We the People:
National Symposium on Civic Education Research

Scott Abbott is a Policy Scientist and Assistant Director of the Delaware Center for Civics Education at the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration. Scott supports civics and social studies education throughout the state of Delaware and beyond by designing curriculum, providing professional development to educators, consulting on statewide assessments, and managing partnerships and initiatives in support of civics education. He also teaches pre-service educators as an adjunct instructor at the University of Delaware. Scott serves as the higher education representative on the Delaware Professional Standards Board, as Executive Secretary of the Council of State Social Studies Specialists (CS4), and as a Delaware representative on the Board of Directors for the Middle States Council for the Social Studies. Previously, Scott worked for over 10 years as Director of K-12 Social Studies at the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). He began his career as a high school social studies teacher at Myers Park High School in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (NC), spent time as a Program Director for Teach For America, and instructional coach for Friendship Public Charter Schools, and taught as an adjunct instructor at Wingate University (NC) and American University (DC).

Eric Alvarez is an accomplished educator with 20+ years of demonstrated excellence in teaching, mentoring, and educational leadership in a K-12 public school setting. He is a PhD candidate at Arizona State University, and his research centers on pedagogy that nurtures the development of civic identities. He has been involved with We the People since 2017.

Michelle Argent has taught at Baltimore Lab School for eight years. A career changer who moved from professional theatre to the classroom, she uses her unique background to help students view civics through creative, hands-on experiences. With an M.Ed. in Special Education and triple licensure in Special Education, Theatre, and Music, Michelle strives to build an inclusive space where the arts aren't just an "extra"—they are a primary tool for helping students find their voice in our democracy.

Dr. Tara Bartlett is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching and Learning Innovation. Her work centers on student voice practices, public policy, and democratic innovation with youth and in K-12 school communities. Drawing on her 14 years as a Title I middle school educator in Arizona, Tara researches and teaches on citizenship education, participatory governance, and the significance of youth and family voices in school decision-making processes.

Tara has led and supported civic education initiatives locally and globally—including Project Citizen, Kids Voting, and the Educating for American Democracy project—and currently serves as Co-Director of the Arizona Civic Coalition. Internationally, Tara has collaborated on cross-cultural civic engagement programs through the U.S. Department of State.

Tara has published widely on youth activism, civic learning, and participatory democracy in leading academic journals and edited volumes, including Constructive Conflict Pedagogies for Building Democratic Peace (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025), and co-edited Educating for Democracy: The Case for Participatory Budgeting in Schools. (Edward Elgar, 2024). An Arizona native and proud localist, she enjoys hiking, exploring local restaurants, and volunteering in her community, where she lives with her partner and three rescue pets.

Michael Blauw is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Impact at the Center for Civic Education. He is a proud alumnus of the Center’s flagship program, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. The program ignited in him a passion for political science and philosophy, eventually leading him to become an educator. He graduated from Hope College as a certified social studies teacher with a B.A. in political science. He then taught English in Malaysia as a Fulbright Scholar (where he met his wife). Once back in the United States, he taught several years of government, AP government, English, and, of course, We the People in his home state of Michigan and in Nashville, Tennessee. He then attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education and worked at Harvard’s Center for Ethics managing programs in educational ethics and civic education. He most recently worked for Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction as an education policy consultant. He, his wife, and his two boys live in Madison, Wisconsin, and enjoy hiking, kayaking, fishing, most sports, and, obviously, cheese curds.

David Campbell is the Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy and the director of the Notre Dame Democracy Initiative. His research focuses on civic and political engagement, with particular attention to religion and young people. Campbell’s most recent book is See Jane Run: How Women Politicians Matter for Young People (with Christina Wolbrecht). Among his other books is Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics (with Geoff Layman and John Green), which received the Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (with Robert Putnam), winner of the award from the American Political Science Association for the Best Book on Government, Politics, or International affairs. His work has also appeared in a variety of scholarly journals including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and Journal of Politics. In addition, he has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and—every political scientist’s dream—Cosmopolitan.

Michael Colatruglio is a social studies teacher in Charles County, Maryland. He is a National Board Certified Teacher with a commitment to inquiry-based instruction, civic education, and student-centered learning. Michael is pursuing a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction, with a focus on the development of ethical AI policy in education. His work centers on supporting teachers and school systems in thoughtfully integrating emerging technologies.

Zachary Cote is executive director of Thinking Nation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering every student with the skills and dispositions necessary for civic and life success. His writings on social studies education have appeared in Edsurge, Edweek, and The Fulcrum. He hosts Thinking Nation’s podcast, Thinking Historically About and blogs at thinkingnation.org/blog.

Rachel Davison Humphries is a civic educator and institutional leader committed to the moral and intellectual foundations of a free society. She serves as Senior Director of Civic Learning at the Bill of Rights Institute, where she advances civic education grounded in constitutional principles, ethical reasoning, and the habits of self-governance.

Rachel has led philosophically rich programs in diverse educational settings, including elite independent schools, rural settings, and international contexts, from elementary to college levels. Her work centers on Socratic inquiry, civil discourse, and the formation of judgment—preparing students not only to understand democratic institutions, but to participate in them responsibly.

She holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the Great Books program at St. John’s College, an Adolescent Teaching Diploma from the Association Montessori Internationale, and an M.S. in Learning Design and Technology from Georgetown University. Across her writing and leadership, she advocates for learning environments as formative civic spaces that honor individual agency while cultivating the shared responsibilities of self-governance.

Zarek Drozda is the Director of Data Science 4 Everyone. Zarek helped launch DS4E in 2019, co-organizing a coalition of now 3000+ education leaders to advance data science and data literacy education in K-12 schools. Zarek has worked at the intersection of applied research, data, and policy. He served as a Data Science Fellow for the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), where he led research on data science, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other emerging technology education. While working at the Federal level, Zarek also advised the national COVID response, coordinating data analytics for an inter-agency team between the White House, Department of Education, and Center for Disease Control (CDC). Prior to Federal service, Zarek helped build a social impact incubator (the Center for RISC) with economist and Freakonomics co-author Steven Levitt. Zarek earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Chicago, and loves using data to tackle complex social problems.

Amanda Fay is a secondary social studies educator with over nine years of experience teaching Civics and Economics, and U.S. History at the middle school level. She currently teaches at Berkeley Middle School in Williamsburg–James City County Public Schools, where she also serves as Social Studies Lead Teacher and Student Council Faculty Sponsor. Amanda is passionate about civic education, student leadership, and creating engaging, inclusive learning environments.

Dr. Michael Feldman works at the Delaware Department of Education supporting statewide social studies curriculum, instruction, and professional learning. Previously, he worked with the University of Delaware’s Professional Development Center for Educators, supporting social studies instruction through coaching and collaborative planning. He also serves as an adjunct instructor in the University of Delaware’s teacher preparation programs. His professional background includes experience as a high school teacher and instructional coach, with expertise in historical thinking, disciplinary literacy, culturally responsive pedagogy, and civics education.

Ed Fickley holds a doctorate in education from the University of Tennessee, a master's degree in education from Tennessee Technological University, and a bachelor of arts in history from Bryan College. He is also an adjunct professor at Bryan College where he teaches numerous education courses for both their undergraduate and graduate programs. He has taught middle and high school social studies in Tennessee for 35 years, and Dr. Fickley was named the 2023 Tennessee Social Studies teacher of the year. He has facilitated professional developments for the Tennessee Association of Middle Schools, the Association of Middle Level Educators, the State of Tennessee, and the Center for Civic Education. He has been a mentor and trainer for the Tennessee Center for Civic Learning and Engagement for over 15 years where he has led workshops engaging teachers in both Project Citizen and the We the People programs.

Brenna Gerhardt is the Executive Director of The Study ND, formerly Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit organization dedicated to lifelong learning, civic dialogue, and the humanities as a public good. She leads the organization’s reimagining to meet the needs of a changing civic and cultural landscape, with a focus on local Study Clubs, scholar-led programming, civil discourse, and accessible humanities education across North Dakota. Brenna has built a statewide and emerging national reputation for creating spaces where people engage thoughtfully across differences, leading initiatives such as Brave Conversations, We the People civics education programs, public humanities partnerships, and America 250 commemorative programming. Her work centers intellectual curiosity, humility, and good-faith engagement as essential democratic practices, and she brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, governance, and strategic planning. Brenna holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, with a focus on ethics, religion, and public life, and lives in North Dakota with her family.

Dr. Giersch is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He teaches courses on American politics, research methods, state and local politics, politics & film, and education policy. He is also the associate director of the university’s Public Policy PhD program. His research focuses on education policy, specifically the areas of school choice, high-stakes testing, segregation, and civic education, as well as political ideology and how it affects individuals’ interpretations of messages in various contexts. Prior to joining the faculty at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Giersch taught in public, private, and charter high schools. He also taught at the college level in Pennsylvania and in Nairobi, Kenya. He has served on the boards of the North Carolina Association for Research in Education and the North Carolina Political Science Association and is currently on the Board of Directors of Bradford Prep, a charter school in North Carolina.

Verneé Green is the Chief Executive Officer of Mikva Challenge, a national civic education nonprofit which has engaged over 300,000 youth in its mission of developing youth to be empowered, informed and active civic leaders who will promote a just and equitable society. Verneé Green has 30 years of experience in the education and nonprofit sectors. She joined the Illinois staff of Mikva Challenge in 2018 and became the National CEO in 2021. Verneé holds a Bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and a Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Verneé is a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago and in 2022 was a recipient of the Beacon Award, a recognition from The CAFE Group’s 1954 Project which honors the impact of Black leaders across the education ecosystem.

Robert M. Groves serves as Interim President at Georgetown University.

Dr. Groves held the position of Executive Vice President and Provost from 2012 through 2024. He is also the Gerard J. Campbell, S.J. Professor in the Math and Statistics Department as well as the Sociology Department at Georgetown University. Groves is a social statistician who studies the impact of social cognitive and behavioral influences on the quality of statistical information. His research has focused on the impact of mode of data collection on responses in sample surveys, the social and political influences on survey participation, the use of adaptive research designs to improve the cost and error properties of statistics, and public concerns about privacy affecting attitudes toward statistical agencies.

Prior to joining Georgetown, from 2009-2012, he was director of the U.S. Census Bureau (presidential appointment with Senate confirmation), a position he assumed after being director of the University of Michigan Survey Research Center, professor of sociology, and research professor at the Joint Program in Survey Methodology at the University of Maryland.

He has authored or co-authored seven books and scores of peer-reviewed articles. His 1989 book, Survey Errors and Survey Costs, was named one of the 50 most influential books in survey research by the American Association of Public Opinion Research. Some of his other books were given national awards.

He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences and of the US National Academy of Medicine. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. Groves is the chair of the Board of Directors of the Pew Research Center.

Groves has a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and master’s degrees in statistics and sociology from the University of Michigan. He also earned his doctorate at Michigan.

Meg Heubeck is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. Meg attended Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She completed a Masters of Arts program at Towson University and began teaching in Baltimore in1992. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in curriculum at the Curry School at the University of Virginia emphasizing the democratic schools model for educators. Meg taught world cultures, reading, language arts and art at the middle school level for seven years before spending five years teaching high school economics, government, United States history, and art. She was the chairman of the social studies department at Carver Center for Arts and Technology located in Towson, Maryland. In addition she helped to create curriculum for the Baltimore County Public Schools, the Maryland Historical Society and the Jamestown 400 th Federal Commemoration Commission.

As Director of Instruction for the Youth Leadership Initiative Meg is responsible for developing curriculum materials that will encourage and develop civic engagement in students. The Youth Leadership Initiative currently has over forty-three thousand teachers registered with its website, www.youthleadership.net. Programs sponsored by YLI include a yearly mock election, an online legislative session- e-Congress, a service learning blog- Democracy Corps, over a hundred lesson plans and an interactive campaign CD-Rom- A More Perfect Union.

R. Lance Holbert (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2000) is Director of the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics (LAIC) which is nested within the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. He is also a Research Professor in Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication. LAIC serves as the central organizing agent for the Civics Renewal Network (CRN), a collection of 50+ of the nation’s largest civics education groups who are devoted to providing high quality, non-partisan, freely accessible materials to teachers and their students. He is a quantitative social scientist with research interests in the parental-filial socialization, civics education, and political communication domains. He is a fellow of the International Communication Association and a former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Communication. His 120+ peer-reviewed publications have produced over 12,000 citations to date.

Christine Hull is the Executive Director of the Nevada Center for Civic Engagement, where she leads statewide efforts to strengthen civic learning and democratic participation through programs like We the People and National History Day in Nevada. With more than two decades of experience as an educator and curriculum leader, she has served in classrooms, at the Nevada Department of Education, and now in nonprofit leadership—building teacher capacity and empowering students to connect knowledge with action. Christine develops partnerships with schools, universities, and community organizations to advance civic education and professional learning rooted in inquiry, collaboration, and impact. She also serves as a trustee on the Washoe County School District Board, representing District A. Christine holds degrees from San Diego State University, the University of Nevada, Reno, and Johns Hopkins University, and is passionate about ensuring every student experiences the power of civic learning.

Dr. Emma Humphries is the Chief Education Officer for iCivics, where she leads their organizational research agenda, serves as a leading brand ambassador, and ensures the academic integrity of all instructional materials.

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Kelly Jones-Wagy is a 20-year veteran educator in secondary social studies and civic education. She earned her B.A. in History from Metropolitan State University of Denver and her M.A. in Political Science, Public Policy, and Politics from the University of Colorado Denver.

Kelly is a National Board Certified Teacher and has taught at Overland High School in the Cherry Creek School District in Aurora, Colorado, for the past sixteen years. In addition, she serves as affiliate faculty at Metropolitan State University of Denver in the Department of Journalism and Media Production, where she teaches Critical Thinking and 21st Century Media.

She currently serves on the Educator Advisory Board for History Colorado and works with the Library of Congress Western Region Teaching with Primary Sources Grant and Street Law’s Amicus Teachers program. She previously served as a mentor for the James Madison Legacy Project Expansion.

In 2019, Kelly was honored as both the Street Law Educator of the Year and the Colorado Civic Educator of the Year.

Mike Kentz is the founder of AI Literacy Partners, where he works with schools, universities, and educators on integrating AI into instruction without sacrificing critical thinking. A former journalist and current adjunct faculty member at Fairleigh Dickinson University, he has trained over 2,000 educators on AI literacy and is currently developing AI-powered civic reasoning simulations that force students to defend positions, navigate disagreement, and think under pressure — rather than letting AI do the thinking for them. Mike is an EDSAFE AI Catalyst Fellow, has been published in the Harvard AI Pedagogy Project and EdSurge, and is a contributor to ongoing research on AI's impact on student cognition.

David Kidd (PhD) is the Chief Assessment Scientist for the Democratic Knowledge Project (DKP) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he contributes to research on civic identity development and leads the design of assessment tools for civic education. He is based at the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, where he co-leads the Research & Design Studio and conducts research investigating ethics and civil discourse in higher education.

Timothy Lent is an educator and professional learning leader dedicated to strengthening writing instruction and empowering teachers with the tools to foster student success. With experience bridging curriculum design, facilitation, and coaching, he has spearheaded initiatives at organizations including Quill.org, Imagine Learning, and New Visions for Public Schools with a focus on social studies and literacy instruction.

Alina Lewis is a senior research scientist at the Youth Civic Connections Project (YCCP). The YCCP is an educational program focused on supporting civic dialog and mutual understanding among youth from various political, geographic, and demographic backgrounds. She holds a PhD in Educational Theory and Practice and conducts research in adolescent history education as well as civic education. Alina is a former NYC public school teacher and administrator and was recently elected to her local Community Education Council (CEC) in New York City.

After a long career at McGraw-Hill Education that included roles in sales, marketing, education policy and general management, Jeff formed EdSolutions in 2015 as a vehicle for focusing education innovation, investment and philanthropy on underserved students, scaling proven innovations to reach the students who will benefit most from them. Today, EdSolutions help organizations to find impact through the markets for education goods and services primarily via: Ecosystem Maps, Target Product Profiles, Go-to Market Strategies and other customized consulting services.

The Center for Education Market Dynamics, currently in incubation with Cambiar Education with support from major philanthropic organizations, will be a trusted source of market intelligence for the education sector. Better Market Intelligence will lead to clearer market signals between customers, users and providers. This is expected to result in better targeting of innovation to areas of greatest potential impact.

Jeff holds a baccalaureate degree in Government from Harvard University. He has served as a director of the Association of Educational Publishers, the Association of American Publishers- Education Division, the Software and Information Industry Association, The Harlem Educational Activities Fund, UnBoundEd Learning, New Meridian, LaborX, Yenko and Allhere. Jeff currently lives in Atlanta with his wife, Sahily Artiles, a naturalized American citizen and certified Spanish/English court interpreter.

As the Kentucky State Coordinator of Civic Education Programs, from 2002 to 2025, Glenn Manns coordinated various Civic Education programs funded through the Center for Civic Education. Served as coordinator for several programs such as the James Madison Legacy Program Expansion grants, Civics Empowering All Students grants, Integrating Civic Competencies, as well as acting as the liaison for our Kentucky Partnership within the Civitas network. Trained teachers both nationally and internationally in Project Citizen, We the People and Foundations of Democracy. Currently serves as the state coordinator for both Project Citizen and We the People in Kentucky.

Nathan McAlister is the Humanities Program Manager - History, Government, and Social Studies, Library, World Languages, Title VI: Indigenous Education, and Financial Literacy for the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). Prior to his time with KSDE, Nathan taught middle and high school social studies for 24 years. In 2010, Nathan was named Kansas and National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History. Nathan has been named a Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Master Teacher Fellow, and a George Washington Library, Lifeguard Teacher Fellow. He currently serves as a member of several state and national organizations, including the Kansas Council for History Education, Council of State Social Studies Specialists, the Indigenous Education State Leaders Network, Council on Foreign Relations, and the iCivics National Educators Network.

Ebony McKiver is the Chief Program Officer at the Social Studies Accelerator, where she supports district and school leaders in advancing high-quality, inquiry-based, and culturally responsive social studies instruction. Her work focuses on providing tools, resources, and coaching aligned to national frameworks to strengthen civic learning, content integration, and instructional leadership. With more than twenty years of experience in education, Ebony has served as Senior Manager of Customer Engagement at Gates Ventures (OER Project), Social Studies State Specialist for Nebraska, and a secondary social studies educator in Cleveland, Baltimore, and Omaha. Her work includes analyzing instructional trends, leading professional development, supporting curriculum adoption and implementation, and guiding systems through instructional shifts in social studies. Ebony brings a deep commitment to social justice, advocacy, and uplifting underrepresented communities, with a particular focus on promoting high-quality instructional materials that center inquiry and diverse perspectives. Beginning July 1, 2026, she will serve as a newly elected member of the National Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors, with a focus of ensuring that all students across the country have access to a world-class social studies education.

Dr. Kimberly A. Mealy is the Executive Director of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and oversees operations, strategic planning, mission implementation, and governance support. She currently serves as the Principal Investigator of the APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (DDRIG). Dr. Mealy previously served as the APSA Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Strategic Initiatives and prior to that the APSA Director of Teaching and Learning, where directed the Teaching and Learning Conference for seven years and worked closely with faculty to develop pedagogical and civic education resources. She also designed and implemented APSA’s annual meetings ombuds resource and created the association's RESPECT campaign. Prior to joining APSA in 2007, Kimberly taught in the political science department at Wellesley College. She earned her PhD in political science from Indiana University, where she directed mentoring and professional development programs for the Office of the Dean for Women’s Affairs. Dr. Mealy regularly advises on association leadership, goverance, and resource and policy development.

Dr. Erin Mendelson is a Literacy Specialist in the central district of Oʻahu, where she collaborates and consults with school teams to best address the needs of every student. A National Board Certified Teacher specializing in exceptional needs, she brings years of K-12 experience as a special education teacher. In all learning opportunities, Erin strives to bridge civic learning and inclusive educational practices. This passion sprouted in 2010 when Erin participated in her first Center for Civic Education professional development at the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary. Finding deep empowerment in civic engagement, she focused her doctoral dissertation on the development of critical consciousness among young adults in her local Hawaiʻi community.

Carly Muetterties, Ph.D., is the Chief Program Officer/Co-Founder of CommonGood, a learning design organization, specializing in design of programs and learning materials that are adaptable to local contexts, leverage student assets and build authentic civic engagement. With the CommonGood team, Carly has built AI-powered systems that facilitate evidence-based, localized design. Carly is based in Kentucky, where she leads local initiatives for authentic civic learning, including having spearheaded the Kentucky Civic Seal program.

Jessica Murphy is a 18 year veteran social studies teacher in Howard County, Maryland. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences, History, and Secondary Education from Towson University and her Master of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Social Sciences from Loyola University Maryland. She started her teaching career at Long Reach High School, her alma mater, where she went on to serve as the Instructional Team Leader for the social studies department. She was part of the summer 2023 James Madison Legacy Project Expansion (JMLPE) summer institute where she became interested in incorporating Simulated Congressional Hearings into her government classes. Upon transferring to Reservoir High School in 2023 she began to teach AP United States Government and Politics and made Simulated Congressional Hearings her midterm examination.

William O'Brochta, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of political science at Texas Lutheran University. He serves as Director of Professional Development for the American Political Science Association Civic Engagement Section, where he received the emerging scholar award. His work on civic engagement and political representation in the Global South have been published in the British Journal of Political Science, Governance, Political Research Quarterly, and Political Behavior, among other outlets.

Dr. Diana Owen is Professor of Political Science in the Communication, Culture, and Technology (CCT) graduate program and Director of the Civic Education Research Lab (CERL) at Georgetown University. Her research explores how civic education prepares young people for engagement and media’s effects on political behavior. She has published widely in the fields of civic education, media and politics, elections and voting behavior, political engagement, civic education, and political socialization. She is the author of Media Messages in American Presidential Elections, New Media and American Politics (with Richard Davis), and American Government and Politics in the Information Age. She is the co-editor of The Internet and Politics: Citizens, Voters, and Activists, Making a Difference: The Internet and Elections in Comparative Perspective, and Internet Election Campaigns in the United States, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Dr. Owen has conducted studies funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Bill of Rights Institute, the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, and the Pew Research Center, among others. She served as President of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, and was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. She is a recipient of the Established Leader Award from the Civic Engagement Section of the American Political Science Association, the Daniel Roselle Award from the Middle States Council for the Social Studies, and a Faculty Fellowship from the Meiji University Exchange Program.

Andy serves as the Civic Education Program Manager and State Coordinator for Wyoming We the People and Project Citizen, where he leads statewide initiatives that strengthen civic knowledge, inquiry skills, and constitutional understanding among teachers and students.The Civic Education Program is generously funded by the John P. Ellbogen Foundation and was previously housed in the American Heritage Center. Given the program’s strong alignment with our mission and statewide work, it is now housed within the College of Education. Andy began his career in Colorado as an ESL teacher before returning to Wyoming and teaching at the elementary level, later moving into middle school math, science, and social studies. He is also proud to have served as the head coach of the Laramie High School boys' soccer team for 20 seasons. Andy holds all his degrees from the University of Wyoming, including a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, a Master of Science in Middle Level Mathematics from the Science and Math Teaching Center, and an Educational Leadership certification. He is dedicated to expanding professional learning for educators, elevating civic engagement opportunities for students across the state, and fostering the next generation of informed, active citizens.

Aruna Patel is the Vice President and Chief Program Officer at the Center for Civic Education. She leads strategic priorities that drive innovation, growth, and impact across the Center’s national civic education programs, curriculum, professional learning, and research initiatives. Aruna began her career as a high school social studies teacher in the School District of Philadelphia. She later served as Lead Curriculum Development and Professional Learning Manager at New Visions for Public Schools, supporting educators and district leaders across New York City and State. She also served on the New York State Task Force for Civic Education and Equity, helping shape civic education policy and programming statewide.

Dr. Donna Phillips is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Civic Education, leading the Center's ambitious strategic plan for developing, implementing, and innovating its research-backed national and international programs. Previously, as the Center's Vice President and Chief Programming Officer, she proudly led the growth and innovation of its programmatic work, expanding its reach to adult audiences and setting the Center on a path to reach thousands more teachers and students in underserved populations.

Prior to joining the Center, she was the Director of Academic Innovations for DC Public Schools and the Social Studies Curriculum Manager, where she spearheaded the development of a C3 inquiry and social justice–aligned K-12 social studies curriculum.

She was a 2007 recipient of the American Civic Education Teacher Award. She has a PhD in education policy and leadership, curriculum theory, and development from the University of Maryland College Park. Her research on the lived experience of democratic civic education focused on the Center’s We the People program, winning the best dissertation award and appearing in several publications.

Dr. Phillips has taught extensively at the secondary level in all domains of social studies with an emphasis on civics, government, and law. Through her two decades of school-based experience, she conducted peer reviewed as well as action research on the experiences of students in democratic civic education. She has decades of higher education instructional experience as associate and adjunct professor for psychological foundations of education and elementary social studies methods.

Throughout her career she has been at the helm of every major social studies and civic education national effort including the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) framework as a teacher council member and featured panelist on implementation, the Education for American Democracy (EAD) Roadmap steering committee, and member of the National Academy of Education (NAED) Civics Steering Committee.

Dr. Phillips is the current Project Director for three research grant projects through the Department of Education, leading the innovations on the implementation of the Center’s flagship programs to reach more diverse students and teachers and underserved populations.

Peter Phineas Ramsey is an education leader and curriculum strategist with more than 20 years of experience advancing student-centered instruction and large-scale educational initiatives. Originally from California, he currently serves as the Director of Social Studies for the State of Maryland, where he leads statewide vision, standards development, cross-agency partnerships, and professional learning to strengthen preK–12 teaching and learning and promote civic competence among students.

Prior to his state leadership roles, Mr. Ramsey served as an assistant principal, instructional coach, department chair, and classroom teacher in Washington, D.C., and was also a director at Rocking the Boat, a youth development organization in the South Bronx focused on empowering young people through education and community engagement. Across these roles, he earned recognition for highly effective teaching and districtwide professional development leadership.

He holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Johns Hopkins University, a bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic, and a Leadership & Innovation certificate from Georgetown University. His work centers on inquiry-driven curriculum design, educator capacity building, and fostering informed, engaged participation in civic life.

Beth Ratway, a principal technical assistant consultant at AIR, has over 30 years of education experience. She works with state education agencies (SEAs), intermediate regional service agencies and school districts focusing on designing and implementing college, career and civic ready standards. She has worked with multiple SEAs facilitating the development of common language and processes for social studies standards revision and implementation across divisions and departments. She created processes and tools to help facilitate discussions, leading to a comprehensive guide to social studies standards revision and implementation. She has also worked with twenty two states to facilitate and guide the social studies standards revision and implementation process. She has worked with multiple states to define balanced assessment systems, develop standard- based formative, summative and performance based assessments in social studies.

Kelly Reichardt is the Manager of Civic Learning and Curriculum for the Center for Civic Education. In this role, she advances the Center’s mission by developing high-quality instructional materials for diverse learners and delivering professional learning opportunities for educators nationwide, with a strong emphasis on culturally responsive teaching and inquiry-based instructional strategies.

Ms. Reichardt plays a key role in the planning and publication of the Center’s flagship curricular programs, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution and Project Citizen. She also leads the design of curriculum and professional learning grounded in the Center’s 5E inquiry model and is a frequent presenter at local, state, and national conferences. Ms. Reichardt is passionate about supporting educators and coordinates the Center’s national Civics Mentor Professional Learning Community, strengthening mentor–mentee relationships across the organization’s national network.

Amy Rosenkrans, Ph.D. is an educator and historian with more than 25 years of experience in public education. She teaches middle school social studies in Baltimore City Public Schools, where she serves as Social Studies Coach, Student Government Association advisor, History Day coordinator, and district professional development facilitator.

She has held district and state leadership roles in Maryland education and works at the intersection of civics, African American history, women’s history, and community-engaged learning. Dr. Rosenkrans is a mentor for the Center for Civic Education’s James Madison Legacy Project Expansion (JMLPE) and Civics Engages All Students (CEAS) programs and serves as a Women & the American Story (WAMS) Ambassador for The New York Historical.

Cathy Ruffing brings nearly three decades of classroom experience to her role as Senior Director of Teacher Professional Development and Curriculum at Street Law. A former high school law teacher, she has designed and taught practical law courses and is a leading resource for educators seeking to implement high-quality law programs in their schools. Cathy directs the annual Supreme Court Summer Institute for teachers and travels nationwide to provide professional development for social studies teachers. She is co-author of "Street Law: A Course in Practical Law" and "United States Government & Civics," as well as the accompanying inquiry journal. Cathy is a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards–certified teacher.

Joshua M. Scacco (PhD, University of Texas at Austin) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida. Dr. Scacco also is the founding and current Director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy in the College of Arts & Sciences at USF. He is 2025-2026 Carnegie Fellow with the Carnegie Corporation of New York. His research interests broadly focus on political communication, media content and effects, the political dimensions of public health, as well as communication and democracy.

Dr. Scacco’s research is focused on how agents and leaders in a democracy can effectively and ethically harness communication technologies to strengthen democratic governance. This position aligns with his commitment to and experience applying his research through partnerships that extend democratic representation and employ democratically-focused approaches for government officials, journalists, and citizens. He is the coauthor, with Kevin Coe, of the book The Ubiquitous Presidency: Presidential Communication and Digital Democracy in Tumultuous Times (Oxford University Press). In addition to research publications in communication, journalism, and political science journals, Dr. Scacco has applied his research in partnerships with the U.S. Department of State, news outlets and journalism nonprofits, and local governments. His perspectives also have been featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Newsweek, Slate, national and local podcasts, and local news outlets throughout Florida. Dr. Scacco has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work from the University of South Florida, Purdue University, the National Communication Association, American Political Science Association, and the Central States Communication Association. He also is an affiliated researcher with the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin.

Before becoming a university professor and researcher, Dr. Scacco worked in public relations at the state and federal level, and worked for a member of legislative leadership in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, as well as a U.S. senator.

Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan (Ph.D. Rutgers University) is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Founding Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, where she teaches courses in American Government and Public Law. She is the Co-Founder and Lead Instructor for the USF YMCA Civic Fellows Program, a nationally award-winning statewide civics education initiative.

McLauchlan is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in civics education, democratization, and strengthening civil society, the rule of law and justice sector reform. She has presented her research findings on these topics in Albania, Canada, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Korea, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Switzerland, Uganda, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe; and her perspectives have been featured in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and news outlets throughout Florida.

McLauchlan has received numerous national and international teaching and community engagement awards, such as the Political Studies Association-American Political Science Association International Partnership Award, the American Political Science Association Craig L. Brians Award for Undergraduate Research and Mentorship, the American Association of State Colleges and University’s American Democracy Project Barbara Burch Award for Faculty Leadership in Civic Engagement, and Campus Compact’s Graham-Frey Civic Educator Award.

McLauchlan was a Fulbright Scholar in Moldova in 2010, 2012, and 2023, and in North Macedonia in 2017 engaged in projects focused on Democracy and Civil Society and strengthening Rule of Law. In 2024, McLauchlan was awarded a U.S. State Department CDAF Grant to conduct workshops with students, community partners and government officials in Zimbabwe to develop citizenship education designed to strengthen citizen oversight and government accountability. In 2025, McLauchlan served as a Fulbright Specialist at the Great Lakes Center for the Study of the United States at Makerere University in Uganda. She was awarded a Diploma from the Government of the Republic of Moldova, recognizing fruitful international cooperation as well as the Medal of the Free University of Moldova (ULIM). She also received the Award of the City of Klos, Albania in honor of the promotion of democratic values, community engagement and volunteerism and an Honorary Degree Leadership Excellence Award for "outstanding dedication and commitment to promoting rule of law, democracy building, and civic engagement" from UBT in Pristina, Kosovo. She serves as a High-Level Expert for the Ad Hoc Committee on Advancing Good Governance, Rule of Law, and Anit-Corruption for 2030 Albania in the European Union for the Assembly of the Republic of Albania.

Marcie Taylor-Thoma, Ph.D. coordinated social studies instruction, curriculum, assessment, policy, and professional development programs for over twenty years at the Maryland State Department of Education in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Thoma taught secondary social studies in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland for ten years before her tenure in state education. She retired to the Maryland Council for Civic and History Education in 2015 where she coordinates history and civic programs such as the Gilder Lehrman History Maryland Teacher of the Year, Project Citizen, We the People…the Citizen and the Constitution, the James Madison Legacy Program, and Civics Empowers All Students. She completed her doctoral studies at the College of Notre Dame in Maryland in 2008 in leadership and policy. She is committed to mentoring social studies educators including supervising pre-service teachers at American University. Dr. Thoma is a dedicated proponent of civic education and local history initiatives.

Austin Trantham is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Saint Leo University, where he previously served as a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. He is co-author of Historical Dictionary of the Donald Trump Administration and co-editor of Scandal in the White House: Corruption, Immorality, and the American Presidency since Reconstruction, currently under contract with Edinburgh University Press. He currently serves as Director of Awards for the Civic Engagement Section of the American Political Science Association, President of the Florida Political Science Association, and is a former member of the APSA Distinguished Award for Civic and Community Engagement Committee.

Kirsten von Topel is a United States and Virginia Government teacher at Alexandria City High School in Alexandria, Virginia, where she teaches both mainstream students and English learners. For 30 years, she has taught secondary social studies and English in Alexandria, Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Chicago, Illinois. Kirsten served as a curriculum pilot teacher and mentor for the James Madison Legacy Project Expansion Program, supporting curriculum development and professional learning through classroom implementation with English learners. She holds a master’s degree in educational administration from Xavier University, secondary certification in history and English from Grand Valley State University, and certification in English as a Second Language. She earned her bachelor’s degree with double majors in history and English from Heidelberg University and participated in American University’s Washington, D.C., semester program, during which she interned for United States Senator Carl Levin of Michigan.