Defining Civic Virtue in the Revolution

Scott Casper

Scott Casper is President of the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library of American history and culture located in Worcester, Massachusetts. Formerly Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Professor of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), he is the author of Sarah Johnson’s Mount Vernon: The Forgotten History of an American Shrine, and the author or editor of eight other books. 

He has participated in Mount Vernon's institutes and workshops for K-12 teachers since 2000, and has also worked extensively with the Center for Civic Education (We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution) and the Northern Nevada Teaching American History Project. He edited the annual "Textbooks and Teaching" section of the Journal of American History from 2008 to 2018.

Kate Melchior

Kate Melchior is the Associate Director of Educator Engagement and Outreach at the Massachusetts Historical Society, where she has worked for nearly nine years. 

As a historical educator, she develops and leads student programs and teacher professional development courses; creates curricular resources based on archival primary sources; mentors student and teacher fellows; and helps coordinate the Massachusetts History Day program. 

Melchior is a 2012 Austrian Fullbright Fellow and a recipient of the 2023 MCSS Debra Miller Award for Excellence in Museum Education, and holds a MA in History from the University of Bristol. She has previously worked at the Old North Church Historic Site and the Heritage Museum and Gardens.

Alissa Oginsky

Alissa Oginsky is the Director of K-12 Education at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. She is responsible for managing a team of amazing museum educators in supporting teachers and students nationwide. 

This important work is achieved through facilitating professional development programs for teachers, implementing signature student programs, and developing K-12 classroom resources. Prior to joining Mount Vernon in 2018, Alissa spent over a decade in various museum education roles, serving as an elementary and middle school teacher and as an educational leader in Social Studies curriculum across her district. 

She holds an M.A. in Art Museum and Gallery Education from Newcastle University and a B.S. in Elementary Education from York College of Pennsylvania.

Sadie Troy

Sadie Troy joined the Adams Presidential Center as its Director of Education and Public Programming in 2025 and has over a decade of museum education experience at numerous presidential history sites. 

She served as the Director of Education at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri, after beginning a career in the Founding Era, leading educational programming at both Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. 

She has an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Video Production from Webster University.

Heather Wilson

Heather Wilson is the Assistant Director for K-12 Learning at the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS), where she works on student visits, teacher professional development, and the development of History Source, a primary source set portal.

With experience as a classroom teacher and curriculum developer, she supports teachers and students as they work with primary sources to uncover and contextualize the diverse voices and multiple perspectives of the many people who have shaped Massachusetts over time.

She has an MA in Archives and Public History from NYU.