Marcelle Haddix, dean of the UW–Madison School of Education, is featured in the fall 2025 issue of On Wisconsin magazine.
In a Q&A titled, “Finding Creative Solutions in Community,” Haddix describes community engagement as her anchor: “Everything that we do, every decision that we make, should be done in community,” she says.
While inheriting the nation’s top-ranked school of education is an immense responsibility, she embraces it as an opportunity to effect positive change.
“I’m more concerned with us having a number one impact,” Haddix says. “How are we addressing the number one issues in our society?”
She also outlines some of the challenges the School is working to address. “One of the areas that we’ve been thinking a lot about is how best to enhance human health and quality of life for all members of society,” Haddix explains. “We’re also thinking about mental health and well-being, especially as it relates to young people in schools. We are thinking about literacy here in the state of Wisconsin and how we address the disparities within literacy learning and education in early childhood. We’re also thinking about the teacher workforce. We have the Teacher Pledge, which is an initiative to address the teacher shortage in the state. And we’re thinking about access: what can we do in terms of creating pathways for young people from across the state to have access to education?”
Haddix shares that her background as a reproductive health doula and yoga instructor has shaped her approach to leadership. “You’re paying attention to people’s lived experiences at the moment. You have to be watchful, you have to have empathy, you have to show care. Those behaviors just naturally become the things that I draw on to be an effective leader,” she says.
Reflecting on her role, Haddix adds: “To know that I’m working with really smart people … who feel fulfilled and who wake up every day excited to tackle hard things in service to young people, in service to our community, and in service to future generations. We’re making a change. We are doing transformative work.”
Read the full Q&A in On Wisconsin.