Thumbnail of speaker Danielle Pulliam.

Speaker

Danielle Pulliam

Assistant Athletic Director, Leadership & Inclusion, Wisconsin Athletics Department, UW–Madison

Dr. Danielle Pulliam is the Assistant Athletic Director for the Leadership and Inclusion unit with the Wisconsin Athletics Department at UW–Madison. The unit, which supports all Badger student-athletes and staff, focuses on educating and empowering individuals through self-exploration, shared experiences, critical thought, and leadership development. Additionally, Dr. Pulliam leads the organization’s Community, Connection, and Belonging focus area as part of its strategic plan. Prior to joining UW–Madison, she led the Student-Athlete Services department at Loyola University Chicago where she was tasked with overseeing academic support, student-athlete development, and implementation of inclusive practices. A former Division I student-athlete herself, Dr. Pulliam earned a master’s degree in leadership and policy studies from the University of Memphis and an EdD in Global Sport Leadership from East Tennessee State University. 

Speaking in

Athletics and DDEEA Student Programs: Intentionally Building Community Across Campus

Day One: November 13, 2024 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Breakout Session Option 4

Using Howard Thurman’s philosophy of finding common ground based on shared experiences and self-exploration, the presenters will show how they intentionally created a relationship with each other and built a bridge from the Center for Educational Opportunity (CeO) to Athletics. Assistant Athletics Director Dr. Danielle Pulliam and CeO Director Dr. Julie Janiak will walk through their steps, including identifying a problem, creating potential solutions, and then bringing in partners and key stakeholders. Attendees will practice these steps and critically consider how they can apply this framework to their role and department. Howard Thurman believed, “…that meaningful and creative shared experiences shared between people can be more compelling than all of the faiths, fears, concepts, ideologies, and prejudices that divide; and if these experiences can be multiplied and sustained over a sufficient duration of time, then any barrier that separates one person from another can be undermined and eliminated.”

 

Session Objectives

  • Discuss ways to build relationships across campus  
  • Gain awareness of Howard Thurman’s philosophy and framework related to self-exploration and shared experiences  
  • Identify strategies to leverage resources and relationships across campus