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Press Room Section Highlights:

• Media Contact: Noah Shaw at 301.314.9739 or by email.

NHD News and Events
• National History Day programs will help Washington state teachers and students meet new social studies assessment requirements, thanks to an innovative partnership with the State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Read More...

Experts & Local Contacts

To speak with an experienced educator in your state e-mail NHD.

Ann Claunch, Ph.D.
Director of Curriculum, National History Day, Inc.


Ann Claunch is the director of curriculum of National History Day, Inc. (NHD) and is professor emeritus of history education at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Dr. Claunch's educational experience includes 14 years as a public school teacher and working in the university setting for 12 years. She has researched, presented and written professionally on history education and adult education.

Dr. Claunch's publications mirror her research interest and range from the stages of development in training mentors to the non-traditional representation of research to the study of history education. She is active in the history education community and has made numerous presentations for teachers at the state and national levels, including the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Council for History Education. Dr. Claunch edits and writes for National History Day, working on the theme books and serving as the editor for the curriculum book and as a consultant for the partnership between NHD and ABC-CLIO. Dr. Claunch is the co-author of a new book to be published this summer, Gateways: Teaching the American West, which utilizes fictional books as entry points to historical inquiry. Dr. Claunch received her B.A. from Eastern New Mexico University in 1977, her M.A. Degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1981 and her Ph.D. in history education from the University of New Mexico in 2002. The title of her dissertation is, "How Students Understand Historical Time by Reading Fiction and Non-Fiction."

Dr. Claunch joined National History Day in 2005. She credits NHD for the direction of her work today. In 1992, the NHD summer institute "Teaching the Quincentenary" changed her life. As a participant in the summer institute, working alongside historians changed her from being a teacher to being a learner again.


Cathy Gorn, Ph.D.
Executive Director, National History Day, Inc.


Cathy Gorn is the executive director of National History Day, Inc. (NHD) and an adjunct professor of history at the University of Maryland at College Park.

Dr. Gorn has made numerous presentations on history education at forums for historians and teachers, including the National Council for the Social Studies, the American Historical Association, and the Organization of American Historians. Her publications on teaching history to young people have appeared in several professional journals. In addition, Dr. Gorn has served as editor for more than 25 history curriculum guides and has directed 15 national institutes for teachers of history and social studies. She serves on the White House Historical Association Board of Trustees, the Education Committee of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Education Committee of the American Bar Association. Dr. Gorn received her B.A. from Kent State University in 1982, and her Ph.D. in history from Case Western Reserve University 1992.

Dr. Gorn joined National History Day in 1984 when the organization was still based in Cleveland, Ohio, and was in its infancy as a national endeavor. Dr. Gorn has held positions of increasing responsibility within the organization. As a member of a small core national office staff, her efforts have fundamentally shaped the evolution of National History Day from a series of contests to a full-fledged, highly acclaimed national academic program.
   

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