As a scholar intrigued by intellectual, social, cultural, and political history in early America, Kathleen's research explores the intersection of political dissent and educational opportunity. Her manuscript project, Forced to Fight: Emancipation, Education, and the Antebellum Struggle for Black Equality, exhumes the story of the migration of a group of free Black families from North Carolina to Ohio, and their pivotal role in securing the emancipation of four million enslaved people.
As a National Board Certified social studies/history teacher, a James Madison Memorial Foundation Fellow, and self-proclaimed “Conservator of Effective Citizenship,” Kathleen has two decades of experiences in middle & high school and collegiate classrooms in Colorado and Washington. Preparing students to be engaged and informed citizens constitutes the foundation of her instructional philosophy. That undertaking inspires her daily lesson planning as well as her contributions to longer-term and larger-scale curriculum development and public education initiatives.
Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at various times Kathleen called Kent, Washington, and Boulder, Colorado home. Now settled in Grand Junction, she is proud to belong to the Mavily. Off campus, Kathleen is a fanatic for trail running and often persuades her husband and dogs to accompany her.