Aaron Sadoff, an alumnus of the Fond du Lac campus of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, has been recognized by the Fond du Lac chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association as their 2019 Badger of the Year.

A U.S. Army veteran who served during the Gulf War, Sadoff chose to attend the UW-Fond du Lac campus when he returned home from military service.

“My experience at UW-Fond du Lac was a great transition from the military to college life,” Sadoff said. “I was able to earn credits that transferred directly to UW-Madison and had great professors.”

He went on to complete a bachelor’s degree with a double major in secondary education and history at UW-Madison and a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Marian University. Today, he serves as the superintendent of the North Fond du Lac School District.

“Being Badger of the Year was an incredible and humbling honor,” Sadoff said. “Being part of the UW System and being able to use my experiences, learning and relationships that I built while at Fond du Lac and Madison made me the person I am today.”

Sadoff did his student teaching at Madison East High School. He then took his first full-time role at Manitowoc Lincoln High School before coming back to Fond du Lac in 2001. After working at both Fond du Lac High School and Bessie Allen Middle School, he was promoted to superintendent of the North Fond du Lac School District in 2009.

An active member of the local community, Sadoff is a member of the Fond du Lac Area Foundation Board of Directors. He was a featured speaker at TEDx in Fond du Lac with his topic “Happiness is the Greatest Technology.” The Wisconsin Association of School Districts named Sadoff the 2019 superintendent of the year. The group recognized his efforts to create a positive culture and focus on student’s happiness in the North Fond du Lac School District.

UW-Fond du Lac gave Sadoff a strong start to his college education and he was warmly welcomed back to the campus in 2017. As faculty and staff gathered to begin the fall semester, Sadoff set the tone for the campus’ academic year through his motivational presentation on creating a culture of happiness for those working in education.