Speakers & Presenters

Meet the passionate geography leaders sharing the latest approaches to support geography educators

Our guest speaker, geography researchers, and experienced educators will expand your understanding and help you discover new geography tools that can be applied in the classroom.

Session Presenters

Gillian Acheson is a professor in the Department of Geography & GIS at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She teaches a variety of courses including World Regions, Human Geography, Population Geography, Spatial Thinking, Behavior, Geography of Food, and Geography and Social Justice. Her research interests are in geography education and the cultural landscape with publications ranging from map reading and comprehension to representation of women in introductory geography textbooks to the cultural landscape of cemeteries. She is a past recipient of NCGE’s Higher Education Distinguished Teaching award.

Karen Barton is a Professor of Geography, GIS, and Sustainability at the University of Northern Colorado. Her work focuses on community resilience in marine and agricultural communities in the wake of global environmental change. With support from Fulbright and NEH, she published, “Africa’s Joola Shipwreck: Causes and Consequences of a Humanitarian Disaster,” which investigates the second greatest maritime shipwreck in non-wartime history. She is a member of Homeward Bound, a global leadership initiative for women in science. Barton currently serves as a Fellow of the Explorers Club, the Royal Geographical Society, and past President of Fulbright Colorado.

Sarah Witham Bednarz is professor emerita of geography at Texas A&M University. Bednarz’s research interests are in the intersection of teaching and learning geospatial technologies and spatial and geographic thinking. She was PI on two major curriculum and educational research projects; co-authored the national geography standards, Geography for Life (1994 and 2012); participated in the National Research Council Learning to Think Spatially project, and helped to develop the National Assessment of Educational Performance (NAEP) framework in geography. In 2013 she co chaired the Geography Education Research Committee (GERC) of the 21 st Century Road Map for 21 st Century Geography Education Project. She has been an AP Human Geography reader, table leader, question leader, exam leader, and served on the Test Development
Committee.

Gary Benedix is an AP Human Geography and AP World History teacher at Celebration High School in Celebration Florida. Gary has been teaching AP Human Geography since 2013 and has been an AP Human Geography Reader since 2016. Gary enjoys teaching AP Human Geography due to the connections students make to everyday life. Gary has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science and a Master of Education from the University of Florida.

Frances Coffey has taught AP Human Geography, World History and Geography, and AP Psychology in Fairfax County Public School for 16 years.  She is the Social Media and Communications Coordinator for the Virginia Geographic Alliance and has served as a Reader, Table Leader, and Early Table Leader at the AP Human Geography Reading.  She has presented findings from her field work in South Korea, Iceland, Barbados, Canada, Mongolia, and the U.S. West.  This past summer she engaged in research in Kenya and Tanzania as a participant in the East Africa Summer Institute for Educators, which was funded under the Fulbright Hays grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Shana Crosson is a Spatial Technologies Consultant at U-Spatial at the Twin Cities Campus of the University of Minnesota, focusing on integrating geospatial technologies and spatial thinking across the curriculum in higher education and in K-12.

Coline Dony is Senior Grants and Project Manager at the American Association of Geographers. She manages sponsored partnerships that support AAG’s mission. To support the sustainability and broadening of the geography discipline, Coline’s research focused on creating educational pathways between middle school and college to be exposed to a geography curriculum that is better aligned with the work of geographers today, and that incorporates more recent concepts such as geocomputational thinking.

Gale Olp Ekiss is a past Co-coordinator of the Arizona Geographic Alliance (AZGA). During her 18 years as Co-coordinator, Gale was the Project Manager for three National Geographic Society Education Foundation grant projects: GeoLiteracy, GeoMath, and GeoLiteracy for ELLs.  She has managed STEMSS institutes for K-12 teachers introducing them to concepts of integrating STEM with Social Studies. She helped secure consistent funding for her state alliance and initiated programming based on teacher needs. Gale taught for Mesa Public Schools (Mesa, Arizona) for 28 years before moving to the university level. 

Gale is a winner of the Distinguished Teaching Award from the National Council for Geographic Education and the Great Moments in Teaching Social Studies Award and the Wilber Murra Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arizona Council of Social Studies. In the past 30 years, Gale has continually showcased the application of geography education at local, state, and national social studies conferences. 

Annie Evans is the Director of Education and Outreach for New American History at the University of Richmond. Annie is a National Geographic Society Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, a NatGeo Certified Educator and Trainer, and Co-Coordinator of the Virginia Geographic Alliance. With over 30 years of classroom and educational leadership experience, she designs digital humanities curricula, and facilitates professional learning for K-16 teachers and museum educators, focusing on Historical Thinking Skills, GeoLiteracy, Instructional Coaching, Project-Based Learning, and Performance Assessments. She hopes New American History will inspire the next generation of public historians, history educators, and civic leaders.

Jessica is a former AP Human Geography teacher from Pensacola, Florida. Currently in graduate school at the University of South Carolina, Jessica works with the South Carolina Geographic Alliance in organizing professional development for K-12 geography teachers in South Carolina. Her graduate research focuses on youth geographies, travel, and citizenship. She is especially passionate about data literacy in geography classrooms, and strives to help geography teachers create engaging, inquiry-based lessons.

Ellen J. Foster is a professor of teacher education, secondary program coordinator, and executive director of the Mississippi Geographic Alliance at the University of Mississippi; a past president of NCGE; and GeoCamp Iceland four-time leader and 2023 alumni trip organizer. Dr. Foster taught geography for nine years in the greater San Antonio area before transitioning to higher education.

Dianna Gielstra is an Associate Faculty of the Masters of Science in Environmental Studies program at Prescott College in Arizona. Their research interests are in biogeography and geodiversity, geoheritage, and developing immersive virtual learning experiences and technologies for spatial storytelling for geography and environmental education. Dianna is a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Open Pedagogy Fellow.

Elizabeth González is a Social Studies teacher at Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, TX. In her 14 years of education, she has taught U.S. History, World History, AP World History Modern, AP Human Geography and will add AP African American Studies to her courses next school year. She lives in Lewisville with her husband Abel, her cat, Calabaza and her son attends the University of Texas at Arlington.

J. Scott Greene is a professor and chair in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability and coordinator of the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education at the University of Oklahoma. His research interests focus on energy resources and economic impact analysis, statistical methods, climate adaptation, and K-12 geography education. He has taught courses on statistical methods, renewable energy, climatology, and physical geography. In addition to publishing more than 50 refereed scientific papers on statistical methods, renewable energy, and applied climatology and teaching a variety of courses, Dr. Greene has received a number of very prestigious awards, including the NASA global change fellowship, the Tromp Scientific Award (the highest award given by the International Society of Biometeorology only once every three years for outstanding research in biometeorology), the University of Oklahoma Teaching Scholars Initiative Award for Outstanding Teaching, the Regents’ Award for Superior Teaching (the highest teaching award offered by the university and the state regents), and the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences Outstanding Research Award. Under Dr. Greene’s leadership and direction, he and his research team have received awards for excellence in research and outreach from the American Wind Energy Association, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Oklahoma City Journal Record. Dr. Greene holds degrees in Applied Mathematics and Geography (BA, University of California, Berkeley), Geography (M.A., University of Hawaii), and Geography/Climatology (Ph.D., University of Delaware).

Passionate about Geography and Geography education for many years
Gress has been a K-12 teacher, Alliance Coordinator, and past president of NCGE. He teaches in the Department of Geography at the University of Oklahoma focusing on environmental concerns and issues. Gress’s interests involve studying various global regions, “place geography”, and how Climate Change is changing specific urban/rural landscapes.

Karen Guerrero is an educator with 20 years of K-12 classroom experience, 16 years of teaching future educators at local colleges and universities, and 20 years of conducting teacher professional development. She has worked with a variety of students from inner-city children to urban adults.  Her research focus is teaching integrated geography content across all curricular areas to diverse learners. She is a National Geographic explorer with research on STEMSS (STEM + Social Studies with an emphasis of geography across the STEMSS fields) teaching and learning and continually looks for opportunities to collaborate globally.

Greg Hill has enjoyed a twenty-six-year career in education.
He teaches High School AP Human Geography,World Regional Geography, and African-American Studies in Mesquite, Texas. Mr. Hill began his Social Studies teaching career as a World History teacher in Dallas Public Schools.
He is also currently a Graduate student of Geography at Marshall University focusing on Urban Geography, Latin America, and the African Diaspora.
He is the 2016 recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award: K-12 from the National Council for Geographic Education. He is also the 2020 recipient of the International Educator of the Year Award from the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Ft. Worth.
At Horn High, Greg sponsors the Global Young Leaders and coaches the Current Events Team.

Thomas Herman is a Research Fellow in the Department of Geography at San Diego State University where he is the Project Director for the Young People’s Environments, Society, and Space Research Center. He also contributes to teacher professional learning, the development of teaching and learning resources, and advocacy for geography education as Director of the California Geographic Alliance, a member of the California Environmental Literacy Initiative, and Chair of the NCSS Geography Community.

Dr. Susan Hume is a Professor in the Department of Geography & GIS at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  She previously taught 9th grade World Geography and 12th Economics and has been an APHG Reader.  Susan served on the NCGE Board of Directors as VP for Research from 2012-2014, President in 2015, and Past President in 2016.

Injeong Jo is an Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies and the Faculty Coordinator of the Online Master of Applied Geography in Geographic Education at Texas State University. Her research focuses on geography and spatial thinking education, geospatial technologies for teaching and learning, as well as teacher education.

Mike Jabot is SUNY Distinguished Professor of Science Education at the State University of New York at Fredonia. He is the Education Deputy for the NASA GLOBE Program as well as the Director of the
Institute for Research in Science Teaching at the State University of New York at Fredonia. His research investigates students’ conceptions of the natural world and how these conceptions shape their interactions in the sciences. In particular, his work is increasingly focusing on how “place-based” conceptions of the natural world and sciences generally through the development of spatial visualization.
This research looks at the role that spatial reasoning plays in students’ conceptual frameworks and the interplay of these frameworks with frameworks based on larger scales.

Joseph Kerski is a geographer with a focus on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in education. He has served as the President of the NCGE and has given 2 TED Talks on “The Whys of Where”. He holds 3 degrees in geography (BA, MA, PhD) and has served as geographer in 4 major sectors of society, including government (NOAA, US Census Bureau, USGS), academia (University of Minnesota, Harrisburg Area Community College, Penn State University, Sinte Gleska University, University of Denver, others), private industry (as Education Manager for Esri), and nonprofit organizations (with roles in geography and education associations). Joseph has authored over 100 chapters and articles, and 200 podcasts on GIS, education, space, place, and related topics. He has visited over 350 schools and 400 universities around the world. He regularly conducts professional development for educators. He has created over 6,200 videos, 1,000 lessons, 1,000 blog essays, and authored 12 books, including Interpreting Our World, Spatial Thinking in Environmental Contexts, Essentials of the Environment, Spatial Mathematics, Tribal GIS, International Perspectives on Teaching and Learning, the GIS Guide to Public Domain Data, and others. But as a lifelong learner, he feels as though he’s just getting started and thus actively seeks mentors, partners, and collaborators.

Laura is a Social Studies Teacher at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas, TX. She currently teachers AP Human Geography and AP Psychology, and in the past has also taught U.S. Government and Economics. She has served as an AP reader for the College Board since 2017 and writes weekly curriculum for the National Council for Geographic Education. (B.A. English Language and Literature, University of Texas at Austin; M.Ed., Counseling, University of North Texas).

Dr. Bob Kolvoord is a professor in the School of Integrated Sciences at James Madison University, where he also serves as Dean of the College of Integrated Science and Technology. Kolvoord is an award-winning teacher, researcher and author. In 2011, he was recognized with the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award. With Kathryn Keranen, he is the co-founder of the Geospatial Semester and co-author of five books on the applications of GIS. Kolvoord’s research focuses on the impact of geospatial technologies on students’ spatial thinking skills.

As K-12 Program Manager, Sophie implements Reach the World’s program in schools around the United States, combining her passion for engaging students and educators in interactive, multidisciplinary programming with her love for global learning.  Prior to joining Reach the World, Sophie taught various subjects in unconventional classroom spaces around the globe. From South Carolina to Mexico, The Bahamas to Poland, Sophie loves to interact with diverse communities and learn from everyone she meets. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Charleston in Marine Biology, with minors in Fine Art, Chemistry and Spanish. 

A self-proclaimed “geofanatic” with 30+ years in education; currently teaching Pre-AP World History/Geography and Holocaust Studies at Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Arizona. I serve as campus Sponsor for Model UN, Kids Voting Leadership Council, Cultural Ambassadors, and Native American Club. Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad and overseas travel fellowships in Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, and Indonesia, have allowed me to share authentic cultural experiences in the classroom. Actively involved in Social Studies Education, serving as a Board Member of the Arizona Council for the Social Studies (ACSS) and a Teacher Consultant for the Arizona Geographic Alliance (AzGA). An avid curriculum writer of Geography and History lessons published on websites such as PBS Learning Media, Arizona Geographic Alliance, University of Arizona’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Fred T Korematsu Institute, as well as the journal, “The Geography Teacher.” Currently writing curriculum for The GeoCivics Project: “Westward Expansion Through the Lens of Indigenous Communities.”

In 1992, Jeff Lash earned a B.A. in art history from the University of Texas at Austin. He then studied in San Francisco at Transworld Teachers and received a certificate to teach English as a Second Language and did so in San Jose, Costa Rica. In 1994, he began his graduate career at Texas State University at San Marcos. He earned a master’s degree in geography education in 1996 then took a leave of absence, moved to Morocco and taught geography at Al Akhawayn University.

Dr. Lash returned to Texas State in 1997 and completed his doctorate in Geography in 2001. His dissertation, “Exporting Education: The Case of the American University in Cairo,” earned the National Council for Geographic Education’s Dissertation of the Year award.

Currently, Dr. Lash is the Geography Program chair and an associate professor of geography at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. He teaches a wide variety of courses and continues to conduct research locally and internationally on human development through education.

Michelle LeBlanc
Director of Education, Leventhal Map & Education Center


Michelle LeBlanc leads all aspects of K-12 teacher training, school programs and curriculum development at the Map Center. She has over 20 years of experience in museums and classrooms, teaching history and designing programming for varied audiences. Her work at the Center focuses on the unique power of maps and mapping to help students make sense of and create new meaning about where they live. She holds an M.A. in Public History from Northeastern University and is a licensed teacher for grades 5-8 in Massachusetts.

Sandra D. Makielski is a seventh-grade geography teacher from North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Her passion for teaching lies in her desire to help students become global citizens by engaging in activities that foster empathy and empower students to take action. Ms. Makielski has participated in various international professional developments that have taken her to Asia and Africa to better prepare her to teach her students. One highlight includes her involvement with Qatar Foundation International as she works to promote a deeper understanding of Arabic speaking countries within the teaching community. Ms. Makielski speaks regularly at conferences and networks with educators on four continents. Lastly, she teaches a social studies methods class at the University of Rhode Island.

Dr. Justin M. McCrackin teaches AP Human Geography, History through Film, and Government at Jenks High School.  He has taught at Jenks High School for 18 years.  Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at The University of Tulsa (Geography), Tulsa Community College (U.S. History), and Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (Government and U.S. History).  Dr. McCrackin is the Co-Director and Curriculum Coordinator of the International Scholars Program at Jenks High School–a program developed by Kody Engle and Justin McCrackin.  He has been married to his wife, Diane, for 20 years, and they have two daughters: Ashlynn (15) and Reagan (12).

Paul N. McDaniel is an Associate Professor of Geography in the Department of Geography and Anthropology in the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kennesaw State University in metro Atlanta, Georgia. He conducts research on the geography of inclusive place-branding practices, particularly in metro areas in the southeastern United States. He regularly teaches introduction to human geography, world regional geography, health geography, population geography, urban geography, geography of Europe, and geography of North America, in a variety of formats, including face-to-face, online, and study abroad.

Dianne McKee brings over 20 years’ experience teaching in both university and museum settings, directing federal and regional grants, developing courses and curricula, and designing and delivering both in-person and online professional development for K-12 teachers. She currently serves as the Director of GeoCivics, an American History and Civics grant funded by the US Department of Education and operating through the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. She is a Teacher Consultant for the Arizona Geographic Alliance, and a Teacher Trainer for Engineering is Elementary and Population Education. 

Aside from having taught alongside each other for many years, Nicole Means and Torrence Williams comprise a diverse pair of geographers who understand the need to research and delve into difficult topics in social studies. 

Nicole has traveled extensively across six of the seven continents in the world. She brings a wealth of knowledge pertinent to both historical and contemporary geography, culture, economics, and politics to the field of education.

Torrence, also a social studies educator, has a passion for all things geography. He has traveled to many countries in Europe and many states in the US. By starting in their local community, both educators work diligently to ensure that human rights are upheld for all the world’s citizens. They are National Geographic Certified Educators who live and work in a small town in Louisiana; their goal is to enlighten their students to all the diversity that exists beyond their community and be driven to protect those whose rights are trampled upon.

Their most recent undertaking includes uncovering untold narratives that are missing because of oppression or other social, political, cultural, or economic constructs. In a continued quest to uncover a diverse array of voices and further develop this project, Torrence and Nicole continue to conduct field studies in their regional communities. Ultimately, it is their goal to inspire other educators to explore historical and contemporary representations in their local communities.

Heather Moll has been the Co-Coordinator of the Arizona Geographic Alliance since 2019. After receiving a bachelors in secondary education and later a masters in geography education, Heather taught Earth and Space Science, Chemistry, and many other high school sciences for 13 years. Heather is also a PhD student in the School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning at Arizona State University.

Grayson Morgan is a third generation geographer with interests in geography education, GIS, Remote Sensing, and the importance of geography in religious education. He graduated from Brigham Young University with his BS in Geographic science and technology, followed by his Masters and PhD from the University of South Carolina with an emphasis on UAS technology applications. He loves geography and is currently sharing its joys with students at Brigham Young University, where he works as an assistant professor of Geography.

Tracey H Norrell, PhD is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Geography and Sustainability Department at the University of Tennessee. She currently teaches courses in World Geography, Migration, Europe (including War and Society and Russia and its Neighbors) and two courses in Geography of Human Rights. This course over the years had to be split into two courses due to its popularity – the Americas and Africa and Europe and Asia. She is also the recipient of the 2022 National Council for Geographic Education Higher Ed Distinguished Teacher Award.

Remmel serves as a Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic Information Technology Specialist and is the Geographic Information Systems Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Lead for the Science and Technology Competency Outreach Program. Remmel’s team, of geospatial STEM volunteers, headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina hosts geospatial-related STEM outreach activities in-person and virtually. Programs include drone capabilities, online mapping, data collection and coordinating the South Carolina state team for Esri’s ArcGIS Online Competition.
Remmel has more than two decades experience in geographic information systems (GIS), cyber forensics, web development and data analytics. He has worked in the field of GIS with state, county, federal governments, property appraiser, a Fortune 200 company, and as a private consultant. A native of Ocean City, Maryland, Remmel holds a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and is currently working on his Master of Arts degree in Geographic Information Systems through Penn State University. He also holds certifications as a GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner and a Geographic Information Systems
Professional. Remmel is a proponent of mentoring and continuous learning, he founded and chaired a professional data analytics user group and chaired a tri-county geographic information systems
user group in Florida for nearly 10 years. Remmel is an avid waterman and coastal conservationist, his volunteer efforts include serving many roles spanning 30+ years, including a position on the executive board for a national coastal environmental non-profit.

Celeste Reynolds has been teaching at Mashpee High School for twenty-one years and has been teaching Advanced Placement Human Geography for the past twelve years. Celeste serves on the TeachOSM Steering Committee, American Geographic Society Teacher Advisory Board, and is an Advanced Placement reader for College Board.

Nancy B. Sardone received her master’s and Ph.D. from New York University. She holds a
Bachelor of Science degree from University of Massachusetts at Amherst in Resource
Economics. She is a Professor of Education, Elementary Education Program Director, and former chair of the Teacher Education department at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, New Jersey. She teaches courses in social studies methods, instructional design, and educational technology for inclusive classrooms. Topics of recently published social studies articles include “modding” board games to influence geographic literacy and using active learning to
encourage the study of peace and conflict.

Samantha Serrano is a high school social science teacher at James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. She has a Master’s degree in Geography and Environmental Studies from Northeastern Illinois University and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Geography Education. Samantha carries professional interests in APHG, equity and access in education, creating curricular tools for teachers, and learning about ethical concerns in technology. When not teaching and running the school’s geography club, you can find her at the gym, in an airport, or at Target with her son, Matteo at the video game demo kiosk.

Greg Sherwin has taught AP ® Human Geography from its origins in 2000-2001 at
Stevenson High School in Chicago’s northern suburbs. Recently, he recently
coauthored Human Geography for the AP ®  Course with Erin Fouberg, Alec Murphy and Paul
Gray (March 2020).  Additionally, he has teamed up other expert AP® Human Geography
teachers to create an app (iScore5) to prepare students for the exam.

Denise Stewardson is an Extension Associate Professor and Director of the Utah Agriculture in the Classroom program at Utah State University. As a faculty member in the Applied Sciences, Technology & Education Department, she has taught a social science-based agricultural literacy course on global food production for students of all majors, and University Connections, a first-year experience course.

As an agricultural literacy specialist, Denise works with teachers statewide, regionally, and nationally to help them and their students understand the importance of agriculture in our daily lives. In addition to her work in agricultural literacy, she advocates for university students in regards to their academic success and retention—serving as a mentor for the Aggies First Scholars program and as an active member of USU’s Connections Faculty Committee. Denise also serves as adviser for the USU chapter of Days for Girls, a nonprofit organization that prepares and distributes sustainable menstrual health solutions and education throughout the world as a means to enable girls and women to stay in work and school.

Deborah Sunset is a high school teacher from Lake Worth, FL. She has taught APHG for 15 years and been part of the AP Reading for over a decade. She currently serves on the Test Development Committee as the high school co-chair.

Lisa Tabor is an Assistant Professor of Geography and Social Science Education at the University of Northern Iowa. She teaches both geography and secondary social studies education classes, and she loves it. Lisa mainly does research in geography education, emphasizing professional skills and teaching climate change but is always open to a good opportunity outside of her specialty. When not teaching or reading and writing the literature, she is daydreaming, doing yoga, or playing with her beloved dogs.

Kyle Tredinnick has been active in teaching geography since graduating from St. Cloud State University with a degree in social studies education. He has taught geography at a number of public and private high schools in China, Minnesota, and now Nebraska. Along with teaching for Omaha Public Schools, Kyle also serves as an Adjunct Instructor for the University of Nebraska Omaha in the Department of Geography & Geology and is working to complete a PhD in Geography at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Outside of teaching Kyle has been active as a board member for the National Council of Geographic Education, Vice-Chair of the Geography Educators of Nebraska (GEON), and part of the leadership committee for the 2019 Nebraska Social Studies Standards Revision. Kyle has been selected as a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, Goethe Institute Transatlantic Outreach Program Fellow, Fulbright Teacher for Global Classrooms, and has received national and state recognition for his efforts for geographic education. Outside of work Kyle enjoys spending time with his wife Jill and staying active playing hockey and traveling.

Jamie Vigil has been a Social Science and Leadership teacher at Silver Creek High School in Longmont Colorado for seventeen years. As a lifelong learner, she guides students as they become more geographically aware, and encourages them to find their passion projects. After earning a Master’s in Education focusing on curriculum, instruction, and assessment from Regis University she continues to discover new innovative practices. Jamie believes in leveraging cognitive science to boost long-term learning.  As well as incorporating blended learning for greater access to instruction and student-centered education. She is a devoted mother of two boys who enjoy life in Colorado with her husband and their dogs. Jamie is always eager to add new journeys and knowledge to her collection of experiences.

Jamie Worms has been the Director of the AP Human Geography course and exam at the College Board since fall 2022. Prior to working at the College Board, I taught Human Geography at Auburn University, Smith College, and Georgia State University since graduating with my Ph.D. in Geography & Anthropology from Louisiana State University in 2015. I love everything that has to do with geography, maps, good food, and travel.