and mentor.

Cruz is a Madison native, and currently resides on Madison’s near east side with his wife Wendy, where they enjoy taking in all the great entertainment and recreational activities offered in this area. They have two daughters, one attending the University of Illinois at Chicago, the other at La Follette High School.

Eric Flanagan

Eric Flanagan lives in Chicago and is a clinical counselor and vocational consultant for Paradigm Complex Care Solutions, a national disability management provider. In addition to counseling, he works with private companies, law firms, and the insurance industry on return-to-work issues for individuals with disabilities. He has experience serving adults with disabilities in the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Dane County Public Defender’s Office, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. While in grad school, he served on the Wisconsin Rehabilitation Counselor and Educators Association (WRCEA) board.

Flanagan was born in Dublin, Ireland. He attended primary school in Hong Kong before returning to Ireland. After an experience working as a special education classroom assistant in Dublin, he transferred from the University College Dublin to the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Junior to study in the School of Education, earning both his bachelor’s degree (’09) and master’s degree (’10) in rehabilitation psychology. He was also a 2009 Meyerhoff Award winner in International Student Services.

He currently serves as a board member and vice-president of the Delta Upsilon of Wisconsin Foundation. Previously, he enjoyed volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, both in Madison and Chicago.

Robert A. Frahm

Bob Frahm is a freelance journalist, writing about education for over 40 years. A former high school English teacher, he began his journalism career in Wisconsin covering the education beat for the Racine Journal-Times. In 1984, he moved to Connecticut as the chief education reporter for the Hartford Courant, writing on topics such as testing, teacher quality, and school reform. He wrote extensively about school desegregation, including Connecticut’s Sheff vs. O’Neill lawsuit. After leaving the Courant in 2007, he did freelance work and in 2009 joined the staff of the Connecticut Mirror, a startup online news service focusing on statewide governmental issues including education. After working at the Mirror for a year, he began part-time freelance work for the Mirror and other organizations. 

He was a board member of the Education Writers Association for 11 years and EWA’s president from 1995 to 1997. His numerous writing awards include the nation’s top prize for education reporting from EWA in 1983 and 1996, and the 1996 Master Reporter Award from the New England Society of Newspaper Editors. In 1994–95 he was a fellow in the Michigan Journalism Fellows program at the University of Michigan.

Frahm, a 1968 graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, lives in West Hartford, Connecticut with his wife, Gail.

Anand Marri

Anand Marri has served as dean of Ball State University’s Teachers College since July of 2020. He previously served as the dean of University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education. He is the former vice president and head of outreach and education at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and was a professor of social studies and education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Marri’s academic research focused on economic literacy, civic and multicultural education, teacher education, and urban education. He received over $5.5 million in grants from individuals and organizations such as TC Trustee Joyce Cowin, Carnegie Corporation of New York, New York State Education Department, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He served as one of the authors of The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, first published in 2013 as the guide for states to upgrade their state social studies standards and for practitioners to strengthen their social studies programs. Marri was also an author in Teaching the Levees: A Curriculum for Democratic Dialogue and Civic Engagement (Teachers College Press, 2008.)

Marri earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction in 2003.

Photo of James T. MinorJames T. Minor

Dr. James T. Minor serves as chancellor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He previously served as assistant vice chancellor and senior strategist in the Office of the Chancellor at the California State University (CSU). Prior to that Minor served as deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education.

His scholarly work has focused on academic governance, higher education policy, and improving institutional performance. Minor is also a recognized thought-leader on higher education policy development, as well as issues related to improving degree completion nationally. He has published numerous articles in journals such as the Review of Higher Education, Educational Researcher, Thought & Action, Academe, New Directions for Higher Education, and the American Educational Research Journal.

A Detroit native, Minor earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Educational Policy Leadership and Analysis in 2001. In 2010 he received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education.

Tashia Morgridge

Tashia Morgridge and her husband John are founders and members of the board of trustees of the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; founders and board members of the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars; and founders of the Wisconsin Technology Initiative.

For many years, Morgridge has supported literacy programs in schools in disadvantaged communities in California. In addition, she is active in encouraging civic engagement among students at Stanford University and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is a retired special education teacher and lives in Portola Valley, California. The Morgridges are committed to making an impact in education, the environment, medical research, the arts, and human services.

Morgridge earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education in 1955 and a master’s degree in 1975 from Leslie University in Massachusetts. In 2017, Morgridge was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is a longtime member of the School of Education’s Board of Visitors. Morgridge’s husband, John, is a 1955 graduate of the School of Business and earned his MBA from Stanford University in 1957. He is a member of the board of directors of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. Both Morgridges are members of the Chancellor’s Board of Visitors.

Pat Neudecker

Pat Neudecker has a bachelor of science in education from University of Wisconsin–Stout and a master of science and Ph.D. in education leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin­–Madison. As a retired school superintendent, her current work includes advising doctoral students, supporting national women’s leadership consortiums, and conducting superintendent searches for school districts.

Neudecker has been a public school educator in Wisconsin for over 35 years, recently as superintendent of schools in Oconomowoc. During her career, she served as national president for the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), and on other state and national committees. She received the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA) Educator of the Year and Distinguished Service Awards, and the national American Association of School Administrators Distinguished Service Award. Neudecker has traveled and visited education systems in Germany, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Poland. She participates in a leadership group committed to addressing international educational social justice issues.

Neudecker is married with two grown sons and three grandchildren. A strong believer in community service, she is a member of Rotary International, and has served on numerous boards including the YMCA, community foundations and education foundations. She enjoys time with family, travel, swimming, and supporting the arts.

Leslie Orrantia

Leslie Orrantia is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a graduate research fellow with the Institute for Research on Poverty, focused on the relationship between transportation, economic development, and social welfare.

Prior to her return to school, she served as deputy mayor with the City of Madison overseeing economic development, transportation, and intergovernmental affairs. She joined the office with more than a decade of experience in community relations and business administration, including service on multiple boards with a focus on public policy, education access, economic development, and social welfare.

From 2016–19, Orrantia served as director of community relations on behalf of the UW-Madison chancellor, facilitating meaningful collaborations in research, practice, and policy between campus, city, county, and community. Previously, she spent several years in various positions within the School of Education, including as assistant director for the Wisconsin Collaborative Education Research Network. Before her work at the university, she served as a caseworker in Madison for nearly five years, and throughout her professional career has used this experience to inform her work.

Orrantia has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Although a native of southern California, she lives with her partner and pups in Madison, and has come to call it home.

Susan Patterson

Susan Solie Patterson is a New York Times best-selling co-author of children’s books with her husband, James Patterson. She spent many years in advertising as an art director and SVP at J. Walter Thompson USA/NY, and is also an accomplished photographer. She currently serves on the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association Board of Directors. Patterson is a trustee at Palm Beach Day Academy and Dreyfoos School of the Arts, as well as a Town of Palm Beach Landmarks Commissioner.

Patterson is committed to promoting literacy. She has a passion for helping kids learn to read. With the publication of their children’s books she has achieved a dream since her graduation from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. These vocabulary-building books engage even the most reluctant readers and their families.

She has been a Badger from birth. Both of her parents were graduates: mother Lorraine Solie, ’46, studied nursing, and father Orville Solie, ’50, MS ’51, studied art and English. Patterson earned two degrees, bachelor of science and master of fine arts, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education. She was a swim team captain, Big Ten record holder, and All American swimmer. The Pattersons live in Palm Beach, Florida, and their son, Jack, is a senior at Brown University. Summer months are spent in Briarcliff Manor, NY.

Headshot of Michelle RobinsonMichelle Robinson

Michelle Robinson was named the inaugural director of the Office of Health Equity at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in October 2021. As director, Robinson serves as the principal program and policy officer for equity and inclusion, and workforce planning programs. She served as the vice-chair of the Governor’s Health Equity Council, the director of the Office of the Inspector General, and the equity and systems change research and policy officer at the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Robinson also was a member of the award-winning Race to Equity Project at Kids Forward (2012-19), where she contributed her expertise on disparities and racial equity research, policy, practice, and community engagement.

Robinson holds a PhD and MS in sociology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She received the 2018 Madison Community Leader Award from Church Women United, the 2018 Collaborator of the Year award from the Progress Center for Black Women, the 2017 Community Justice Award from the Urban League of Greater Madison, and was named one of the University of Wisconsin’s Outstanding Women of Color in Education in 2014. She currently serves on the advisory board for The Archer Center, where she was named an Archer Fellow in 2005. The Archer Center provides talented undergraduate and graduate students from across the University of Texas System the opportunity to live, learn, and intern in Washington, D.C.

Ron Schwarz

Ron Schwarz graduated from University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education in 1977. He taught high school math in Managua, Nicaragua and Cali, Colombia for three years before going on to pursue his MBA from the University of Texas, Austin (1982). Since then, Schwarz has founded a myriad of companies ,mainly in the directory publishing arena. He now works primarily with startups and also offers financial consulting in divorce cases.

Schwarz believes in giving back, and volunteers to make a difference in his community. He serves on the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at the University of Texas–Dallas Advisory Board. His father was a Holocaust survivor and Schwarz is very committed to this cause. He has shared his family’s experiences as a way to educate others about the Holocaust.

Schwarz currently lives in Dallas, Texas. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis and golf. His two children, Aaron and Rachel (BS ’10, in Communication Arts), live in Dallas and Chicago, respectively.

Carolyn Stanford TaylorCarolyn Stanford Taylor

Carolyn Stanford Taylor is an educator who has served in a range of roles, including as Wisconsin’s state superintendent of public instruction from 2019 to 2021. She also has worked as a teacher, principal, supervisor of educational programs, and as an assistant state superintendent for the Division for Learning Support at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. After working as the first African American state superintendent in Wisconsin history, Stanford Taylor retired from state service in July of 2021 after a 41-year career in public education. Her life’s work has been dedicated to the education of our next generation and ensuring all children have an opportunity to access a quality education.

Stanford Taylor hails from Mississippi and adopted Wisconsin as her home in 1975. She attended UW–Madison, receiving an undergraduate degree in elementary education and a graduate degree in educational administration. She began her educational career in 1980 as a teacher in the Madison Metropolitan School District, teaching for 10 years at the elementary and middle school levels. She then moved to the principalship, leading Marquette and Lincoln Elementary Schools and opening J.C. Wright Middle School. She received the Norman Bassett Award for exemplary teaching in 1984, and the School of Education’s Lois Gadd Nemec Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997. In 2001 she began her career at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, where she has been honored and recognized on numerous occasions for her statewide service and advocacy. In 2018, she received the Virginia Hart award, one of the highest honors given to women in government.

Stanford Taylor has been an active community member, serving on numerous boards, committees, and commissions. She has held memberships on the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council, Children Come First, the Governor’s Commission on Offender Re-entry, the First Lady’s Fostering Futures Policy Advisory Council, National FAST (families and schools together), and Forward Services. Her contributions to the community, the field of education, and promotion of educational equity have been acknowledged through many awards, recognitions, and commendations.

Stanford Taylor and husband, Larry Taylor, are proud to have raised five children, all Wisconsin educated, public school graduates.

Julie Betts Testwuide HeadshotJulie Betts Testwuide

Julie Betts Testwuide is an award-winning photographer and artist who earned both her undergraduate (BS in education, 1979) and master’s (MS in art, 1981) degrees from the UW–Madison School of Education. She began her illustrious career photographing major sporting events and doing assignments for large corporations and publications in New York City. In the 1990’s, Testwuide ventured into fine art photography, often merging her love of painting with her photography. Aiming for a dreamy ethereal look, the New York Times described her work by noting: “Testwuide uses several techniques that make her work look like paintings by Monet or Pissarro.” She has won numerous awards and her work is included in many collections worldwide.

Her latest work has focused on photographing wild horses around the world and it is exhibited in galleries in New York and Malibu, California. A passionate horse lover, Testwuide uses her camera to capture equine beauty and spirit in dramatic light and prints them in commanding sizes. She is also teaching workshops and sharing her wild horse adventures and photographic techniques with budding photographers. After raising three children, Testwuide and her husband, Kip, a fellow UW–Madison alum, moved to Katonah, New York, where they reside on a small Icelandic horse farm an hour from New York City.

Headshot of Dan WhiteDan White

Dan White is a founding partner and CEO at Filament Games, a mission-driven game development studio founded to create playful experiences that improve people’s lives. Filament Games employs 70 people and has developed hundreds of games for learning and positive impact since 2005.

White earned an MS in educational communications and technology from UW–Madison and a BS in communication technologies from Cornell University. Apart from his work at Filament, White is passionate about sustainability, mindfulness, and modernizing institutional education; particularly in light of the ways that machine learning and automation are changing the world of work.

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