Sphere Education Initiatives Content Advisory Board

Britt Boyd is a Middle School Electives, Social Studies, & Music Teacher at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, Washington. She is passionate about fostering civil discourse in her classes and promoting opportunities for students to build connections through inquiry.

Dr. Brosnan has been working at Parsippany Hills High School for over 20 years as a teacher of literature, creative writing, and public speaking. She served as the head of the English department and is currently the advisor for the district’s Humanities Pathways program. Dr. Brosnan received her B.A. in English Language and Literature and her M.A. in teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University and her Doctorate of Arts and Letters from Drew University. Her dissertation, titled The Drowning of Hope, received the Dean Pain Prize which is awarded to the best interdisciplinary doctoral candidate thesis. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Parsippany Troy Hills Public Library.

Shannon Edwards for over the last two decades has taught almost every level of high school English from 9th grade reading intervention to an advanced World Affairs and Foreign Literature class for upperclassmen. Though she started her career in the Colorado suburbs, most of her teaching has been in a high‐​poverty urban environment with a large population of English Language Learners. Shannon also spent a short time serving on a local school board during the Covid years where she learned to engage with concerned parents and listen to a variety of stakeholders. The challenge of addressing competing needs and concerns during Covid is what gave Shannon the interest in learning more about how to engage a variety of perspectives when discussing challenging topics. For the last two summers, Shannon has been invited to participate in an educational conference with people from the opposite end of the political spectrum with which she identifies, and she had the opportunity to listen to the perspective of groups who believe public schools do not respect the concerns and values of parents.

LaTonya Freeman is a veteran teacher of 25 years in Las Vegas, Nevada. She attended our Sphere Summit in 2023 and 2024. She is currently part of our Alumni Fellowship Cohort for 2025. She teaches high school English, but has taught middle school as well. In addition to English, Ms. Freeman has taught Journalism, Yearbook and Adult Education classes, including ELL, Independent Studies, and HiSet. Ms. Freeman believes it is important for students to have a voice and is currently working to strengthen civil discourse in her classes. She is also a new Speech and Debate coach at her high school and in the Clark County School District.

Lucas George is in his 8th year of teaching social studies and is currently instructing 8th grade students at Lakeview Junior High School in Pickerington, Ohio. Lucas also currently serves as the Legislative Liaison for the Ohio Council for the Social Studies (OCSS) where he has helped to consistently advocate for a comprehensive and student‐​centered K‑16 social studies curriculum. He has received several accolades throughout his teaching career such as the James Madison Fellowship, the OCSS Emerging Leader of the Year, the Gilder Lehrman Ohio History Teacher of the Year and the Ohio Sons of the American Revolution Teacher of the Year. He has presented numerous times at state and national conferences with topics that include project‐​based learning, simulations, ethnic studies, and AI.

Keri A. Giannotti has taught Social Studies at Bloomfield High School in New Jersey for over twenty years. For seven years, she served as the Director of Education and Outreach for the NJ Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Museum. Her experiences working with and sharing the stories of Vietnam Veterans with various audiences led her to produce and co‐​host Vets on Video, a YouTube channel. She is on the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey State Museum. A three‐​time alumnus of Kean University, she holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science.

Kendra Miller is an experienced educator, curriculum designer, and speaker based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She has a strong background in teaching history at various levels, from middle school to advanced placement, and has also worked extensively in curriculum design. Kendra holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instructional Design and is currently pursuing a PhD in Literacy Studies, with a concentration in Literacy Instruction and Staff Development. She has received several awards for her research on improving reading in the content areas and is actively involved on the Executive Board for the Tennessee Council of Social Studies. She is a Sphere 2023 Alumni as well as a 2024 Sphere Fellow.

Vera Naputi is a descendant of indigenous Chamorros from Guam, raised in California, and now resides in Madison, WI. She is currently in a dual role at Madison East High School, teaching AVID classes and serving as an instructional coach. She is active in co‐​creating curriculum and instruction with w/​youth for shared power in learning and assessment. As a dedicated Hip‐​Hop educator, Vera takes the mentoring from some of the most distinguished hip hop scholars and operationalizes their theories by integrating artistic expression, academics, and activism across content areas in the classroom and community. Current projects include curriculum development with a student team for the books Love from the Vortex and The Peace Chronicles by Yolanda Sealey‐​Ruiz, and co‐​facilitating professional development on equity to foster racial literacy and cultural competency. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech & Language Pathology and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Utah, and 30 years of teaching in Salt Lake City, UT and Madison, WI.

John Quesenberry is a history and civics teacher at the Woodrow Wilson High School in Raleigh County, West Virginia with over four decades of experience. He has earned the West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award and was recognized as the Bill of Rights Institute National Civics Teacher of the Year in 2023–2024. Quesenberry focuses on supporting students in being civically engaged and to think about the world around them.

Melissa Solomon has been teaching U.S. Government for over 20 years and still feels excited about the first day of class and when students explore ideas like the creation of the Constitution. One of her favorite moments is when a student says, “I never thought about it that way,” or “I get that.” Melissa loves helping students tackle tough issues and teaching them how to have meaningful, respectful conversations—especially since so much of what they see in society doesn’t model listening or relational engagement. By creating space for real dialogue, she hopes to inspire students to be active, thoughtful participants in their communities. For her, learning is a lifelong journey, and every perspective offers something valuable.

Megan Thompson is a social studies teacher at Osseo Senior High School, a minority‐​majority school in the Minneapolis area. She teaches Crime & Justice, AP Government & Politics, and dual enrollment courses in World History and Government. Megan is a James Madison Fellow, a Sphere 100 Fellow and a member of the National Constitution Center’s Teacher Advisory Board as well as Eastern State Penitentiary’s Collaboratory for Justice Education. She leads professional development workshops on social studies resources, civil dialogue, and mindfulness in the classroom; she develops and consults on curriculum for America’s 250, the U.S. Constitution, and justice education. Megan holds a B.A. in History with Honors in Secondary Social Studies Education, an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction, a graduate certificate in history, and an M.A. in political science.