Lightning Jay, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership

Dr. Lightning Jay is an assistant professor at Binghamton University in New York's SUNY system. Previously, Lightning taught middle and high school social studies in Brooklyn, NY and Minneapolis, MN before completing his doctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Lightning now studies inquiry and discourse in social studies classrooms, and teacher education. His work is dedicated to providing every student with an authentic, rigorous, and exciting social studies experience.

Alexa M. Quinn, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Early, Elementary & Reading Education Department

Dr. Alexa Quinn is a teacher educator, mother of two, and lover of learning. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Early, Elementary, and Reading Education department at James Madison University. Her research and teaching focus on preparing elementary teachers to plan and enact inclusive, inquiry-based instruction across content areas. Alexa has collaborated with teachers in Virginia on the creation and implementation of dozens of social studies inquiries. Her teaching journey began in a fourth-grade classroom in New York City, where she enjoyed facilitating critical discussions of Disney films and leading an after-school juggling club. 

Scott M. Waring, Ph.D.
NCSS Project Editor, Teaching with Primary Sources

Scott is a Professor and the Program Coordinator for the Social Science Education Program at the University of Central Florida. He is the current Chair for the Teacher Education and Professional Development Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). Dr. Waring serves as the Editor for Social Studies and the Young Learner, Editor for Teaching with Primary Sources Journal, Editor for Trends and Issues in Social Studies, and the Interdisciplinary Feature Editor for Social Studies Research and Practice. He has published three books, including Integrating Primary and Secondary Sources into Teaching: The SOURCES Framework for Authentic Investigation, and over forty-five journal articles and book chapters focusing on the teaching and learning of history, teaching with primary sources, and the utilization of technology in teaching.

Vivian Awumey
TPS Program Manager, Library of Congress, Washington, DC

Since 1981, Vivian's professional focus and expertise have been on education, human resources development, and organizational management, in the U.S. and abroad. She joined the Library of Congress in 2006. Vivian currently manages the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grants, as well as the TPS Consortium, a growing educational community comprising universities, school districts, library systems, and educational for- and non-profits.

Lawrence M. Paska, Ph.D., CAE
Executive Director, National Council for the Social Studies, and NCSS Project Director, Teaching with Primary Sources

Larry earned a B.A. in History and a M.A.T. in Social Studies from Union College and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University at Albany. Dr. Paska began his career as a middle school social studies teacher in New York State public schools, has taught social studies education methods at the university level, and holds New York 7–12 social studies education and school district administrator certifications. At the New York State Education Department, He led standards and assessment programs for P-12 social studies education as a state social studies specialist and established the Office of Educational Design and Technology as the Coordinator of Technology Policy. He has also served as the Director of Professional Development for the Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), providing instructional programs and services for 32 public school districts in the greater New York City region. He received the New York State Council for the Social Studies' (NYSCSS) Distinguished Social Studies Service Award in 2017 and served as the 2015–2016 NYSCSS President. In addition to his work with NCSS, Dr. Paska serves on the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Board of Directors, the National Coalition for History Policy Board, the National History Day Advisory Council, and the American Archive for Public Broadcasting Education Advisory Committee.