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Larry Kramer

Larry Kramer has been President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics and Political Science since 2024. From 2012-2024, he was President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Under his leadership, the foundation undertook major initiatives and launched new efforts on a range of pressing and timely problems, including climate change, democracy, cybersecurity, disinformation, new economics, racial justice, education, women’s reproductive health and rights, global governance, performing arts, and philanthropy itself. He wrote and spoke extensively on issues related to effective philanthropy, including the importance of collaboration among funders and the need to provide grantees with long-term support. He frequently lectures and writes about broad societal issues, from global climate change to the challenge of maintaining democratic government in the 21st century.

Before joining the foundation, Larry served from 2004 to 2012 as Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School. During his tenure, he spearheaded significant educational reforms, pioneering a new model of multidisciplinary legal studies while enlarging the clinical education program and incorporating a public service ethos. His teaching and scholarly interests include American legal history, constitutional law, federalism, separation of powers, the federal courts, conflict of laws, and civil procedure.

At the start of his career, Larry served as law clerk to U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Henry J. Friendly of the Second Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Following his clerkships, Larry served as professor of law at the University of Chicago and University of Michigan law schools. He joined the faculty of New York University School of Law in 1994, where he served as Associate Dean for Research and Academics and Russell D. Niles Professor of Law until leaving for Stanford in 2004. Before joining Stanford, he also served as a special consultant for Mayer Brown, LLP.

Larry is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Law Institute. He serves as a director on the boards of a number of nonprofit organizations, including the National Constitution Center, Independent Sector, and the ClimateWorks Foundation.

Larry received an A.B. in Psychology and Religious Studies from Brown University, graduating magna cum laude in 1980, and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, magna cum laude, in 1984. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including “The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review.”

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Head Back to School in an Election Year with iCivics

Kickstart the school year with iCivics! As you prepare to welcome students back into the classroom, we have your back with engaging civics and election-related resources for all ages.

Join us for one of three free webinars that explore engaging election resources, civic lessons, and other exciting updates to help you inspire the next generation. Additionally, participants will get a tour of the new iCivics Education website, designed to provide a more user-friendly experience and launch just days before the webinar.

Natacha Scott, iCivics Director of Educator Engagement, will share previews of yet-to-be-released resources for your classroom and an overview of our elections-related resources and support. 


For High School and Middle School Educators

Back-to-School (in an Election Year)

August 21, 2024, from 7–8 p.m. ET


For Elementary Educators

Back to School Elementary Webinar

August 22, 2024, from 7–8 p.m. ET


For Administrators

Bringing iCivics to Your District in an Election Year

August 22, 2024, from 1–2 p.m. ET


Whether you are new to iCivics or just need a refresher on our resources, this webinar is a great place to start planning your school year.

Mya Baker

Mya Baker joined iCivics in 2024 as the Chief Learning Services Officer, leading business strategy and the design of learning services for teachers, leaders, and districts.

Prior to this, Mya was Vice President in the Consulting division at TNTP, where she oversaw work across 14 states, significantly expanding TNTP’s impact and revenue—from $3 million to $15 million in four fiscal cycles—supporting over 3 million students. Her leadership encompassed curriculum adoption, instructional improvement, school turnaround, community engagement, talent management, and leadership development. She also developed an academic diagnostic process used in hundreds of schools annually.

Previously, Mya served as Senior Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Uplift Education in Dallas-Fort Worth, managing five academic teams and overseeing curriculum development, academic programming, English as a Second Language support, and instructional coaching across 40 schools serving over 18,000 students. She was instrumental in the certification of 32 International Baccalaureate programs, making the district the largest group of IB continuum schools in North America.

Mya’s career began in school-based roles, progressing from a 5th-grade teacher to a Principal and Principal Manager in Washington, DC. During her early years, she also trained new teachers through Teach for America and DC Teaching Fellows. Mya holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master’s Degree in Teaching & Learning from American University.

Mya is a dedicated servant leader with a passion for fostering positive environments and advancing education through strategic planning and development. Her extensive experience in instructional and district leadership informs her innovative approach to business strategy.

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Molly Morrison

Molly is a seasoned nonprofit development leader with more than 20 years of experience helping high-impact organizations realize their ambitious visions—building deep and lasting relationships to secure significant and sustainable funding. Prior to joining iCivics, Molly worked in senior development roles for organizations transforming the lives of millions of people and communities throughout the world, including Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, UNICEF, Concern Worldwide and Sightsavers.

Molly joined iCivics in 2016 as Chief Development Officer, leading a small but mighty team to grow and diversify iCivics’ revenue. During her tenure, iCivics’ annual fundraising has grown five-fold, including support from some of the nation’s most prestigious philanthropists, and the organization launched and is nearing completion of its first growth capital campaign. An avid civics buff since childhood, she is thrilled to help iCivics raise the necessary investment to ensure every student in America is educated and inspired for lifelong civic engagement.

Molly holds a B.A. in Political Science from Trinity Washington University, as well as an MPhil in International Peace Studies from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. She lives with her family in Boston, MA.

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Tom Zemlin

Tom is a third-generation computer scientist who started programming at the age of 12. In his final semester at Hamline University, Tom dropped his resume off at a company called MECC, and the next thing he knew, he was working on The Oregon Trail. At MECC, Tom discovered his love of edTech and the mission he continues today.

Tom’s career has seen him work on some of the most legendary education products: The Oregon Trail, Carmen San Diego, Compton’s Encyclopedia, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, Number Munchers, National Geographic, and many others. During his 30-year career, Tom has also worked in the advertising and entertainment industries building some of the first websites in the state of Minnesota and heading up external game studios for PlayFirst.

In 2001, Tom founded SnowOwl Studios, which created modern versions of Number Munchers and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. SnowOwl also created top ten titles for casual gaming clients like THQ and PlayFirst. One of the most interesting projects at SnowOwl was creating a digital reading program for special education curriculum that utilized adapted interfaces for kids will wide ranges of special needs.

The latest adventure for Tom was with Capstone, a children’s book publisher focused on the school library market. At Capstone, Tom built the development team around PebbleGo and Capstone Interactive. PebbleGo started life as a simple research and inquiry tool focusing on K-2 literacy. Tom’s team advanced PebbleGo from a simple web app to an entire education platform and has served up one billion articles to students in Tom’s tenure at Capstone.

Tom is an Eagle Scout, and his minor at Hamline was Political Science. Tom has a passion for civics and a deep sense of civic duty. At Hamline, Tom worked with the political science department to create computerized statistical models to predict election outcomes.

Tom lives in Plymouth, MN, with his wife, Karen. When not at the keyboard, Tom enjoys spending time at his cabin and supporting Karen’s adventures as a Hall of Fame marathon swimmer.

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Shawn Healy

Shawn Healy, PhD, leads iCivics’ state and federal policy and advocacy work through CivxNow and oversees civic education campaigns in several key states. Since Healy joined iCivics in 2021, 24 states strengthened civic education policies, Congress quadrupled funding for K-12 civics, and the CivxNow coalition grew to 340+ viewpoint and geographically diverse organizational members.

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. He also chaired the Illinois Social Science Standards Task Force. The State Board of Education adopted its recommendations in 2015.

Healy speaks regularly at conferences across the country, contributes to local and national media, and produces original scholarship on political participation and civic education. He also serves as an adjunct professor in Public Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and on the Board of Directors of the Legislative Semester, Inc. and the Student Press Law Center.

Previously the Democracy Program Director at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Healy began his career as a high school social studies teacher in Wisconsin and Illinois. A 2001 James Madison Fellow, he holds a MA and PhD from UIC in Political Science and earned a bachelor’s degree with distinction in Political Science, History and Secondary Education from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Roxy Garcia Marcus

With over 20 years in the nonprofit sector, Roxy Garcia Marcus joined iCivics as the first Senior Director, Human Resources. Roxy has worked in People/HR roles for over 10 years, working to positively contribute to staff culture and team development. She has served in a variety of HR roles with a focus on employee relations, team management, organizational development, employee retention, and leadership development. She is passionate about supporting senior leaders and people managers to elevate and support their teams to high outcomes. Prior to working in HR, Roxy also served in a variety of nonprofit functions, including fundraising, site operations, external engagement, and direct programming. She leverages this varied experience to better understand an organization’s strategic needs and ties the HR strategy to those needs.

Roxy has a bachelor’s in public relations from the University of Florida and a master’s in organizational leadership and learning from The George Washington University. She is passionate about cultivating environments in which employees can thrive. Born to Cuban and Dominican immigrants, Roxy is a first-generation American, grew up in South Florida, and served two terms in AmeriCorps prior to completing her bachelor’s. Roxy now lives in Maryland with her husband Ben, their four kids, and an unruly Irish Wolfadoodle. When she’s not working, Roxy enjoys drawing, cooking, and reading.

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Luess Sampson-Lizotte

Luess joined iCivics in January 2023 as the Chief Product Officer. In this role, Luess leads the product strategy and editorial development for the iCivics portfolio.

Prior to iCivics, Luess held many positions in the K-12 educational publishing industry focused on developing history, civics, and government curricula. Most recently, as the VP, Humanities Product Development at Savvas Learning Company (formerly Pearson K12 Learning), Luess oversaw the K-12 Social Studies and World Languages product lines. There she was instrumental in the development of several market-leading programs, including Magruder’s American Government. She started her career in educational publishing in the Educational Technology group at Houghton Mifflin. Her first experience in the publishing world was as a children’s trade editor on the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series.

Luess holds a M.A. in History from University of Massachusetts and a B.A. in History from Duke University. She excels at navigating complex issues and developing creative product solutions that help students learn and practice knowledge and skills they need to engage in the civic process. She is an avid gardener and downhill skier who loves reading mysteries and doing jigsaw puzzles.

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Emma Humphries

Dr. Emma Humphries joined iCivics as Chief Education Officer in February 2016.

Emma began her career in education as a classroom teacher in North Florida, where she taught all levels of American government, American history, and economics. It was there she first learned the power of innovative learning tools that allow students to engage with important content and make meaning of otherwise dry concepts such as federalism and limited government.

In 2008, she began a Ph.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Florida, where she focused her studies and research on civic education and teacher professional development until she graduated in 2012. As luck would have it, Justice O’Connor visited the Florida legislature during this time, inspiring them to pass the Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Civics Education Act in 2010, which mandated civics instruction at the middle school level. This timely development provided Emma with opportunities to partner with the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship in drafting a yearlong 7th-grade civics curriculum and assisting in subsequent teacher training efforts.

In 2011, Emma joined the team at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service as its Civic Engagement Coordinator. In this role, she worked with center and campus leadership to promote civic engagement at the University of Florida by developing, implementing, and coordinating innovative programs for students. During her tenure, she also created and taught an award-winning, online citizenship course entitled “Rethinking Citizenship: Identity, Collaboration, and Action.”

Emma has degrees in political science and education and was awarded a James Madison Fellowship in 2004. She was a founding member of the iCivics Educator Network and has been spreading the good word about iCivics since 2010.

Emma lives on Saint Simons Island, GA, with her husband, Michael, and their daughters, June and Julia. In her spare time, she chairs the annual St. Simons Island Wine Festival benefitting local arts and education causes.

10-Year Reflection

As I enter my second decade with iCivics, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what a ride it’s been!

During my interview dinner with iCivics Founder Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in May of 2014, I remember not speaking more than three words between people coming up to her and mostly listening to her bold vision.

I was conflicted about accepting the position. Friends were dubious about taking a position with a small (6 staff) and financially unstable nonprofit that was reliant on a high-visibility champion. As one iCivics board member stated, “when you work at a more mature organization, you get paid whether you raise money or not. Here, if you do not raise the funding, you don’t get paid.” That was sobering.

I weighed those concerns against what I saw: an incredible product with a dedicated fan base on an issue I cared deeply about preparing young people for civic engagement.

The founding team had done the hard work. Abby Taylor, Jeff Curley, Carrie Ray Hill, Allison Atwater, Julie O’Sullivan, and so many others designed products with unusual attention to, and care for, educator needs. They understood what teachers needed: meeting state standards while crunched for time and striving to hold student attention. Justice O’Connor truly listened to educators and allowed her team to design what was needed. They were meticulous and connected with users frequently. In my 20+ years in education, I had rarely seen that.

What’s more, I remembered my son using Win the White House while in 4th grade. At the time, I was skeptical about games as homework, but he told me, “All of school should be like iCivics.” That won the day.

The first couple of years were stressful. In the first few weeks, we got a transformative gift from the MacArthur Foundation, which gave us the runway to grow. From there, we built on the assets the founding team had developed and sought to make Justice O’Connor’s vision a reality.

By 2017, it was clear that if we wanted civic education to have an impact, we would need a nationwide movement to make civic education a priority. That year, the Carnegie Corporation of New York invested in and supported our development of the “Democracy at a Crossroads” conference, expanding the visibility of civic education and incubating the CivxNow coalition.

But at a time of great division, such a movement needs a north star. What kind of civic education does our country need? Along with 300 colleagues, we sought to answer that question, culminating in Educating for American Democracy in 2021. 

This vision of a thriving American democracy supported by informed and civically engaged young people animates us today. Our resources are now used in every state in the nation to serve 9 million students every year. We have hundreds of resources to support educators and added services to our product mix. This expanded reach and support for students and educators is made possible today by a staff of 70 across 25 states, and a budget that has grown tenfold.  

Most of all, we have had an impact. We have helped more than quadruple federal funding for civic education. Our coalition—now 340-strong—has helped pass policies to advance civic education in 24 states.  We know that states where strong quality civic education has been implemented have better results on assessments of civic learning.

I am deeply grateful to iCivics and to the team who has done an enormous amount of hard work over the years. I am also grateful to our extraordinary supporters, who have shared their insights as well as their financial resources to make this work possible.

iCivics is growing up! Here’s to the next 10 years…