Serving as Montello School District Superintendent in rural Wisconsin has provided Marggie Banker with a multitude of leadership opportunities ranging from establishing a comprehensive cycle of district improvement, marketing and passing referendums after two decades of failed attempts, instituting restorative practices around behavior and discipline to learning to drive a school bus. The vibrancy of rural education lends itself to close relationships with students, staff and families, and the distance between a promising practice, giving it a go and determining impact is short! During her two and a half decades working on behalf of public school students and families, she has served as a senior leader in a large urban Wisconsin school district providing her with the chops to identify and disrupt disparities, she has experience as a principal, library media specialist and high school English teacher and athletic coach/advisor in a suburban setting where she built her reputation on strong relationships and a relentless commitment to remove barriers to student achievement.

Marggie is an alumni and self proclaimed super fan of University of Wisconsin-Madison. She credits her undergraduate and graduate experiences as cultivators of her imperative for social justice in her career ladder of school leadership. She completed her doctoral degree in educational leadership at Edgweood College in Madison, Wisconsin where her dissertation research focused on alternative modes to educational design after noticing the many students who were not thriving in a “traditional” high school seven period day learning sequence.

The last remaining evidence of Marggie’s childhood in northern Illinois is her appreciation of the Chicago Bears (and maybe a good Italian beef sandwich). She admits that no one is a fair weather Bears fan. It’s simply an act of courage and a head nod to Walter Payton, the greatest running back of all time.

Marggie enjoys spending time outdoors, gardening, cross-country skiing, canoeing and hiking with her bird dog, kids and partner. She finds that nature gives her the comfort and inspiration of ecosystems, interdependence, adaptation and resiliency.S