2023 Virtual Teacher Institute: Hosts, Presenters & Historians Biographies

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Liz Covart

Liz Covart is a history lover, a historian of early America, and the Founding Director of Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios. She is the host of the popular Ben Franklin's World Podcast. Her current research investigates the creation of the American union and the ratification of the Articles of Confederation.

Liz holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Davis.

More keynote speakers will be announced soon.

 

Presenters & Historians

Sarah Kay Bierle

Sarah Kay Bierle graduated from Thomas Edison State University with a BA in History, works in the Education Department at American Battlefield Trust, and volunteers as managing editor at Emerging Civil War. She has spent years exploring ways to share quality historical research in ways that will inform and inspire modern audiences, including school presentations, writing, and speaking engagements. Sarah has published three historical fiction books and her first nonfiction book, Call Out The Cadets: The Battle of New Market, is part of the Emerging Civil War series.
 

Neil Chatelain

Biography coming soon. 
 

Andrew Dalton

Andrew Dalton has served as executive director of the Adams County Historical Society since 2019. Prior to his appointment, Andrew completed his undergraduate studies at Gettysburg College and worked in the Society's Collections Management office. A lifelong resident of the Gettysburg area, Andrew is passionate about local and regional history, with an emphasis on the Civil War era and African American history and culture. He has received project funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is the author of a book and numerous articles. Most recently, his research on Civil War-era cartography at Gettysburg was featured in The Washington Post and Hallowed Ground Magazine. He is a frequent contributor and guest presenter for the American Battlefield Trust, Gettysburg National Military Park, and Gettysburg College's Civil War Institute.
 

Dan Davis

Dan Davis is a native of Fredericksburg, VA where his love for the Civil War began on childhood trips to local battlefields. He is a graduate of Longwood University with a bachelor’s degree in Public History. Dan has worked as a Ranger/Historian at Appomattox Court House National Historical Site and the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. He is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles on the Civil War and is a regular contributor to Emerging Civil War. He currently resides in Fredericksburg. 
 

Carolyn Ivanoff

Carolyn Ivanoff is a retired high school administrator and independent historian. She writes and speaks on American History in a variety of formats and venues. Her book, We Fought at Gettysburg, features first-hand accounts by the survivors of the 17th Connecticut Infantry and their experiences on the greatest battlefield of the American Civil War.
 

Dr. Chris Mackowski

Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Emerging Civil War. He is the series editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series, published by Savas Beatie, and the “Engaging the Civil War” Series, published in partnership with Southern Illinois University Press. Chris is a professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, and historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield in central Virginia. He has also worked as a historian for the National Park Service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, where he gives tours at four major Civil War battlefields (Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania), as well as at the building where Stonewall Jackson died. Chris has authored or co-authored a dozen books on the Civil War, and his articles have appeared in all the major Civil War magazines. Chris serves on the national advisory board for the Civil War Chaplains Museum in Lynchburg, Virginia.
 

Mark Maloy

Biography coming soon.
 

Dr. Jeff Scott

Dr. Jeff Scott is Vice President of Education at Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge, PA. In his educational career, he has taught history at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as an adjunct at the university level. Jeff has also served as a school administrator as well as serving on several committees at the state level with regard to U.S. History. Jeff is currently writing Patriotic Fit: THE Foundation to Continued Strength. In the recent past, Dr. Scott has participated in the George Washington Teacher Institute and the White House Teacher Institute, as well as many others.
 

Dan Welch

Dan Welch is a music educator with a public school district in northeast Ohio. Previously, he served as the education programs coordinator for the non-profit Gettysburg Foundation, and continues to serve as a seasonal park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park. Dan is the editor of the long-running Gettysburg Magazine, editor of the Emerging Revolutionary War book series, and is the coauthor of two works in the Emerging Civil War Series.He is also the author, coauthor, and editor of numerous essays, articles, and book reviews.
 

Kristopher D. White

Kris is the deputy director of education at the American Battlefield Trust. White is a graduate of Norwich University with an M.A. in Military History and California University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in History. He served as a ranger-historian for nearly five years at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. White is the co-founder and chief historian of Emerging Civil War and co-creator of the Engaging the Civil War Series, a partnership between Southern Illinois University Press and Emerging Civil War. An award-winning speaker and editor, White has authored, co-authored, or edited nearly two dozen books, and he frequently leads tours in the United States and abroad.
 

Cecily Zander

Cecily Zander is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, TX. She received her PhD in American History from Penn State in 2021. Her research and teaching interests include the Civil War era, American military history, memory, and popular culture. She is currently working on a book manuscript entitled “The Long War for the American West,” based on her Penn State dissertation.

More speakers will be announced soon.
 

Hosts & Moderators

Sarah Kay Bierle

Sarah Kay Bierle graduated from Thomas Edison State University with a BA in History, works in the Education Department at American Battlefield Trust, and volunteers as managing editor at Emerging Civil War. She has spent years exploring ways to share quality historical research in ways that will inform and inspire modern audiences, including school presentations, writing, and speaking engagements. Sarah has published three historical fiction books and her first nonfiction book, Call Out The Cadets: The Battle of New Market, is part of the Emerging Civil War series.  

Dan Davis

Dan Davis is a native of Fredericksburg, VA where his love for the Civil War began on childhood trips to local battlefields. He is a graduate of Longwood University with a bachelor’s degree in Public History. Dan has worked as a Ranger/Historian at Appomattox Court House National Historical Site and the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. He is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles on the Civil War and is a regular contributor to Emerging Civil War. He currently resides in Fredericksburg. 

Dr. Chris Mackowski

Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Emerging Civil War. He is the series editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series, published by Savas Beatie, and the “Engaging the Civil War” Series, published in partnership with Southern Illinois University Press. Chris is a professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, and historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield in central Virginia. He has also worked as a historian for the National Park Service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, where he gives tours at four major Civil War battlefields (Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania), as well as at the building where Stonewall Jackson died. Chris has authored or co-authored a dozen books on the Civil War, and his articles have appeared in all the major Civil War magazines. Chris serves on the national advisory board for the Civil War Chaplains Museum in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Kristopher D. White

Kris is the deputy director of education at the American Battlefield Trust. White is a graduate of Norwich University with an M.A. in Military History and California University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in History. He served as a ranger-historian for nearly five years at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. White is the co-founder and chief historian of Emerging Civil War and co-creator of the Engaging the Civil War Series, a partnership between Southern Illinois University Press and Emerging Civil War. An award-winning speaker and editor, White has authored, co-authored, or edited nearly two dozen books, and he frequently leads tours in the United States and abroad.

Cecily N. Zander

Cecily N. Zander is a historian of the Civil War era and the American West. She is an Assistant Professor of History at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, where she offers courses on American history, military history, memory, and popular culture. Her book, The War Against the Army, will be published by Louisiana State University Press in 2024. She also serves as Chief Historian at Emerging Civil War, a popular outlet for accessible writing about the Civil War era. As the daughter of a high school teacher, working with educators is one of her favorite parts of being a historian.

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