Kate is a Social Studies teacher and lifelong educator who is passionate about democracy and civic engagement.  She started her teaching career working with English Language Learners, and then taught high school social studies at Middleton High School where she led the adoption of the Legislative Semester as a required course.  Subsequently, she taught in the Teacher Education program at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.

In 2022 Kate worked with other former Legislative Semester teachers to found a 501c(3) organization, with the goal of creating a structure to support teachers interested in adopting the curriculum. In 2024 she became the Executive Director of the organization.  

In addition to her work with the Legislative Semester, Kate is the co-founder and coordinator of the Wisconsin Civic Learning Coalition, a group connecting individuals and organizations who are interested in strengthening nonpartisan K12 civics education in Wisconsin schools.  She has written high school social studies curriculum for multiple organizations, served as the lead curriculum writer for the inaugural UW-Madison Deliberation Dinners, and is an Instructor for The Discussion Project.

Kate holds a BA in International Relations from Stanford University, and a MS in Applied Economics  from UW- Madison.

Ryan is a seasoned educator, senior national nonprofit leader, and leadership coach with more than 25 years of experience in service, leadership and public education. He began his career as a classroom teacher (including teaching Civics in Chicago) and advanced into leadership roles, serving as a founding school leader before taking on regional and national-level roles. At EL Education, Ryan served as a trusted coach, regional director, and most recently as managing director of partnerships, supporting school and district leaders, leading strategic plan goals, six regions and a team of 70 across the country.

Ryan is committed to partnering with groups on a mission for good in the world. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from UW–Madison, a master’s in education from Harvard University, and is starting his MBA at Marquette University this fall.

Alison Turner is a dedicated and passionate social studies educator with 21 years of experience, inspiring students to engage critically with the world around them. Alison began her career at Sauk Prairie High School where she introduced the Legislative Semester as the required US Government course.  She moved to Middleton High School to enhance her knowledge of the Legislative Semester and work in a dynamic social studies department. Specializing in civics education and the exploration of controversial issues, Alison has earned a reputation as a thoughtful facilitator who fosters civil discourse and critical thinking in the classroom.  

Alison holds a Master’s Degree in Education from University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Through a fellowship from the James Madison Foundation, Alison focused her studies on the US Constitution and teaching controversial issues.  Prior to her teaching career, Alison worked for eight years as a legislative aide in the Wisconsin State Legislature.

Outside of education, Alison is an avid hiker, working towards completing Wisconsin’s National Scenic Ice Age Trail.  As a kidney donor in the summer of 2024 as part of the National Paired Kidney Exchange, Alison is a strong advocate for living organ donation.

Tonia is passionate about community and democracy. She has leveraged her skills in communications and social media working with nonprofit organizations, political campaigns, schools, and businesses. She currently serves as the Board President for a community radio station.

Tonia has a BA in Communications and Media studies from Concordia University and has studied cinematography and film production.

Charlotte Griffiths is committed to education, empowerment, and equality. A first generation immigrant, they are constantly inspired by the capacity of the democratic process. Charlotte is thrilled to support the Legislative Semester in her role as the Operations Manager.

Charlotte’s professional experiences include over ten years of public school teaching, and almost a decade of Administrative experience, including supporting Partners and Directors at a “big 5” financial firm in Chicago and Indianapolis. Charlotte attended the University of Illinois in Urbana and earned their Master Degree in Education from Indiana University. 

Charlotte lives in Indianapolis, IN with her family. Bill teaches Mathematics at a local High School, and they recently adopted two rescue cats called George and Laverne (Lala).

Shawn Healy, PhD, is the Senior Director, Policy and Advocacy, for iCivics. He leads state and federal policy and advocacy work through the CivXNow Coalition and oversees civic education campaigns in several key states. He plays an active role in recruiting supporters to fund policy, advocacy, and implementation efforts nationwide for this work.

Healy chaired the Illinois Task Force on Civic Education in 2014 and later led separate, successful legislative campaigns for a required civics course in Illinois in middle and high school, respectively. He also led the Illinois Social Science Standards Task Force. Its recommendations were adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2015.

Healy also serves as an adjunct professor in Public Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a Serve Illinois Commissioner.

Before joining iCivics, Healy worked for fifteen years at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation in various capacities, most recently serving as Democracy Program Director.

He began his career as a social studies teacher at West Chicago Community High School (IL) where he was part of the team of government teachers who used the Legislative Semester as their required government curriculum. It was this experience, and the encouragement of Legislative Semester founder Steve Arnold, that inspired Healy to pursue state policies to ensure that every Illinois student had access to similar high-quality civic learning opportunities throughout their K-12 careers.

Rachel attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she double majored in Political Science and Sociology. Hailing from Mexico City, Rachel’s own immigration journey influenced her to pursue a career in immigration law, so upon graduating from college, she went on to attend DePaul University College of Law where she received her Juris Doctor degree and then opened the doors to her own immigration law office in 2011.

In the height of the pandemic, Rachel continued her call for public service and joined the Chicago Mayor’s Office intergovernmental affairs team under Lori Lightfoot’s administration in the fall of 2020. During her tenure at the City, Rachel led the City Council legislative and external affairs teams as Deputy Director and oversaw the implementation of mayoral policy initiatives, passage of mayoral legislation, and the negotiation and approval of three fiscal budgets. Rachel most recently took on a new challenge as Senior Director of Government and External Affairs at the Chicago Housing Authority, where she works closely with city, state, and federal legislators in the pursuit of increased access to quality, affordable housing within the City of Chicago.

On her down time, Rachel provides know your rights lectures at churches, schools and community organizations and volunteers at citizenship workshops in hopes of encouraging immigrants to seek lawful status.

Barb Laimins is a former social studies teacher at West Chicago Community High School where the Legislative Semester evolved into a life changing experience for many of the students and teachers who were able to participate in the program.   

Barb  has spent her career at the intersection of service, education, and civic engagement. She began as a nurse, later returning to school to become a teacher of civics and psychology at West Chicago Community High School.  Her passion for government led her to serve as Chief of Staff for a local legislator. In retirement, she remains deeply engaged in the community as a past Civic Mentor Liaison for the McCormick Foundation, helping to bring meaningful civics education programs into local schools. 

Barb is committed to civic engagement  and is  focused on strengthening democracy through education, advocacy, and community engagement. Her work reflects a deep belief that informed participation is essential to effective self-government and to building a more equitable and resilient community.

She is an active member of the League of Women Voters, where she supports nonpartisan voter education and civic participation initiatives. She recently led a state-wide task force addressing misinformation and disinformation, recognizing the critical role of accurate information in healthy democratic processes. And, was an  appointed member of the Illinois General Assembly Task Force  whose purpose was to review voting systems and the methods of voting, including ranked-choice voting that could be authorized by law.    In addition, she chairs her local township’s mental health board, working to expand access to needed services, and chairs a community zoning and planning commission that promotes thoughtful, inclusive development. 

Passionate about educating young people, she believes that understanding how democracy works—and how to participate in it—is essential for the next generation of voters and leaders. Through her service, she seeks to empower residents of all ages to engage meaningfully in their community and in our democratic system.

Stan Lemon is a senior software architect and engineering leader at Twilio, where he oversees the company’s primary messaging and email businesses used by organizations around the world. Over more than two decades in the software industry, he has worked across multiple technology sectors, including media, marketing, education, fintech, healthcare, and communications infrastructure.

Before joining Twilio, Stan spent eight years at Salesforce, where he helped integrate the Pardot marketing automation platform into the Salesforce ecosystem and contributed to its rapid growth into a major part of the company’s sales and marketing offerings.

Stan is a graduate of Legislative Semester, Class of 2002–2003, an experience that shaped his lifelong interest in civic engagement and public life. He lives in Indianapolis with his family, where he and his wife homeschool their children and remain active in their church and local community. His love of classic literature and civic education reflects his commitment to the mission of Legislative Semester and its focus on forming thoughtful, informed citizens.

Nnamdi Okoli graduated from Middleton High School where he participated in the Legislative Semester during his sophomore year, and served on the Rules Committee. He received a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Accounting with an emphasis in Economics and Statistics from the University of Missouri.

Nnamdi believes deeply in the power and value of history and civic education, as a student, the legislative semester was an invaluable building block in forming the way he engages in politics and government today. Nnamdi is passionate about creating environments for students of all backgrounds to learn, grow and develop as members of their communities

He is now a member of the Finance team for a New York based venture capital firm where he works across strategic finance, analytics and data products, previously he was a member of the Finance & Strategy team for Global Banking & Markets at Goldman Sachs where he supported Equities, Fixed Income and Investment Banking teams.

Senator Olson is a retired Wisconsin legislator who served in the Assembly for 10 years, and the Senate for 16 years, serving continuously from 1994 to 2021. He chaired the Senate Education Committee, and served on the Wisconsin Civics Action Task Force. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the UW Lafollete School of Public Affairs, and as a liaison between the Cooperative Educational Services Agency (CESA) network and the WI Department of Public Instruction.

Nicole Patel, a Legislative Semester alumna (2001-02), has led programs for nonprofit organizations, universities, and the federal government. She currently leads technology and operations teams that support the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, a U.S. State Department-managed program that resettles refugees from around the world in cities across America. While at the State Department, she has also advanced U.S. policy and programs related to international criminal justice sector reform, crisis response, multilateral affairs, and global diplomacy.

Prior to federal service, Nicole served as the Assistant Director of the Center for Global Engagement at Northwestern University, where she partnered with faculty to design international experiential learning programs. She managed the Global Engagement Summer Institute, which provides undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the country with knowledge, tools, and experiences to partner with communities to confront shared global challenges.

Overseas, Nicole worked in the Kachchh region of western India on a United Nations Development Program initiative to establish a community-run rural tourism project, which has served as a model for other regions. She also supported communications, fundraising, and grantmaking activities focused on women’s empowerment, health, and economic development for the American India Foundation in New Delhi.

Nicole earned a B.A. in political science at Northwestern University and an MSc in International Development Management with Distinction from the London School of Economics, and completed training in executive leadership at Harvard Business School. Her passion for both global and government affairs sparked from roles as a Presidential Management Fellow, New Leaders Council Fellow, and William J. Clinton Fellow for Service to India.

Miles Turner, EdD, was a founding Board Member of the Legislative Semester. He is the former Executive Director of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA), a position he held for 24 years.

He began his career in education as a middle school social studies teacher in Illinois and Colorado, and then became a principal of schools in Colorado and Puerto Rico.

After receiving his EdD in Educational Administration from the University of Northern Colorado, he returned to Wisconsin as the Superintendent of the River Valley School District in Spring Green. In 1989 Turner became the Executive Director of WASDA. In this role he provided support and professional development for district administrators across Wisconsin until his retirement. He served on a number of other boards and committees during his tenure and was recognized with awards at the national and state level, including being named a Distinguished Friend of Education by the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators in 2012. He continues to engage in hiring and recruitment of school administrators.

As a former social studies teacher with a lifelong commitment to public education, democratic principles, and civility in public life, Turner believes that the Legislative Semester has the potential to transform schools and communities by engaging students and providing them with the tools to be effective citizens and community members.