Dr. Heidi Bostic is dean of the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education. She is committed to fostering interdisciplinary innovation; promoting the success of faculty, staff and students; and advocating for diversity and inclusion.

Since joining the Marquette community in May 2020, Bostic has co-chaired the University Economic Planning Work Group on Administrative Structures, secured significant donor support for the college, engaged in strategic visioning, and supported research, public-facing work and high-impact student opportunities. She has been inducted as an honorary member into the Jesuit honor society Alpha Sigma Nu and Phi Beta Kappa Zeta of Wisconsin chapter. She has developed and taught interdisciplinary courses, including a section of the Marquette Core Curriculum culminating course on the Service of Faith and Promotion of Justice. During 2021–22 she co-chaired Marquette’s Ignatian Year.

Howard Fuller’s career includes many years in both public service positions and the field of education. He founded the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in 1995. In June of 2020, Dr. Fuller retired from Marquette University where he is now a distinguished professor emeritus.

Immediately before his appointment at Marquette University, Dr. Fuller served as the superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools June 1991 - June 1995. Dr. Fuller became nationally known for his unending support for fundamental educational reform.

His prior positions included: director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services 1988 -1991; dean of general education at the Milwaukee Area Technical College 1986 - 1988; secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations 1983 - 1986; and associate director of the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette University 1979 - 1983. He was also a senior fellow with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University 1995 - 1997.

Dr. Fuller received his bachelor's degree in sociology from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis., in 1962; master's degree in social administration from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1964, and his doctorate degree in sociological foundations of education from Marquette University, Milwaukee,  in 1986.

He has received numerous awards and recognition over the years, including four honorary doctorate degrees: Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carroll College in 1987; Doctorate of Laws from Marian College, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin in 1992; Doctorate of Business and Economics from Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1995. Doctorate of Humane Letters from Edgewood College, Edgewood College, Madison Wis. He was also honored as the distinguished alumnus of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences Case Western Reserve University in 2020.

He serves on the board of Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy and Wisconsin Independent Charter School Advocates. He is also a member of the Charter School Hall of Fame of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools; the Athletic Hall of Fame at North Division High School and Carroll University; and the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

His memoir, No Struggle No Progress was published in 2014.

Maya Payne Smart is a parent educator, literacy advocate, and the author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six (Avery/Penguin Random House). Her website, MayaSmart.com, publishes new book lists, literacy activities, and other free family resources weekly to help parents play their dual roles as first teachers and educational advocates. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in social studies with honors from Harvard University. She serves as affiliated faculty in Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at Marquette University.

Gabriel Velez, Ph.D., is an assistant professor and developmental psychologist in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership (EDPL) in the College of Education at Marquette University. He also serves as the Faculty Director of the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub at Marquette, and the chair of the Faculty Research team for the Center for Peacemaking. Dr. Velez studies identity development in adolescents, particularly in relation to civic development, human rights, and peace, including young people’s understandings and responses to peace education and restorative practices in their schools.

Dr. Velez has published extensively on youth and restorative justice and peace education, including co-editing Restorative Justice: Promoting Peace and Wellbeing as part of the Springer Peace Psychology Book Series and a current book in development entitled Making Meaning of Justice and Peace: A Developmental Lens to Restorative Justice and Peace Education with Cambridge University Press. He is the 2022 recipient of Division 48 of the APA’s Ed Cairns Early Career Award. He received a bachelor's degree in history and literature from Harvard University, and master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Chicago in comparative human development. 

Cynthia Ellwood is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership (EDPL) and the coordinator of the Marquette University Educational Leadership Program. Having served the children and families of the Milwaukee Public Schools as a teacher, chief academic officer, principal, and regional superintendent for 29 years, she is now devoted to preparing educators from all school sectors for the demanding and meaningful work of school and district leadership. Her research and teaching focus on leading systemic transformation for equity. She is currently collaborating with EDPL colleague Dr. Sharon Chubbuck on a University of Chicago book, A Fight Worth Having: One School’s Unflinching Struggle for Racial Justice (anticipated 2024). The project received funding from the Spencer Foundation.

Ellwood earned a bachelor's degree in communications, a master's degree in American History, and in education, and a doctorate degree in the social sciences of education, all from Stanford University. She was a founding editor of Rethinking Schools: An Urban Educational Journal. She served as co-Principal I\investigator of a six-year $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation focused on advancing equity and opportunity in K-12 mathematics and science, among many other funded projects. For her leadership, she was awarded the Norman H. Gill Award for Individual Excellence, named a Master Urban Principal and Wallace Foundation Fellow, and featured in "Principals Who Make a Difference" on Milwaukee Public Television. She collaborates pro bono on multiple equity leadership initiatives with the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Robert Lowe is a historian of education who began his career as a faculty member at Miles College, a historically Black institution in Fairfield, Ala. He subsequently worked for nearly a decade in Marquette University’s Educational Opportunity Program and spent the last 20 years of his career as a professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership at Marquette. His research has focused on matters of race, class, and educational equity in historical perspective. He is co-author of the award-winning Public Schools in Hard Times: The Great Depression and Recent Years (Harvard University Press) and co-editor of Rethinking Schools: An Agenda for Change (The New Press). His scholarly articles have been published in the Harvard Educational Review, American Journal of Education, Educational Researcher, Teachers College Record, Educational Theory, History of Education Quarterly, and Journal of Social History, many in collaboration with Harvey Kantor. Other writing by Lowe has been published in Education Week, Rethinking Schools, Dissent, Monthly Review, and Race Traitor. He was a founding editor of Rethinking Schools, an editor of Educational Foundations, and has served on the editorial boards of the American Educational Research Journal, History of Education Quarterly, and Educational Theory.

Lowe has an bachelor's degree in history from the University of California-Berkeley, an EdM from Harvard University, a master's degree in history from Stanford University, and a doctorate degree in the history of American education from Stanford. Dr. Lowe’s honors include the Distinguished Book in Education Award, the John P. Raynor Award for Teaching Excellence, the Outstanding Service Award from the students of the Educational Opportunity Program, the Marquette Faculty All-Star Award, a National Academy of Education/Spencer Post-Doctoral Fellowship, and others.

An Ignatian Lenten Retreat in Daily Life, or otherwise known as The Busy Person’s Retreat, can be completed on your own time from your home or office and is flexible enough to work around any seeker’s schedule. This Lenten Retreat will focus on scripture readings and prayer from the Spiritual Exercises. You don’t need to be an experienced pray-er or experienced in Ignatian Retreats or Ignatian Spirituality.

For this retreat you need:
• a desire to know yourself and Jesus more deeply
• a willingness to set aside 15 minutes or more each day for prayer
• a willingness to read scripture as assigned
• an openness to journaling about your prayer as you desire
• spiritual conversation with a spiritual director as you desire

This online retreat begins the first Sunday of Lent and continues through Holy Week and the first week of Easter. The retreat includes weekly readings and four virtual sessions where you will have the opportunity to engage with the retreat director and fellow alumni participants. The virtual sessions will be from noon until 1:00 p.m. CT via Zoom every other Wednesday during the span of the retreat (March 1, 15, 29 and April 12). Sign-up for the virtual sessions will be shared after you register for the retreat.

Your retreat director is Dr. Kathy Coffey-Guenther, Arts '85, Grad '88, '98, senior advancement officer for alumni spirituality. Kathy has a doctorate in counseling psychology from Marquette and a graduate certificate in spiritual direction from the Aquinas Institute for Theology with a specialty in Ignatian Spirituality. In addition to working for years in clinical practice, Kathy has served Marquette in a number or roles including as the associate director of the Faber Center for Ignatian Spirituality, the director of Ignatian Programs in the Office of Mission and Ministry, and as the associate vice president of the Office of Mission and Ministry at Marquette. Additionally, Kathy serves as a spiritual director for the National Magis Retreat team for the AJCU and is a consultant to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and several religious orders and congregations in the Midwest.

This retreat is complimentary, but a gift of $40 is suggested.
All tax-deductible gifts will benefit the Bridge to the Future Scholarship Fund, which provides financial aid assistance for students whose changing economic circumstances threaten their ability to continue their Marquette education; it can be used for room and board, travel expenses, tuition and more.

Dr. Jacob Capin, assistant professor of physical therapy and director of the Life After Sport Trajectories (LAST) Lab at Marquette University, is a clinician-scientist driven to advance rehabilitation and health outcomes through exercise, behavior change, and other non-surgical, non-pharmacologic interventions. Inspired by playing NCAA basketball and rehabilitating athletes after traumatic knee injury, Jacob’s research goal is to improve musculoskeletal function, cardiometabolic health, and overall wellness across the lifespan of former athletes. He was awarded an NIH Director’s Early Independence Award to investigate two potential determinants (prior injury and sedentary behavior) of poor long-term health in former athletes (DP5-OD031833).

Prior to joining Marquette, Jacob graduated summa cum laude from Christopher Newport University with a BS in psychology. He then completed an MS in anatomy and clinical health sciences, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and PhD in biomechanics and movement sciences from the University of Delaware through an NIH-funded, dual-degree DPT/PhD training program (T32-HD007490 and F30-HD096830). His PhD work focused on improving outcomes and reducing osteoarthritis among athletes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Dr. Capin next completed postdoctoral training as an Advanced Geriatrics Fellow in the Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center and at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (F32-AG066274).

When Jacob is not teaching or conducting research, he enjoys volunteering as a USA Triathlon Certified Coach and competing as a member of the Every Man Jack Triathlon Team. He also likes trail running, backpacking, cooking, traveling, music, and swimming in Lake Michigan.

Kareeda Chones-Aguam, Comm ’98, is in her 24th season with the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum, as the senior vice president of Partner Strategy and Management. She leads a team responsible for managing and retaining 70+ marketing partnerships for the Milwaukee Bucks including working closely with the management team in the construction and development of the new 500M Deer District in downtown Milwaukee. The partnership revenue line has quadrupled during her leadership.

In addition to her position with the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum, Chones Aguam has also been a free-lance voice talent artist for over 20 years as the voice of numerous radio and television commercials, television programs, and professional employee videos for various clients throughout the city and across the country including Milwaukee Bucks' Basketball, and her most recent project as the Voice of Fiserv Forum! Chones Aguam was formerly the TV host of the Marquette Women's Basketball Coach's Show, Marquette Women's Basketball TV Color Analyst, and on-air voice talent on Milwaukee's Smooth Jazz 106.9. Chones Aguam is excited to launch Aguama Productions LLC. in 2023!

A graduate of Marquette University and four-year letter winner of the Marquette Women's Basketball Team, Kareeda majored in PR along with a minor in Spanish. Kareeda also is engaged in the community serving on the Board of Directors for Penfield Children's Center of Wisconsin, Froedtert Health Board of Directors in addition to her role on the Board Directors for Hunger Task Force. Past board positions include African American Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Committee member Employ Milwaukee Board and the Women's Fund Board of Greater Milwaukee.

In 2016 Chones Aguam was awarded the Marquette Athletic Department Young Alumnae of the Year Award. In June 2019 Kareeda was celebrated as one of the Milwaukee Business Journal's Women of Influence 2019 for mentorship and honored as one of the 2019 Milwaukee Magazine's Women of Distinction, most recently, Kareeda was selected as a Sports Business Journal's distinguished "Game Changer Recipient- Class of 2020".

In addition to her responsibilities in the office, arena, studio, and community, Kareeda and her husband Ryan reside in Menomonee Falls and are the parents of daughter Averie (11) and son Carter (8).

Lindsey Mirkes, H Sci ’21, Grad ’22, MS, is a recent graduate from Marquette University's Exercise and Rehabilitation Science Master's program, and previously earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical science and minor in psychology in 2021. Lindsey was a member of the Marquette Women's Track and Field Team from 2017-2022 and holds the school record for the Outdoor High Jump. She is a three-time NCAA Regional qualifier and two-time MVP award winner. She is now working full-time as a Research Technician in the Life After Sport Trajectories (LAST) Lab. With her passion for athletics, experience with research, and background in health sciences, she is excited to be involved with valuable research to improve the long-term health in athletes.

Dr. Carolyn Smith, a family medicine physician specializing in musculoskeletal conditions, and is an associate clinical professor at Marquette University in the College of Health Sciences. In 2003 she was named medical team physician for the Marquette University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, a position she still holds. Her interests include bone health and sports injury prevention and treatment in the female athlete. She has expertise in running medicine and a special interest in the endurance athlete.

An avid runner, Dr. Smith ran cross-country and track for the University of Wisconsin and participated in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. She is a national age-group record holder and former 100K and 24-hour national ultramarathon champion. She has been a member of the USA Track and Field 100K National Team on seven occasions and the 24-Hour National Team on two occasions.

Taylor Wolf is a doctor of physical therapy student at Marquette University and recently retired NCAA Division I volleyball standout. Prior to coming to Marquette in 2021, Taylor earned her Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in psychology and human biology.

She had an accomplished volleyball career, where she led the entire nation in triple-doubles in her final season at Marquette. She was also recognized as a four-time All-American, three-timePlayer of the Year, along with many offensive and defensive player awards while leading her teams to numerous conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances. In addition to her DPT course load, Taylor has worked as a website and graphic designer for several research labs as a member of the exercise and rehabilitation science program at Marquette.

Outside of school and volleyball, Taylor loves to spend time on the lake with family and friends, hiking, baking, and enjoying new foods with her travels. Taylor is looking forward to growing her knowledge and experience in physical therapy and learning from many of her teammates on the LAST lab team.

James Wright believes that a good coach can change a game, but a great coach can change a life. His aim is to inspire athletes to reach their highest potential on and off the court. Since beginning to coach basketball and track in 2006, James has won a combined total of 11 state titles. His passion for coaching stems from his personal basketball and track careers in which, as a player and a coach, he has won a total of nine state championships in basketball. He was awarded coach of the year in 2018. Among his many other achievements, while in high school, James ranked third on the Wisconsin State Honor Roll for the 100-meter dash.

In addition, James has won three Horizon League championships and in 2005, while serving as his team’s captain, James played a pivotal role in helping the Milwaukee Panthers reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
While James’ athletic career is top tier, the work that he does in the community is just as impressive. James has received several awards for his community service. In 2022, he received the Milwaukee Bucks Community Hero Award and in 2010, was bestowed the privilege of having the James Wright Special Recognition Award, named in his honor. Presented by the UWM Athletic Board, the James Wright Special Recognition Award is given to a student-athlete who has demonstrated significant commitment and dedication, having faced and overcome adversity, while exemplifying the spirit and integrity of athletic success and academic achievement.

Additionally, James’ service to our community is extended through his mentorship of youth at-risk as well as to student athletes who are facing similar challenges as he did as a child. As an educator, James has developed and taught a life skills curriculum which addresses anger and behavioral management, teamwork and cooperation, communication, and conflict management skills.
James currently serves as a Special Education Teacher at Shorewood High School. He is the Head Coach for the Shorewood High Girls Basketball team and is an assistant coach for the track team where in 2022, they captured Division 2 titles in both the girls and boys state championships.

Chief amongst his highest honors, James prides himself on being a warm and devoted husband and father. He and his wife Erica are the blessed parents of two sets of twins. Erian and James III are six years old and Emerie and Jordyn are one year old. James’ family, friends, and teammates characterize him as a strong and confident leader who is also extremely humble, funny, dedicated, supportive, noble, and above all, loving. In his spare time, James enjoys fishing, playing basketball, and spending time with his family. He holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.