The Middle Passage Project
Coordinator of K-12 Curriculum Development, she holds an undergraduate degree in Education from James Madison University and an M.A. in Social Science from Syracuse University. Her certifications cover upper elementary and middle school social science, language arts and science, high school social science and gifted education. She has developed multi-cultural activities for Williamsburg-James City County students, including multicultural arts exhibits and speakers on culture and diversity.
Mrs. Dunnigan’s curriculum development includes two humanities courses, multicultural humanities curriculum with Project Mandala at the College of William and Mary, curriculum on the Middle East and Africa for the Virginia Department of Education and the World Net Program for Prince William County, Virginia. In partnership with William and Mary’s Marshall Wythe School of Law, she has developed a law related educational guide for K-12 teachers.
Mrs. Dunnigan has presented workshops local state and national conferences as well as the state and national Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She is a member of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Teacher Advisory Council. In 1996, she was selected Williamsburg-James City County Teacher of the Year; in 2005 she was named Regional Gifted Teacher of the Year.
K-12 Curriculum Consultant, she has held a variety of positions in education during her career, including that of classroom teacher, principal, and tenured professor. She has recently been appointed as an executive professor in the School of Education at William and Mary, where she will work in both curriculum -development and school leadership. She is currently the Superintendent in Williamsburg-James City County Schools. She received a Bachelor’s degree in French and Russian, two master’s degrees in education, and her doctorate from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Beers has consulted with several school districts in the US and Canada and has presented and published widely. She has served on the National Joint Council for Learning Disabilities, the National Commission for Diverse Learners, and the Manuscript and Policy Review Board for the International Reading Association. In addition, she has received Fulbright Awards for study in Japan and Germany.
Multi-Media Education Consultant, he is a practicing visual artist with an undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in art and technology from Old Dominion University and an MFA in sculpture and a minor in printmaking from the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches Computer Graphics at Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia and Thomas Nelson Community College. He has taught three dimensional design for architecture students at Temple University and sculpture at the College of William and Mary. Mr. Tatum chaired the 2004 Virginia Department of Education curriculum writing team for Digital Visualization. His curriculum for 3DStudio software developed through a grant from the Autodesk Foundation has been used as a national model for high school animation courses. Mr. Tatum has received the Autodesk Faculty of Distinction Designation, the Virginia Technology Education Program of the Year Award as well as the International Technology Education Association Program Excellence Award. In 2002, he participated in the Fulbright Memorial Fund Study in Japan Program.
Under Mr. Tatum’s direction, students will produce an interactive E-learning CD that will provide an overview of selected topics; the finished product will be fully transportable and free to use for appropriate educational purposes. Mr. Tatum’s classes began exploring this topic in 2005 and produced a preliminary website; explorations will continue in the coming academic year.
An independent researcher and consultant with expertise in state mandated curricula and assessments, she holds a doctorate degree in education from the College of William and Mary; a master’s degree in public administration from Auburn University; and a bachelor’s of science degree in biology from Auburn University. In addition, she has a Postgraduate Professional License in PreK-12 Administration and Supervision from the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has served as a K-12 teacher and as the Director of Accountability Assessment and Grants for Williamsburg-James City County Schools.
Dr. Sims is author and coauthor of more than 20 scholarly and professional articles and more than 10 books relating to subjects that affect K-12 and higher education. Among her more recent books are Learning Styles and Learning: A Key to Meeting the Accountability Demands in Education (2005), and Managing School System Change: Charting a Course for Renewal (2004). Her recent work has focused on developing and implementing strategies for eliminating the achievement gap between minority and majority populations. Dr. Sims will manage curriculum evaluation and assessment.
Ms. Loretta Hannum retired in 2001 from the Williamsburg-James City-County Schools after serving as a classroom teacher for middle school students and as a Curriculum Coordinator for Social Studies, K-12. In 1990, Ms. Hannum participated in an exchange program with a Professor of Education at The College of William and Mary where he taught her social studies classes at the middle school and she assumed his teaching responsibilities at the College including teaching social studies methods courses, supervising student teachers, and co-teaching a graduate geography course with a Professor of Geography. In addition to working with teachers, K-12, in developing local curriculum, Ms. Hannum was also actively involved with a Virginia Department of Education committee in developing the Virginia Social Studies Standards of Learning as well as assessment of the standards.
Ms. Hannum holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from James Madison University and a Master of Science in Teaching degree from American University. She has been a staff member at the College of William and Mary for summer seminars on East Asia, Latin America and Europe and at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law for a National Student Constitutional Convention in recognition of the Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution. She served as curriculum consultant for development of law-related curriculum materials for a PBS television series and for the Virginia Department of Education series for teachers called History Connects and Geography Connects. Ms. Hannum was selected as part of a Fulbright-Hays program for a six-week study in the Middle East and was part of a Virginia study team in Syria, Japan and Germany. After retiring in 2001, Ms. Hannum continues to be actively involved in developing curriculum and in general educational consulting.
Robert C. Watson is Assistant Professor of History and Assistant Director of the Honors College at Hampton University. Prior to teaching at Hampton, Professor Watson taught African and African American History at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Missouri, and St. Louis University, all in St. Louis. He has also served as Director of African American Interpretation and Senior Research Historian at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Professor Watson has also served on the advisory boards for African American Interpretation at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, at Montpelier, the home of James Madison, and at Somerset Place in North Carolina. He has also been a consultant for PBS, the National Park Service and multiple historic sites throughout the South. A published author, Professor Watson also specializes in developing custom cultural tours to West and East Africa for students, teachers and museum professionals.