Board Members

  • President & Executive Director

    The creator of Root 2 Rise, Denise has devoted over 30 years to working in K-12 public education as a Spanish and French teacher and Restorative Justice and Engagement Coach. She holds Master’s degrees in School Counseling and Teacher Leadership. Denise has authored several articles, including: “Crossing Bridges of Culture, Color and Language,” “Language Lessons: Using Student Assistants to Bridge Culture & Language” and “The Deep Approach: Second Languages for Community Building.” Her mission is to build equity in schools by empowering young people to become active leaders in their communities. Denise lives with her family in Madison, Wisconsin.

    dhanson@root2rise.org

  • Board Member

    A Bilingual Resource Specialist at Madison West High School, Caty has been at West since January of 2018, supporting newcomer ELL students with their transition into American schools. Her goal in both career and personal life is to see more Latinx students thrive not only in school but also in the workplace. Her goal is to get more multilingual students on the path into teaching roles, leadership roles, and in the community as well. Caty grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and in Puebla, Mexico.

  • Secretary

    Educator and writer for over thirty years. Maureen's focus has been on alternative school settings where she works with students from a wide variety of cultural, socio-economic, and academic backgrounds. Her position at the Milwaukee County Juvenile Detention Center inspired her work around social and criminal justice issues. Maureen's writing has appeared in The National Writing Project, Re-Thinking Schools, Watch My Rising Anthology, and more. She and her two teenagers live in Portland, Oregon.

  • Board Member

    Donna Vukelich-Selva teaches in the Division of Education at Edgewood College. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from UW-Madison and also holds a MA in Latin American Studies. Her book, Immigrant Children Negotiate School: The Border in Our Hearts, grew out of her doctoral research on undocumented high school students. She taught at a K-12 bilingual school in Managua, Nicaragua, and also founded a study abroad program in Nicaragua for US college students. Donna has been involved in social justice issues in the Madison community for years and is currently a peacemaker with the Dane County Restorative Court.

  • Board Member

    President of the teachers’ unit for Madison Teachers Inc. A proud Special Educator, Mike has experience as a case manager, PBIS Coach, and Dean of Students at the middle and high school levels in Milwaukee, Middleton, and Madison. Mike’s work has also been recognized by the local chapter of the 100 Black Men of Madison, and he is a proud member of the Black Educators Network in Madison, Wisconsin.

  • Vice President & Treasurer

    An educator and editor since 1981. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Paul is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin Law School. He has seen the significant beneficial effect that Root 2 Rise has on all those who participate in it. Paul lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

  • Board Member

    Worked with the Allied Drive Neighborhood Association and Community Action Coalition. Sandra has written grants and received funding for afterschool and summer programming in Madison. As a Vista Worker, she advocated for women who were the heads of their households to increase their financial literacy and support their children's educational needs. Sandra has coordinated tutoring and coached girls basketball. She has been a special education assistant at West High School in Madison, Wisconsin since 2000.