Divisional All-Team

Becoming Better Together: Individual Skills, Team Impact

Great teamwork starts with individual skills. The day’s speakers will equip our team members with practical tools, skills, and techniques to become better collaborators. Through mindfulness techniques with meditation expert Chad McGehee and improv principles from Executive Director of PLACE Lisa Barker, DEM team members will learn concrete practices that strengthen how we listen to one another, partner across teams and units, and navigate challenges together—skills that improve our individual skills and our collective impact.

Key Objectives & Outcomes: 

  • Acquire and practice mindfulness techniques to navigate daily challenges and manage stress
  • Apply improv-based principles to strengthen team adaptability, collaboration,  and interpersonal agility 
  • Build cross-functional  relationships to deepen collaboration through interactive exercises
  • Develop actionable skills that can be applied immediately to enhance everyday work

All-Team Meeting Details

The Spring All-Team Meeting lunch & activities and the DEM Annual Gala will take place in the Memorial Union Great Hall.

Lunch

  • Beverages | Coffee and tea with decaf options, assorted bottled juice, and water
  • Buffet Lunch with Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Dairy-Free options available. Full menu will be available in March.

Spring All-Team Meeting Schedule Overview

Tuesday April 14, 2026

8 – 11am Departmental Breakouts

11:30am – 12:15pm Lunch

12:15 – 1:15pm Welcome, Speaker & Activity

1:15 – 1:30pm Break

1:30 – 2:45pm Speaker & Activity

2:45 – 3:00pm Announcements

3:00 – 3:30 Break

3:30 – 5:30pm DEM Gala

Departmental Breakouts

Each DEM department will be hosting unique All-Team spaces and activities to further engage team members. The Spring DEM All-Team Meeting will begin with the Departmental breakouts and the designated locations for each Office can be found below. Be on the lookout for more details from your units as the All-Team date approaches.

  • Office of Admissions & Recruitment: Great Hall, Memorial Union
  • Office of Student Financial Aid: OSFA Systems Area, 333 East Campus Mall
  • Office of the Registrar: 11301, 333 East Campus Mall

Speakers

Chad McGehee

Man in blue shirt leaning against a wall

Chad McGehee, M.A., M.Ed., became the first ever Director of Meditation Training in major college sports when he joined Wisconsin Athletics in March of 2020. In this role, he oversees all aspects of meditation training, collaborations and research.

McGehee provides trainings for staff, coaches, teams and individuals. He works closely with coaches, leadership and Forward360 colleagues to integrate meditation into the overall training for the Badgers.

Prior to joining Wisconsin Athletics, McGehee was based at the Center for Healthy Minds where he collaborated with world-leading scientists to understand the impacts of training the mind across a wide range of populations, K-12 educators, law enforcement officers and athletes. McGehee is currently an honorary affiliate of the Center.

McGehee’s philosophy is to bring together the insights from modern science and contemplative practice in order to train the mind for performance and well-being.

McGehee lives in Madison with his partner and their son.

Lisa Barker

Headshot of Lisa Barker

Lisa Barker is the Executive Director of PLACE, Affiliate Faculty in UW–Madison’s Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Theatre and Drama, and Project Director of School of Education Improvisation Initiatives.

She earned her doctorate in curriculum and teacher education from Stanford University and is interested in how the principles and practices of improvisational theatre can inform the work of educators.

Dr. Barker taught English education at Stanford, SUNY New Paltz, and Towson University. She also served as Director of Education for Adventure Stage Chicago and Manager of CUNY Creative Arts Team’s Center for Educational Drama where she helped launch the first M.A. in Applied Theatre in the United States.

Dr. Barker began her career as an English, reading, and drama teacher at James Lick High School in San Jose, CA.

Venue Information

The 2026 DEM All-Team Meeting will be held in Great Hall, on the fourth level of Memorial Union located at 800 Langdon St.

Quiet Room

The Council Room will be available during the day if team members need a quiet space.

ADA-Accessible and Gender-Inclusive Restrooms

Lower Level by Wheelhouse studios: This bathroom is actually a work of art, with a beautiful mural in it. Wheelchair accessible.

1st Floor in Shannon Hall outer lobby: There are two larger bathrooms just across from Sunset Lounge, both of which are wheelchair accessible (and very nice). There is a teeny-tiny bathroom around the corner that is not wheelchair accessible.

3rd floor. Room 3308B. Not wheelchair accessible.

4th Floor across from Council Room: This is a HUGE bathroom with a baby changing station. Wheelchair accessible.

Health and Safety

  • We welcome you to wear a high-quality mask, especially to support attendees who may be immunocompromised or live with those who are immunocompromised.

Parking and Directions

  • The following lots are controlled at all times, 24/7 and require a UW annual parking permit or payment at the gated exit.  
    • Check here for parking availability on the morning of Tuesday, April 14.  
    • Here is an interactive campus map to locate public parking and other facilities. The closest lots are:
      • Lot 6, Helen C. White library
      • Lot 7, Grainger Hall Garage, 325 N. Brooks St.
      • Lot 46, 301 N. Lake St.
      • Lot 83, Fluno Center, 314 N. Frances St.

FAQs

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The expectation is that team members will be in-person for the entire workday and attend activities planned by DEM as well as their unit.

Some units may have different expectations for attendance at the DEM Annual Awards Gala. Check with your unit lead for guidance specific to your office. Generally, it is highly encouraged that DEM team members consider joining in the celebration of the accomplishments and achievements of colleagues and close partners. Food will be provided for the Gala and more information on the awards can be found here.

No. This expectation only applies to University Staff (US), Academic Staff (AS) and Limited (LI) team members.

Temporary Employees (CJ, TE), Graduate Assistants (PA, GA) and Student Hourlies (SH) are highly encouraged to attend, however, are not required. Remote Readers are considered Temporary Employees.

No. We understand that team members may have already made plans to be off for one or both of those days. Team leads should not pressure or require team members to adjust their plans.

There may be essential core responsibilities that need to be completed and may require some team members to miss the DEM events and other engagement and development activities. Examples include mission-related events such as hosting an Admissions info session, or their role engages with the public. Please discuss with your team lead if you believe you need to miss some of these activities.

The following are approved exceptions to the in-person expectation. If the team member…

  • …is traveling to accomplish a business need (e.g. conference, college fair, etc.)
  • …has an approved Remote Work Agreement AND remote work is for a business need (e.g. regional recruiter) AND the unit approved the exception
  • …is part of a team addressing an emergency situation related to a service DEM provides (e.g. SIS outage, etc.)
  • …has a medical accommodation to work remotely
  • …has team lead approval to use leave for that day
  • …followed unit sick leave protocol for an approved sick leave absence reason
  • …determines there are safety concerns that are addressed in the Inclement Weather Policy.

Team members are expected to cover travel related costs to be in-person for these days, including transportation, lodging, meals not provided by DEM, etc. Team members, although personally covering the cost of lodging and/or flights, are permitted to use Concur for flights/hotels, request a state rate for lodging and request tax exemption.

We fully expect that most meals will be provided throughout the in-person days.

Units are only approved to cover the following expenses:

  • Travel related costs for team members with an approved Remote Work Agreement AND remote work is for a business need (e.g. regional recruiter).