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Jessica Ellison

Executive Director

Jessica earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in News-Editorial Journalism at Drake University and her Master of Arts in Public History at St. Cloud State University. 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. As grant director for MNHS’s Library of Congress grant, she supported K-12 social studies teachers in integrating culturally relevant pedagogy with primary sources into their classroom instruction. She served as President of the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies from 2015-2021 and was a founding member of the Minnesota Council for History Education. Currently, Jessica serves on the board of the National Social Studies Supervisors Association and is serving a second term on her local school board. 

Jessica first attended the NCHE conference in 2011 and has presented for NCHE several times since then, both in-person and in online settings. She joined the NCHE staff in December 2022.

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John Csepegi

Director of Operations

John Csepegi has been with the National Council for History Education (NCHE) since January 2007. He started working for NCHE as a Project Manager for the Teaching American History grant program.  In November 2007, John became the Director of Conferences & Events and added Director of Memberships in June 2013. His new title, Director of Operations, started in October 2022.  

John is happily married to Kate and together they have a pug (Bailey), a bulldog (Frank), and a cat (Sammi). He was born and raised in Madison, Ohio and he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Bowling Green State University, with a focus on Secondary Social Studies.  

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Kathleen Barker

Education Coordinator

Kathleen Barker earned a BA in history and women’s studies from the University of Michigan, an MA in public history from Northeastern University, and an MI in School Librarianship from Rutgers University. She has more than twenty years of experience as a museum and library educator, most recently as the Director of the Center for the Teaching of History at the Massachusetts Historical Society, and as Director of Programs for History UnErased. In these roles she designed professional development programs for educators, including NEH Landmarks workshops, as well as inquiry-based programs for K-12 students using Library of Congress collections.  

Kathleen has been attending and presenting at NCHE conferences since 2008. She joined the staff of NCHE in December 2021.

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Laura Wakefield

Program Coordinator

Laura Wakefield earned her B.S. in Political Science/Social Studies Education from Florida State University and a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Central Florida as a James Madison Fellow. A National Board-Certified history teacher, she taught in the School District of Osceola County, Florida and at Florida Virtual School. She was recognized as the National Middle School Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 1995 and was trained as one of the first American Memory Fellow’s by the Library of Congress.

Laura authored and directed three separate Teaching American History (TAH) grants. She has served NCHE since 2004, first as a Master teacher providing professional development for history teachers, and then as a member of the Board of Directors and Interim Executive Director. Laura joined NCHE’s staff full time in December 2018. 

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Shauna Liverotti

Program Coordinator

Shauna earned her Master of Arts degree in European History at the University of Manchester, England and holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. She has over 20 years of experience as a secondary classroom teacher in both brick and mortar and online settings. Shauna also has experience as an academic writer for government, human geography and history courses for blended and online learners at the secondary and college levels. She has presented as a master teacher for NCHE colloquia since 2017 and joined the team full-time in October 2022. Her favorite era of history is the Gilded Age which she attributes to her time living in Newport.

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Regina Holland

Program Manager

Regina holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgia State University, a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Piedmont College, and an Educational Specialist in Curriculum Management and Instruction & Administration from Nova Southeastern University.  She has 21 years of Social Studies classroom experience along with an additional 6 years of district level experience servicing K-12 Social Studies teachers.  After retirement, she served as an educational consultant designing and providing Professional Learning for teachers across the United States.  

Regina has attended NCHE conferences as both a participant and presenter and is the treasurer for her local council, the Georgia Council for History Education.  She joined NCHE in October 2021 as the Program Manager for The Rural Experience in America project funded by the Library of Congress. 

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Dalton Savage

Program Assistant

Dalton Savage is a high school social studies teacher at Edmond Memorial High School in Edmond, Oklahoma. Previously, he was a middle school social studies teacher at the Middle School of Piedmont in Piedmont, OK. Dalton earned his M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum from the University of Oklahoma in 2017.Dalton is the president of the Oklahoma Council for History Education where he works to impact history educators and enthusiasts in Oklahoma's 77 counties. His research interests include history education, professional learning, and teacher preparation. He has been a member of NCHE since 2020. He joined NCHE as a Program Assistant in October 2021.

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