Facilitator Team
Georgina Rivers
Georgina Rivers is a doctoral student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education concentrating in Culture, Institutions, and Society. Through community-engaged inquiry, she explores pedagogical practices in community-based organizations and schools that nurture low-income students’ and communities’ political engagement. Recently, Georgina earned an Ed.M. in Education Policy and Analysis with a concentration in Identity, Power, and Justice in Education from HGSE. She also holds a M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching from Columbia University, Teachers College and a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to HGSE, Georgina worked in public education for fifteen years as a district-level initiative specialist, curriculum development director, union leader, classroom teacher, and youth worker. She co-facilitated youth participatory action research projects spurring local policy change with amazing young people from her native Washington, D.C. area.
Dr. Brian Gaston
Dr. Brian Gaston is an independent solutions expert and learning facilitator who works closely with PreK-12 stakeholders to address the most pressing challenges facing schools in underserved communities. Previously, Brian was a full-time doctoral student in educational leadership at Harvard University. He completed his doctoral residency as a senior leader with the Division of School Leadership at New York City Public Schools. In this role, Brian led the design and implementation of the citywide school improvement strategy for the system’s 144 priority schools. He also received Harvard’s prestigious Presidential Public Service Fellowship and Adrian Cheng Fellowship for Social Innovation. Additionally, Brian served as an award-winning high school principal, assistant principal, and secondary teacher in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Some of his most meaningful distinctions include Rookie Principal of the Year, HISD Secondary Teacher of the Year, and leading his campus to the National Blue Ribbon School award. Brian holds a BBA in Management from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership from the University of St. Thomas, and an Ed.L.D. from Harvard University.
Hannah Scruggs
Hannah Scruggs is a public historian and PhD candidate at Harvard University. Her work focus and research interests sit at the intersections of environmental history, family and community history, memory, and preservation. As a genealogy reference assistant in the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Hannah works with the public to help others learn more about the people that they came from through individual research sessions, public programming, and the Community Curation Program. Prior to working at NMAAHC, Hannah was the manager of the Descendants Project at James Madison's Montpelier.
Chris Summerhill
Chris Summerhill is a lifelong student and educator. After graduating from Boston Public School’s Academy of Public Service, he went on to attend Morehouse College and then earned his masters in education through the Boston Teachers Residency Program. He taught social science in Boston Public Schools for 10 years. Between the grades of 7 and 12, Chris taught courses in Social Issues, Civics, World Geography, U.S. History, & African American Studies. Since leaving Boston and teaching internationally, he has taught DP Psychology, MYP Individuals & Society, World History, African Studies, and AP U.S. History. He taught in Cameroon, Czechia, South Africa, and will be teaching in Amman, Jordan, beginning this fall. He is currently working with EdEthics as a Curriculum Designer and has made contributions to a multimedia case study that is a part of this workshop. Just as he is each day with his students, Chris is excited to work with the participants of the Past to Present Institute as we engage in deep, meaningful, and difficult discussions.
Zenzile Riddick
Zenzile Riddick is a PhD candidate and Presidential Scholar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the Culture, Institutions, and Society concentration. Her research focuses on the historical and contemporary landscape of Black education. Specifically, she examines the development of educational institutions, models, theories, and practices constructed as liberatory alternatives to antiblack structures and ideologies in dominant educational systems. In addition to conducting qualitative academic research, Zenzile has designed and led various mentorship and holistic development programs for low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented college and college-bound students.
The Democratic Knowledge Project (DKP) at the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics is offering this institute in partnership with Project Zero, a research group based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). The Center for Ethics seeks to strengthen teaching and research about pressing ethical issues; to foster sound norms of ethical reasoning and civic discussion; and to share the work of our community in the public interest. An initiative of the Center for Ethics, the DKP seeks to identify, strengthen, and disseminate the knowledge, dispositions, capacities, and skills civic participants need to sustain healthy democratic life. The DKP partners with Project Zero to design, deliver, and conduct research on civics learning and civics-focused professional learning opportunities. Project Zero’s mission is to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity for individuals and groups.