Jessica Ellison is the Executive Director of the National Council for History Education, where she oversees NCHE's professional learning, community building, and advocacy efforts. From 2004-2022, Jessica was a teacher educator at the Minnesota Historical Society, where she developed and delivered professional development for hundreds of teachers around Minnesota and the country. Currently, Jessica is serving a second term on her local school board, and lives in the Twin Cities area with her husband and their four children.

James Grossman is the Executive Director of the American Historical Association. He was previously Vice President for Research and Education at the Newberry Library, and has taught at University of Chicago and University of California, San Diego. The author of Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration and A Chance to Make Good: African-Americans, 1900–1929, Grossman was project director and coeditor of the print and digital Encyclopedia of Chicago and is editor emeritus of the series “Historical Studies of Urban America,” which he abandoned to his colleagues after 50 volumes. His articles and short essays have focused on various aspects of American urban history, African American history, ethnicity, higher education, and the place of history in public culture. Short pieces have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, The Hill, New York Daily News, Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, and elsewhere.

Donna Phillips is the Vice President & Chief Program Officer for the Center for Civic Education, leading the Center’s ambitious strategic plan in development, implementation, and innovation of its national and international programs. 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 C3 inquiry and social justice–aligned K-12 social studies curriculum. Dr. Phillips has participated in We the People for more than 20 years, serving as a We the People teacher, district coordinator and mentor, and the District of Columbia state coordinator.

Jen Wheeler is the Senior Director, Teacher Professional Development & Curriculum at Street Law. She works on Street Law’s Teacher Professional Development and curriculum projects, bringing high-quality materials and support to educators around the world. Jen is drawn to helping teachers improve their craft and believes working at a nonprofit like Street Law allows her to support and serve teachers. She taught social studies for seven years in Baltimore City and directed curriculum development projects and teacher professional development programs at the Baltimore Urban Debate League. Jen holds an M.A. in teaching with a specialization in secondary education social studies from Johns Hopkins University.