Our Coordinator

In her current role as the Director of the Maryland Council for Civic & History Education, Dr. Marcie Taylor-Thoma tirelessly strives to empower both veteran and emerging educators by creating inclusive and welcoming spaces for teachers to practice their craft, learn from one another and work toward expanding their personal and professional growth mindset. 

Dr. Thoma coordinated social studies instruction, curriculum, assessment, policy, and professional development programs for over twenty years at the Maryland State Department of Education in Baltimore. Thoma taught secondary social studies in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland for ten years before her tenure in state education. Today, she coordinates history and civic programs such as the History Teacher of the Year, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, James Madison Legacy Project, Civics that Empowers All Students, Project Community, Project Citizen and international democracy programs in Russia and Armenia.

She completed her doctoral studies at the College of Notre Dame in Maryland in 2008 in leadership and policy. Her research interests include studying the relationship between effective civic education policy and student learning in the United States and abroad. Dr. Thoma currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at American University supporting pre-service secondary education teachers. 

Dr. Thoma considers herself a strong advocate for social justice and is involved in a number of national, state and local initiatives. She is an active member of the Council of State Social Studies Specialists (CS4) and the past-present of the Middle States Council for the Social Studies. She currently serves as the chair of both the Annapolis Friends of Lafayette Committee and the Annapolis Heritage Commission. 

With over 35 years of active service to the discipline, Dr. Thoma is nationally and internationally recognized for her expertise in social studies content, the development of high-quality instructional materials, and the modeling of best practice strategies to serve all students and educators.