Closing Keynote Presentation

Greg Gard, Head Basketball Coach, UW-Madison

A coaching veteran of more than 30 years, Greg Gard heads into his 11th season leading the Wisconsin men’s basketball program in 2025-26 and has proven himself to be one of the best head coaches in the Big Ten. A finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year in 2022, Gard has guided the Badgers to Big Ten regular season championships in two of the last six seasons. Gard was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in each of those title-winning campaigns (2020 and 2022). In 2016, Gard and his wife, Michelle, partnered with the University of the Wisconsin Foundation and the UW Carbone Cancer Center, to launch Garding Against Cancer. This fundraising initiative raises funds for cancer research and patient care within the state of Wisconsin. Since its inception, Garding Against Cancer has raised over $9 million as of May 2025 - including $750,000 alone at GAC's most recent signature fundraising event. Gard is a 1995 graduate of UW-Platteville with a degree in physical and health education. He received a master's degree in counselor education from Platteville in 2007. Gard and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Mackenzie and Peyton, and a son, Isaac.