WAFCA Staff

Kathy Markeland, Executive Director

Kathy joined the WAFCA staff in January 2007 bringing a diverse public policy and member services background. In 2019, she was selected to serve as Executive Director to guide the continued growth of the Association and increase member capacity to deliver outstanding human services that help Wisconsin’s children and families to achieve their full human potential.

Prior to joining WAFCA, Kathy served as an associate director for the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, the public policy voice for Wisconsin’s Roman Catholic bishops. In her eight years with the Conference, Kathy advocated on a wide range of issues from environmental matters to human concerns and health care policy. In addition, she followed state developments related to welfare reform, services for the vulnerable and state and local finance.

In her early career, Kathy spent seven years serving the Wisconsin Counties Association, providing both member support and public policy advocacy services to elected representatives on Wisconsin’s 72 county boards. Her experience with the counties introduced her to a wide range of county services and programs and advanced her knowledge of state and local funding relationships. Her policy focus included human services, nursing homes, county organization and environment and land use management.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Behavioral Science and Law in 1992 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Emily Coddington, Associate Director

Emily joined WAFCA in 2019 following nearly 20 years of child welfare experience, including direct service, supervisory, and management roles. Emily’s career has focused on supporting and advocating for children, youth, caregivers and parents, as well as those connected to the county, tribe, state and non-profit workforce.

For the past 5 years, Emily served as a Section Chief with the Department of Children and Families – first, with the Child Welfare Licensing Section and most recently with the Bureau of Youth Services. Emily also spent several years working on behalf of the non-profit sector and a county human services agency.

Emily obtained her Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Allyson Forseth, Behavioral Health Initiatives Coordinator

Prior to joining the WAFCA staff, Allyson dedicated her career to working with students. She worked for four years as a public high school Spanish teacher, followed by a year serving as the Assistant Director of a Madison-based education company. Throughout her life, she has worked and volunteered at various K-12 schools in the Madison area and has extensive experience in trauma-informed practices, providing academic and social-emotional support, developing curriculum, and presenting at regional and state education conferences. She is also bilingual (Spanish/English). As a coach and tutor for teens, Allyson continues her dedication to serving students both in and out of her work at WAFCA. 

Allyson is a proud first-generation college graduate. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015.