• Gabrielle Moore Brooks, Maryland Civic Education Coalition Youth Advisory Council, Aberdeen High School, Harford County

• Lena Morreale Scott, Chair, Maryland Civic Education Coalition, Principal Investigator, UMD Maryland Democracy Initiative, Prince George’s County

• Sandra L. Kurtinitis, Ph.D., President, Community College of Baltimore County

• “The Heart of Maryland” Written & Performed by Jayla Elise, Singer-Songwriter, Dorchester County

Chair, MD Two Fifty Commission, 59th Governor of Maryland, Anne Arundel County

Sheilah Kast, Moderator, Journalist, WYPR, Prince George’s County

Steve Crane, Editor-in-Chief, Maryland Matters, Prince George’s County

Eden Binder, Student, Merrill School of Journalism & Laufer Democracy Fellow, University of Maryland, Rockland County, New York

Anisa Kalil, Baltimore County & Laasya Sidhaye, Howard County, Youth Advisory Council Hosts

• Faith Amao, Anne Arundel County: Adopt a Highway

• Hope Hesselink, Frederick County: Point-in-Time (PIT) Count

• Cortez Washington, Baltimore County: Team Enough Baltimore

Leonard Webb, Next Generation Scholar Program Manager, Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, Allegany County

Participants will explore how literacy, youth voice, and supportive adult relationships strengthen youth leadership and engagement. This session highlights the importance of including young people in decision-making and offers practical strategies for meaningful involvement. By the end, participants will better understand how to foster youth leadership and create stronger outcomes for both students and school communities.

Dr. Renee Tengella, Founder & CEO, Peaceful Warriors, Baltimore City

This interactive wellness workshop invites youth and adults to explore how “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” depend on wellness, resilience, and shared leadership today. Grounded in Dr. Renee Tengella’s Be Well at Work framework, participants will engage in hands-on practices such as mindfulness, movement, collaborative dialogue, and civic design challenges. Attendees will leave with practical, research-based strategies they can immediately apply in classrooms, youth programs, and community settings.

Christina Stetler-Rodriguez, English Instructor, Community College of Baltimore County

This session explores the bipartisan origins of the America 250 commemoration within today’s evolving national context. Participants will engage with primary sources and classroom-ready resources from trusted institutions, including George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Museum of the American Revolution, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Led by educator and Mount Vernon Teacher Fellow Christina Stetler-Rodriguez, the session offers interdisciplinary tools and practical strategies to help students critically examine history, reflect on its meaning, and engage in civic life.

Angela Rose, CEO & President, Chamber of Commerce, Harford County

Civic engagement is not reserved for election seasons or government insiders—it happens every day in communities where residents, business leaders, and nonprofits choose to show up, speak up, and stay informed. This interactive seminar explores what it truly means to be civics-oriented and how individuals and organizations can turn awareness into action.

Samantha Fowler, Teacher, Northwest High School, Montgomery County

Educators will learn about how the Center for Civic Education's Project Citizen curriculum can support media literacy and environmental justice instruction. Participants will explore the beginning stages of the inquiry project through discussion. Participants will also receive ready-to-use resources for the classroom.

Deitra & Woodrow Scott, Civic Seeds USA, Prince George’s County

This interactive workshop introduces Civic Seeds USA, a family civic engagement framework that helps parents and youth translate democratic values into everyday action. Co-presented by a parent and student, the session explores how responsibility, community, and leadership develop through parenting practices and youth experiences. Participants will leave with practical, right-size strategies to cultivate civic responsibility at home, in schools, and across their communities.

Lia Özizmirli, Manager, K-12 Services, Maryland Public Television, Baltimore City, and MPT Youth Advisory Council Members: Faith Amao, Olivia Takash, Anne Arundel County, and Vincent Jiang, Baltimore County

What is the role of the media in upholding the principles of democracy? What is our civic responsibility as we engage with media? Sit down with an intergenerational cross-section of your fellow Summit attendees for small group conversations that aim to promote knowledge-sharing from diverse perspectives, spark inspiration, and catalyze action.

Ryan Weaver, Lecturer & Coordinator, Salisbury University, Wicomico County, and Salisbury University Students: CJ Atherton, Penobscot County, Maine, Annelise Cosden, Howard County, and Zion Powell, Caroline County

This interactive session equips participants with a strategic leadership framework that builds reciprocal relationships, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, and turns civic curiosity into meaningful action. Designed for students, educators, and community members, it offers practical tools and ideas to support civic engagement beyond the classroom and into the broader community.

Lolah James, Founder & Principal Consultant, APEX Consulting & Co., Baltimore City

This interactive session explores how young people move from lived experience into leadership and decision-making roles in their communities. Through reflection, discussion, and practical mapping activities, participants will examine youth pathways, shared power, and intergenerational partnership. Designed for students, educators, and community members, the session offers concrete tools to turn service and learning into meaningful community action.

Christina Ross, Director of Business Development, iCivics, Baltimore City

This session explores how to integrate a civics lens into everyday teaching, making civic learning a consistent part of the classroom experience. Participants will examine key components of the civics lens and engage with inquiry-based strategies that help students ask meaningful questions, analyze sources, and thoughtfully explore civic issues. The session highlights practical approaches to creating relevant, participatory, and democracy-focused learning environments.

President, Maryland State Board of Education, Baltimore City

Director, Thurgood Marshall Institute, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Alexandria, VA

State Policy Lead, Southeast Region, iCivics, Fairfax County, VA

Devon Ketrow

Frederick High School, Frederick County

Andrew Wilkes, Ph.D.

Policy & Advocacy Lead, Generation Citizen, Brooklyn, NY