Dr. Kushin is an award-winning educator and scholar. He is passionate about creating a kinder, more civil world. He is a senior fellow in the Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications, where he also serves on the board of advisers. A leading voice in social media education, Kushin is the author of Teach Social Media: A Plan for Creating a Course Your Students Will Love. Kushin’s research focuses on social media, politics, and civic life.

After teaching high school English courses for four and a half years, Dr. Rowan became a technology coach to help teachers learn the value of technology in their classrooms in Frederick County Public Schools, Virginia. Then she joined Jefferson County School to lead the district’s first digital 1:1 initiative as the director of technology. Rowan received her bachelor’s degree in English, with minors in Communication and Education, in 2009 and earned her masters in Educational Technology in 2013, both at Saint Vincent College. She recently completed a doctorate in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Learning Design and Technology at George Mason University. In addition, she is a National Board-Certified teacher in the area of Language Arts and is recognized in Who’s Who in America in the field of Educational Technology.

Dawson is a West Virginia native from Buckhannon. Upon graduation from Buckhannon-Upshur High School in 2019, she came to Shepherd University. She is a Com- munication major with a concentration in Strategic Communication. While at Shepherd, she has participated in Ram Band and is currently a part of the Shepherd University chapter of the NMC Gen Z community (a national club dedicated to challenging misconceptions caused by generational gaps, in the communications field). She will graduate this spring (2023) with a bachelor’s degree in Communication, with a minor in Psychology. Upon graduation, Dawson plans to enter the communications field while pursuing a master’s in School Counseling.

Horst works to promote civility in political discourse in all facets of our society, from social media interactions to discussions in the halls of government. Before joining the Stubblefield Institute, she was the fundraising and marketing coordinator for Hospice of the Panhandle, where she spent more than 14 years raising awareness of and educating the community about end-of-life issues. She is active with the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation where she serves on the grants committee. She is also an alumna of Shepherd University with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and has a master’s in Communications, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University.