The Barbara L. Jackson, Ed.D., Lecture: Educational Options and Systems to Support Equity in Urban Education, presented by Howard L. Fuller

Howard Fuller’s career includes many years in both public service positions and the field of education. Fuller is a Distinguished Professor of Education, and the founder/director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The mission of the Institute is to support exemplary education options that transform learning for children while empowering families, particularly low-income families, to choose the best options for their children.
Immediately before his appointment at Marquette University, Fuller served as the Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools from June 1991–June 1995. Fuller became nationally known for his unending support for fundamental educational reform.

His prior positions include director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services (1988–1991); dean of general education at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (1986–1988); secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations (1983–1986); and associate director of the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette University (1979–1983). He was also a senior fellow with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University (1995–1997).

Fuller received a B.S. in sociology from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 1962; an M.S.A. in social administration from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1964; and a Ph.D. in sociological foundations of education from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1986.

He has received numerous awards and recognition over the years, including four honorary doctoral degrees: a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carroll College in 1987, a Doctorate of Laws from Marian College in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, in 1992; a Doctorate of Business and Economics from Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1995; and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin.

Fuller currently serves as the chair of the board at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy. He also serves on the boards of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, the Milwaukee Region of Teach for America, the Milwaukee Charter School Advocates, and Education Cities. He is an advisory board member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the National Association for Charter School Authorizers.