Keynote Panel: Scientific Truth and Decision-making in an Autocracy: Healthcare, the Environment, and Climate

Thomas is a passionate advocate for natural areas preservation and served as an appointed member of Wisconsin’s Natural Areas Preservation Council. He is a founding member of the Green Lake Conservancy and a recipient of the Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Gathering Waters. During the growing season he collects, arranges, and photographs native plant portraits. He shares his home in Green Lake with his wife, Barb, and cat, Cricket.

Bart Adrian has been fascinated with the weather since his boyhood in the Chicago area. He majored in engineering science (applied mathematics) at Northwestern University, and then came to Wisconsin where he completed his M.S. (1981) in meteorology at UW-Madison.

In Madison, Bart became very interested in teaching and in youth ministry. After a one-year stint as a forecaster and occasional on-air meteorologist at WKOW-TV in Madison, he came to Milwaukee in 1982, joining the weather team at WITI-TV (FOX 6). His Milwaukee TV career lasted 28 years, but teaching was never forgotten. During his years at FOX 6, Bart taught meteorology to UW-Milwaukee undergraduates, and to elementary school students in the UWM “College for Kids” program. He also worked on certification as a high school earth science and math teacher, and gave literally hundreds of talks to elementary, middle school and high school students.

In 1991 Bart was honored by the Archbishop of Milwaukee as the first ever recipient of a “Vatican II Award” for service in communication. At the close of his TV career in 2010, he was recognized with a Public Service Award by the National Weather Service. And in 2015 he was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle.

Currently Bart teaches meteorology and mathematics at UW-Milwaukee. He also works part-time as a contract weather observer for the FAA at Milwaukee’s airport, and serves as President of the Greater Milwaukee Chapter of the American Meteorological Society. He remains involved in outreach programs for teenagers, and loves to encourage the study of history, science and mathematics. Above all, Bart will tell you that his most important roles in life are those of husband (to his wife Terri) and father (to their four sons).

Daniel Dwyer, PhD, is the Regional Director of Mission and Ethics for SSM Health Wisconsin. He is a healthcare executive, mission leader, ethicist, and educator with many years of experience with and service to healthcare systems, hospitals, primary care clinics, long-term care facilities, medical colleges, and physician groups. Teacher of ethics at college- and post-graduate levels. Developer and leader of ethics retreats and spirituality workshops for healthcare boards, executives, physicians, and nurses. His work with physicians has focused on their spiritual health and wellbeing. One of the programs he has co-facilitated with Sister Rhea Emmer CSA is Medicine in Search of Meaning, creates opportunities for dialogue between physicians striving to reclaim purpose in their personal and professional lives.  Dan has an undergraduate degree from Marquette University, a Master’s and Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Master’s in Theology from the Aquinas Institute, and a certificate in spiritual direction from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation.