Bio

Dr. Barbara Sramek has been serving children within Wisconsin public schools for more than four decades. Dr. Sramek is regarded as a passionate educator, a visionary, compassionate, collaborative, and innovative leader, who keeps children at the fore of her decisions. Dr. Sramek began her career as an elementary education teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools. She then served as a special education teacher at Lightfoot School in Sheboygan Falls, WI, where she taught students with significant emotional and behavioral disorders in a self-contained, segregated setting. Following her tenure there, Dr. Sramek initiated an inclusive program for students with emotional and behavior disorders in the Kohler Public Schools. After nineteen years as a classroom teacher and teacher leader, Dr. Sramek accepted a position as the Director of Pupil Services and Special Education at the Marshall (WI) Schools. At the conclusion of the 2017-18 school year, after 16 years of service, Dr. Sramek retired from the Marshall Public Schools as the District Administrator (superintendent) and Director of Special Education. Dr. Sramek has not only been interested in improving the schools and districts she has served, she works to make the profession better. Dr. Sramek has been a frequent presenter at the local, state, national, and international level. In addition to her service to public schools, Dr. Sramek has served as an adjunct faculty member and lecturer, working to leverage influence and inspire future educational leaders at the classroom, building, and district level. In 2019, she accepted an appointment as a Clinical Professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis Department at UW Madison. Dr. Sramek has been active in many professional and academic associations and has held a variety of leadership positions throughout her career. In addition to growing the next generation of school leaders, she serves as the Director of Professional Development and Member Services for the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA).