Podcast Discussion Guest Facilitators Bio’s
Dr. Louis Macias
Dr. Louis Macias serves as the inaugural Executive Director for Recruitment, Diversity and Inclusion at the UW-Madison Police Department (UWPD). Spanning a 17-year career at the K-12 and higher education levels, Dr. Macias has led diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within various functional areas including but not limited to teaching, student enrollment, student success programs, academic advising and hiring/recruitment. Most recently, Dr. Macias spearheaded the development and early implementation of the UWPD’s Racial Equity Initiative, which aspires to identify, track and continuously define community-informed success metrics relative to policing at UW-Madison. Dr. Macias came to UW-Madison in 2015 from his hometown of Miami, Florida. He lives in the Madison area with his wife Jamie and two daughters, Sofia and Olivia.
Dani Barker
Dani Barker has over 10 years of experience in the field of social justice training and leadership education. Since earning a Master of Arts in College Student Development from the University of Arizona, she has worked at a number of institutions across the country in various functional areas in student affairs. Consistently, Dani has worked to develop curriculum for and facilitate leadership workshops, social justice retreats, trainings, and classes centered on leadership and social justice. She currently serves as the Associate Director for College Student Life Operations and Staff Development at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Garry Morgan
Garry Morgan serves as the Special Assistant for Inclusion and Diversity Education within the Office for Inclusion and Diversity at Auburn University. He is responsible for formulating and delivering a diversity, equity and inclusion learning strategy to inform and drive change and success consistent with the University’s mission, strategic priorities, and goals. Prior to Auburn, he has worked in multiple functional areas in both New York and North Carolina. Garry is a doctoral student in the Administration of Higher Education program at Auburn University but also has degrees in educational leadership and policy and clinical mental health.
Nalah McWhorter
Nalah McWhorter is a junior at UW-Madison studying Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the Wisconsin School of Business (WSB). She aspires to market in the music industry, and be a serial entrepreneur. She is currently in the process of launching her first business, Silk & Honey Skincare. She is a part of the first cohort of the Business Emerging Leaders (BEL) Program at the WSB. Nalah has dedicated her time at UW-Madison to meaningfully changing the racial climate. She has helped create the Wisconsin Black Initiative Fund, spearheaded the petition that motivated the WSB to begin creating a dedicated multicultural space that will be unveiled next semester, and is currently working with UW-Madison administration to explore the removal of racist monuments on campus.