National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is pleased to announce Wesley Hedgepeth, a Politics and History Teacher at Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia, begins a one-year term as President of the NCSS Board of Directors on July 1, 2023.

Jennifer Morgan, a middle school social studies teacher at West Salem Middle School in West Salem, Wisconsin, begins a one-year term as NCSS President-Elect. Tina Ellsworth, an assistant professor of education at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri, has been elected to the position of Vice-President and is in line to be NCSS President beginning July 2025. Shannon Pugh, the Director of Community and Schools Programming for Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Annapolis, Maryland, assumes the role of NCSS Past-President.

The elected individuals joining the NCSS Board of Directors for their first terms are Carly Donick, a middle school social studies teacher at Cabrillo Middle School in Ventura, California; Heather Nice, the Director of Education at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois; and Marc Turner, a high school social studies teacher at Spring Hill High School in Columbia, South Carolina. Alexander Cuenca, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, begins his second consecutive term on the NCSS Board of Directors.

In addition, 2023 NCSS House of Delegates Steering Committee Chair Deborah Robertson, a social studies teacher in Harper Woods, Michigan, will serve a one-year term as an ex-officio member of the board.

Wesley Hedgepeth teaches AP Comparative Politics, AP U.S. Government, and world history at Collegiate School in Henrico County, just outside Richmond, Virginia. In addition to teaching, Wesley advises students, coordinates his school’s Model United Nations program, and serves on his school’s Civil Dialogue Task Force. Prior to teaching at Collegiate School, Wesley taught at James River High School in Midlothian, Virginia, and Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond.

Wesley became a member of NCSS in 2009 at the recommendation of his social studies methods professor, and since then has presented at multiple NCSS conferences, attended Summer Leadership Institutes, represented VCSS in the NCSS House of Delegates, and served on both the International Visitors Committee and HOD Assignments Committee. From 2014-2017, Wesley also served as President of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies. During his tenure, VCSS twice earned NCSS Gold Star status. Also during this time, he co-chaired the 2016 NCSS Local Arrangements Committee for the Washington, D.C. conference and twice co-chaired the Virginia Conference for Social Studies Educators. Later on, Wesley again served as co-chair of the 2020 NCSS Local Arrangements Committee for the 2020 NCSS Virtual Conference.

Wesley served on the Board of Directors in Richmond at the Patrick Henry School for Science and Arts, Virginia's first public elementary charter school. From 2018-2020, he served on the Academic Committee, as well as Board Secretary. During his tenure, the Board successfully renewed the school charter with the City of Richmond School Board, initiated a vigorous campaign to grow the board’s diversity, and received multiple large funding grants for school programs. Wesley lives in the City of Richmond with his husband, Derek, as well as their three hound dogs. He loves traveling, reading nonfiction, spending time with his niece and five nephews, as well as working in his garden.

NCSS President Wesley Hedgepeth said, “Congratulations to our new Vice President, Dr. Tina Ellsworth, and to Dr. Alex Cuenca for his reelection to the NCSS Board of Directors. In addition, a wholehearted welcome to Carly Donick, Heather Nice, Deborah Robertson, and Marc Turner as they join the Board. The depth and breadth of their collective experience is impressive, embodies diverse perspectives, and helps support NCSS's work in fulfilling its mission. The work of our association represents the hands, minds, and hearts of many. I would like to thank NCSS staff, our out-going Board, as well as the many leaders throughout our association, for continuing to advocate and build capacity for high-quality social studies by providing leadership, services, and support to educators. Our priorities for the coming year will continue to support our mission. It is imperative that social studies education be inclusive—not politically abridged—and that all educators receive the training and support they need. Moreover, all students must have regular access to high-quality, inclusive social studies education, which includes seeing themselves and others in their learning. We will also remain dedicated to strengthening communication, connection, and collaboration within our association and beyond. Working together will strengthen social studies education in the future.”

NCSS Executive Director Dr. Lawrence Paska said, "Welcome to our new and returning Board members! NCSS remains committed to providing leadership, service, and support for all educators and continuing to strengthen professional learning and communities for social studies educators—and those who support social studies learning. This is an exciting year to advance the mission of NCSS and the very foundation of social studies throughout American education. I am proud to work with such a talented and dedicated Board in advancing the potential of social studies education during this vital time for education.”