Every summer, the National History Academy hires teachers from across the country to join the team as Teaching Fellows. These educators bring their unique expertise and passion for history to the program, helping to create an immersive learning experience for our students. With their support, students engage with historical content in dynamic and impactful ways, fostering a deep understanding of America’s past while inspiring them to think critically about how they can shape a better future.
Lisa Kallmes
Teaching Fellow
Lisa Kallmes has spent eighteen years teaching in Arizona. This summer she and her family are beginning a new journey as they are relocating to the East Coast and she will begin teaching at a new school in Dover, Delaware this August. Most of her career has been spent teaching United States History, Advanced Placement United States History, and Student Government but she has also taught Advanced Placement Research for a number of years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education from Arizona State University and a Master’s Degree in American History from Pace University. Lisa is passionate about continuing to learn and grow in her own profession and often spends time attending professional development seminars, writing curriculum, reading about history and visiting historic sites as often as possible. She was awarded Teacher of the Year at her high school in 2017 and was recognized by the Arizona Secretary of State in 2019 for her work on creating an Arizona Story Map of Historic Place Names for the State of Arizona Research Library. She is also trained in the Harvard Business School’s Case Method Institute and has been an Advanced Placement US History reader, table leader and early table leader for nine years and counting. She’s grateful to her wonderful husband of twenty years and three children for being supportive of her love and devotion to learning and teaching history.
Josh Morrison
Teaching Fellow
Josh Morrison is a visiting lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Lowell where he teaches courses on American, African American, and transnational history. He received a PhD and MA in History from the University of Virginia. At UVA and Columbia University, Josh worked on public history projects investigating institutional ties to slavery that combined academic scholarship, student engagement, public interpretation, and community outreach. He is committed to trying out new teaching styles, projects, and practices to make historical topics interesting and approachable. Outside the classroom, Josh enjoys cooking, gardening, playing tennis, hiking, and bothering his long-suffering cat.
Katherine Skrabanek
Teaching Fellow
Kate Skrabanek is a history lecturer at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, where she teaches courses in American history. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History from Texas A&M University-Commerce, where her research focused on women’s history and material culture. In the classroom, primary sources are the main focus in creating an accessible learner-centered environment. Bringing in both written and physical sources illustrates the diversity of American history that many students can form a connection with. Currently working on her second Master’s in Public History, Kate has been creating digital exhibits, using historical GIS, and researching local history involving community outreach. Away from teaching, she enjoys baking, reading, crafting, and spending time with her grumpy old schnauzer.
Bob Sellers
Teaching Fellow – National History Academy Online
Bob Sellers is a multi-disciplinary teacher at Don Bosco Prep, an all-boys Catholic school in Ramsey, NJ, where he has taught Senior Honors English and Business Law for four years. A third year teacher for NHA, Bob brought the HBS case-based curriculum on Democracy to Don Bosco, which he teaches as a semester-long course. Bob has a BA in Political Science from Yale, an MBA from Cornell and is currently completing an MA in Liberal Studies from Rutgers. A JV tennis coach, Bob is knee-deep in kids’ sports with his 11 year old son and 9 year old daughter in Hoboken, NJ.