Social Studies Summit

Jon Bassett

Scott Bush

A lifelong educator in Texas, Scott has worked for over 25 years, championing the importance of social studies through work in classrooms, district leadership, assessment production, and curriculum development. Serving as coordinator for TEKS RS, Scott partners with experts across the state to provide teachers resources built for Texans by Texans.

Summer Carter

Summer is your go-to partner in transforming social studies classrooms. As a former teacher (and certified history nerd), she's devoted to supporting educators and students alike. Based in Fort Worth with her teenage son, Summer collaborates with district administrators and teachers, providing top-tier instructional resources. When she's not enriching classrooms, you'll find her strumming her guitar or making a difference through community volunteering. Join Summer on the journey to elevate social studies education and empower young minds!

Meghan Dougherty

Meghan has eighteen years of experience in the education field. She taught social studies and ELA in the U.S. and overseas, served as an instructional coach in Round Rock ISD, and then as an assistant principal at IDEA Pflugerville. She started working as curriculum specialist at TEKS Resource System in 2023. She believes a social studies education serves to build critical thinking skills and educate students in a democracy to be informed citizens.

Keith Hyndshaw

Keith grew up near Philadelphia, graduated from Florida State University, and began a 20-year teaching career in Lake County, Florida. He taught language arts and social studies at the middle school level for 15 years before moving to Leesburg High School. Keith was named Lake County’s Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 2010 and Lake County’s High School Teacher of the Year in 2014. He also served on the state of Florida’s African American History Task Force. He joined the DBQ team full-time in the spring of 2015.

Kenneth Karrer

After 46 years in education Ken continues to represent the Foundation for Teaching Economics as their former National Teacher of the Year and currently as a National and International Mentor Teacher. He recently finished his 6th year at Texas State University as a Senior Lecturer and Secondary Social Studies Student Teacher Supervisor where he twice received The Texas State University's Innovative Teaching Award. Prior to his work at Texas State he worked with the Texas Education Agency with assignments in Data Validation, School Improvement, and Special Investigations. He has also been a campus administrator, teacher, and coach for Bastrop, Del Valle, Austin, and Pflugerville ISD's. He has worked at every level of public education in Texas from pre-k to college and was recently asked to be a presenter at the Global Economic Educator's Conference in Cluj, Romania.

Alan Lowman

Alan Lowman is the owner of Lowman Education LLC which provides curriculum, resources, and training. He has 11 years of teaching experience at a low-income campus in Texas. His campus earned a Social Studies TEA Distinction six years in a row. He has presented at numerous conferences across the state. His educational philosophy is to simplify.

Sheila Mehta

Sheila Mehta has spent her entire career in education. After almost 15 years as a high school social studies teacher, Sheila joined the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library after being the recipient of the educational resources and professional development offered by the LBJ Library for many years. In her role as education specialist, she supports a multitude of learning experiences for students, teachers, and the public.

Rene Meza

Rene, Co-Founder of Lemoney Learning, is a Texas native and University of Texas graduate with a background in finance. Inspired by his mother's teaching career, Rene aims to improve student outcomes by providing affordable, tailored, and standards-aligned curriculum, coaching, and AI tools to educators. Based in Houston, Rene lives with his wife and three boys.

Amy Prescott

I have 23 years of experience in education and currently serve as the Elementary Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator for Round Rock ISD. I am committed to growing students' social studies and civic literacy. My goal is to nurture informed, empathetic, and engaged citizens, prepared to actively participate in democracy and the global community. I advocate for equitable learning and believe in fostering a culture of inquiry, critical thinking, and respectful dialogue, aiming to create a socially aware and action-oriented student body.

Gary Shiffman

Gary Shiffman became a high school teacher at age 39. That summer he interned at Madison Park High School in Boston. In the fall, he began teaching 9th and 10th graders at Newton North High School, where Jon Bassett had hired him on a lark. He taught at Newton North for four years and then became Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator (a.k.a. department chair) at Brookline High School, where his two daughters, his wife (Class of ’80), and his friend Jon (Class of ’84) all attended. After seventeen years in that position, he stepped down to devote himself full time to spreading the word about the Four Question Method. Gary has a B.A. in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton, a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, and is a former Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego.

Rebecca Smart

An educator of 21 years, Rebecca Smart earned her BA in Government and Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master's Degree in Blended and Personalized Learning from Texas Tech University. She is honored and proud to serve as an AP US History teacher and Social Studies Instructional Coach in Dripping Springs, Texas. She currently serves as a civics educator, consultant, and trainer for Texas Law-Related Education, a David M. Rubenstein Master Teacher for the White House History Teacher Institute, a mentor for the We the People program (Center for Civic Education), a Council of Educators Member of Retro Report, and is a member of the National Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Council and iCivics Educator Network.

Courtney Williamson