Sphere Education Initiatives Content Advisory Board

Michael Arjona is the assistant head of school for academics and head of upper school at The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia. He has taught Advanced Placement (AP) Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics at Walker for the past 23 years. He was named Walker’s STAR Teacher in 2006 and 2023 and Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year in 2007. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University, a master of arts in economics from Georgia State University, and a master of education in private school leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Joanne Cho is an Advanced Placement (AP) economics, AP world history, and AP art history teacher at the McDonogh School in Maryland with decades of experience teaching and advising students. She held previous teaching positions at the Bryn Mawr School and Loyola College. She previously worked in banking, advertising, and journalism before setting foot in the classroom. She holds a bachelor of arts from Princeton University and a master of arts from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

Domenica Comfort spent over three decades in the private sector, where she honed her skills in [specific field or industry, e.g., business management, technology, or finance]. Driven by a passion for making a difference, she transitioned into education and has been teaching for the past eight years. Specializing in middle school education, Domenica has primarily taught 8th graders English Language Arts, and this year began supporting the English Language Learners in 6th‐​8th grades. She teaches in an urban, low‐​income, and immigrant community and is committed to empowering her students to overcome challenges and reach their full potential. Through her unique blend of real‐​world experience and educational expertise, Domenica inspires her students to dream big and strive for success.

M’Kay Cox is in her 11th year as an educator. Most of her tenure has been in lower elementary, but for the past three years, Cox has focused on early middle school. She has enjoyed the opportunity to grow by being part of conversations and generating ideas with young minds. Cox believes that expanding ideas and thoughts with younger learners around the ideals of our nation while helping them understand and master content is all‐​encompassing.

R. Eric Fields has taught high school since 2004 at Mandarin High in Jacksonville, Florida. He teaches Advanced Placement (AP) microeconomics and honors economics. Field also teaches principles of microeconomics at Florida State College. In addition to his teaching duties, he has served as the co‐​chair on the College Board’s AP Micro test development committee and serves as an AP reader in microeconomics for the College Board and Educational Testing Service. Fields is on the Teacher Advisory Board for Marginal Revolution University and a mentor teacher for the Foundation for Teaching Economics. He is also a teacher ambassador for Retro Report. Fields is active with the Florida Council for Economic Education and CEFE and has written several lessons for the Florida Council. He once filmed a lesson on unemployment for the Federal Reserve Bank Atlanta Branch. Fields is a graduate of the University of Delaware’s Master of Economics and Entrepreneurship Program.

Mr. M Kamel Igoudjil is a seasoned educator with 20 years of experience in the Washington, DC Public School System, teaching English, Humanities, and AP Language, Literature, and Composition. A comparative education enthusiast, he brings a global perspective to his teaching, emphasizing meaningful engagement with texts and ideas.

Mr. Igoudjil has held various leadership roles, including DCPS Content Department Chair for AP Language and Literature and curriculum designer for Pre‐​AP and AP English courses. An active member of NCTE and MLA, his research spans literary and cultural studies, postcolonial and comparative studies, and critical literacy. He has published extensively on Algerian, Native American, and Caribbean literature and is the editor of multiple academic works, including Rethinking Multiculturalism (Cambridge Scholars, 2017).

In addition to earning prestigious awards such as the 2009 Mayor’s Award for English Teaching and the 2015 DCPS Excellence in Classroom Innovation Award, Mr. Igoudjil participated in the Cato Institute’s 2024 Sphere Summit on Civic Discourse. Outside the classroom, he enjoys photography, outdoor activities, traveling, and swimming.

Miriam López has been teaching English to 11th‐ and 12th‐​grade students for the past 14 years. Since 2017, she has been teaching Advanced Placement English literature. López is proud to be a part of the staff at Dorado Academy in Puerto Rico and believes that the classroom should be a safe environment where students are free to express their minds in an environment that promotes a multidirectional learning process. She fosters in her students the importance of teamwork skills, critical thinking, empathy, and tolerance.

Tina Luebbehusen has been an English and theatre teacher for the last 29 years at Jasper High School, in Jasper, Indiana. Currently, she is teaching an American Experience course, AP Language and Composition, College Prep and Theatre. Luebbehusen also serves as the English department chair. In the summer, she teaches college courses for Southern New Hampshire University online.

Brian Nagel works at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he has taught a variety of English courses over the past 20 years, including Advanced Placement literature, dual enrollment English, English 9–11, remedial reading/​writing, and freshman seminar. He serves as the English Department chair and sits on the Curriculum Advisory Team. Nagel has worked on numerous projects for the Virginia Department of Education related to the Standards of Learning.

Nagel is also the board chair of the Mediation Center of Charlottesville, which provides alternative dispute resolution services for the Virginia Courts and the community at large. Prior to switching his career to teaching, Nagel held various executive roles, including vice president of client services for a human capital management firm, and director of sales, marketing, and customer service at a technology training organization.

Dr. Travis Towne is a National Board Certified Teacher and Social Studies department chair at Lenoir County Early College High School in Kinston, NC, with over 20 years of teaching experience. With an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and master’s degrees in Teaching and Legal Studies (concentration in Law and Economics), he teaches Civic Literacy and Economics & Personal Finance. He is a Sphere 100 Fellow, a visiting Assistant Professor at Bridgewater State University, and serves on the board of the NC Council for the Social Studies and as a regional board member for the NC Council on Economic Education.

Nancy Wickham earned a bachelor’s degree in gender and women’s studies and a master’s degree in education from Fort Lewis College in Colorado. She holds licensures in secondary social studies and language arts. Wickham has been teaching at Mountain Middle School in Durango, Colorado, for nearly a decade and is the seventh‐​grade humanities teacher there.

Sarah Xander has been a Central Florida educator for the past 15 years, spending the past decade in middle school. Over the past six years, she has taught a hybrid “PEAKS” class, bridging social studies and language arts. Additionally, as an instructional coach for the middle school humanities department at Galileo School for Gifted Learning in Sanford, Florida, Xander focuses on engagement strategies and enrichment opportunities that enhance learning experiences. Her dual role as a teacher and instructional coach brings a well‐​rounded perspective on curriculum effectiveness and student engagement. Outside of school, Xander enjoys exploring the area and, vintage shopping with her family and relaxing at home with her husband, three children, and two dogs.