Kate Ullman

WCLC Co-Chair

Kate Ullman is Executive Director of the Legislative Semester.  She is a former Social Studies teacher and lifelong educator who is passionate about democracy and civic engagement.  Kate began her career teaching Government, History, International Relations, and Economics at Middleton High School, and later worked in the Teacher Education program at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.  She specializes in curriculum writing and professional development for civics education.  Kate holds a BA in International Relations from Stanford University, and a MS in Applied Economics from UW-Madison.

Michael Blauw

WCLC Co-Chair

Michael Blauw is the Director of Civic Learning and Strategic Partnerships at the Center for Civic Education, and Co-Chair of the Wisconsin Civic Learning Coalition.  Michael is a former social studies teacher. He graduated from Hope College with a BA in political science and Secondary Education. He then taught English in Malaysia as a Fulbright Scholar. Once back in the United States, he taught several years of government, AP government, and English in his home state of Michigan and Nashville, Tennessee. He then attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education and worked at Harvard’s Center for Ethics managing programs in educational ethics and civic education. He most recently worked for Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction as an education policy consultant. He, his wife, and his newborn son live in Madison, Wisconsin, and enjoy hiking, kayaking, fishing, most sports, and obviously, cheese curds.

Debra Cronmiller

Debra Cronmiller is the Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. Before serving in this role, she worked in State government for the Department of Workforce Development and the Department of Children and Families. She started her career in nonprofit management assisting adults with disabilities to enter the workforce and provide shelter and services to people experiencing homelessness. She is currently a director on the Community Shares of Wisconsin Board. Debra is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Lindsey Draper 

Lindsey D. Draper’s legal career spanned 30 years and included work as a Circuit Court Commissioner, Assistant State Public Defender, and Assistant District Attorney with primary assignments being at Milwaukee County’s Children’s Court Center.  He oversaw Wisconsin’s adherence to the mandates of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) as the state’s Disproportionate Minority Contact Coordinator and Compliance Monitor until his retirement in 2014.  Lindsey currently serves on a number of boards and commissions, and is the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Institute for Well-Being in Law.  His work in education includes serving as Chairman of the Wisconsin State Bar Law-Related Education, as well as advising high school mock trail, and providing civics professional development through the Center for Civic Education for teachers across the country.  

Kevin Miller

Kevin Miller spent more than 30 years working in K-12 education as a teacher and administrator as well as a consultant with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. He served over 37 years in the Army Reserve and National Guard retiring as a colonel in 2023. He wrote a book on reinventing education titled Know Power, Know Responsibility and currently serves as a volunteer Wisconsin Task Force leader of Veterans for Political Innovation.

Abby Pfisterer

Abby Pfisterer is the Director of PK-12 Education at the Wisconsin Historical Society. She leads the education program and strategy for the society and plays a key role in the development of the new Wisconsin history center. Abby has fifteen years of experience working in formal classroom and informal learning settings at museums and historic sites, focusing on the application of inquiry, civics, and inclusion in museum settings. Abby holds Bachelor’s degrees in History Education and Political Science from Colorado State University, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Sustainability at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, focusing on the role of history museums in fostering equity and engagement through education. 

Gwendolyn Topping

Gwendolyn “Gwen” Topping is an Associate Judge for the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Court. Since 2019 she has served as the President of the Wisconsin Tribal Judges, and is currently the Co-Chair of the Race, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Wisconsin Coordinated Community Justice Task Force. Topping also Co-Chairs the Wisconsin State-Tribal Justice Forum. Prior to her role as a tribal judge, Topping spent ten years working with the Bad River and Red Cliff Indian Child Welfare departments as a Case Manager and Guardian ad Litem. She has a degree in Broad Field Social Studies with a minor in History.