Patty Shelton
Vice President, Washington State Council for Social Studies

Patty Shelton is Social Studies Curriculum Developer in the Bellevue School District and Washington State Council for Social Studies vice president. As an ally of the Social Studies Cadre, she worked on the revision of the elementary Social Studies standards. Patty collaborates with the Eastside Heritage Center to develop lessons on Bellevue History.

Kathleen Swan
Professor, University of Kentucky

Kathy Swan is a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Swan served as the project director and lead writer of the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards and is the co-founder/co-director of C3 Teachers. Dr. Swan has co-authored and edited many books including: Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education: The Inquiry Design Model (2017; Routledge); Inquiry Design Model: Building Inquiries in Social Studies (2018; NCSS & C3 Teachers); and Blueprinting an Inquiry Based Curriculum: Planning with the Inquiry Design Model (2019; NCSS & C3 Teachers).

Walter Parker
Professor Emeritus, University of Washington

Walter Parker recently retired from UW-Seattle where he taught graduate courses on social studies and civic education for 35 years. He is working on a new book based on his research into project-based learning in the high school government course. His books include Educating the Democratic Mind (1996); Teaching Democracy (2003); Social Studies Today (2015), and Social Studies in Elementary Education (2017). Parker was awarded the Distinguished Career Research Award from the National Council for the Social Studies. He loves cooking, cats, and reading history, and lives with his wife (and cat) in north Ballard.

Verónica N. Vélez, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Secondary Education and Education & Social Justice, Woodring College of Education, Western Washington University

Dr. Verónica N. Vélez's research focuses on Latinx im/migrant mother activism, community-based participatory action research in grassroots contexts, popular education, and (re)imagining cartographic tools for movement building and critical inquiry. Each of these areas is informed by expertise in Critical Race Theory (CRT), Latinx Critical Theory (LatCrit), Radical and Tactical Cartography, and Chicana Feminist Epistemologies. Dr. Vélez is featured in the second volume of ESRI Press’s Women and GIS: Mapping Their Stories. In addition, she has published in Educational Forum, Harvard Educational Review, The High School Journal, Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, Educational Foundations, Seattle University Journal for Social Justice, Contemporary Justice Review, and Race, Ethnicity, and Education.

Brooke Brown
2021 Washington State Teacher of the Year, Franklin Pierce School District

Brooke Brown has taught English and Ethnic Studies at Washington High School for 15 years. As a powerful voice for equity in her building and district, she leads equity trainings, co-leads the school’s equity team, serves on the District equity team, and represents student voice on the school’s Foundation team (focused on addressing the racial opportunity gap by advocating for restorative justice practices and equitable discipline procedures). Brooke believes that learning is done best in community. She works to center student experiences and reminds them how much she learns from them too.

Hannah Tofte
Washington History Day State Coordinator, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)

Hannah Tofte is the State Coordinator for the Washington History Day program at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction—a state-level affiliate of National History Day. She began volunteering with the Washington History Day program in 2005, having previously participated in the program as a student. Hannah has a background in archaeology, history, and historical preservation. She earned her BA from Pacific Lutheran University and her MA from University College London. Hannah is passionate about facilitating student engagement in the historical research process. 

Donnetta Elsasser
Social Studies Teacher, Walla Walla Public Schools

Donnetta Elsasser is a classroom teacher, passionate about integrated curriculum and project-based learning. She is also a member of the Washington State Cadre of Educators, a Teacher Leader for Big History Project/OER Project, and a Teacher-Trainer for Project Citizen. She has taught various social studies and language arts courses in grades 6-12 for the past 32 years.

Jerry Price
Social Studies Program Supervisor, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)

Jerry Price is the OSPI Social Studies Program Supervisor. Previously, he spent 25 years teaching US history and Washington State history and government, primarily in Yelm, Washington. Jerry was a member of the Social Studies Cadre and worked on the revision of the Social Studies standards. Additionally, Jerry was lead middle-level writer and trainer for OSPI’s “Since Time Immemorial” Tribal sovereignty curriculum, and teacher-education consultant for Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Knowledge 360°.

Nancy Lenihan
President, Washington State Council for the Social Studies (WSCSS)

Nancy is  an elementary Gifted Educator in the Sumner School District, the Washington State Council Social Studies President, a WA OSPI Social Studies Cadre Teacher, and past ELA Fellow for ESD 121. Nancy has been a member of the WA OSPI Social Studies team revising the current WA State Social Studies standards, developing the WA Quality Review Rubric for Social Studies lessons  and materials, and the WA State Civic Initiative committee. Nancy is currently a Social Studies Curriculum reviewer for the Washington State History Museum and she is working with a committee writing lessons for the League of Women's Voters new Civics book, The State We Are In.

Mary Ellis
6th Grade STEM Teacher & Teacher Assistance Program Coordinator, West Valley School District #208

Mary Ellis teaches in the West Valley School District in Yakima. Mary has taught grades 1-6 covering all subject areas and presently is a STEM/Animation 5/6 Teacher. In addition to her teaching duties, serves as the Staff Development Specialist and New Teacher Coach/Mentor through an OSPI BEST Grant.

Bradley Liebrecht
Social Studies Teacher, West Valley School District #208

Bradley Liebrecht is an 8th grade social studies teacher at West Valley Junior High School in Yakima, WA. Bradley has taught social studies, language arts, journalism, and yearbook production and served as President of the Washington State Council for the Social Studies from 2018-2020. Bradley also works with new teachers in his school district and hosted his first student teacher in the Fall of 2019.