PLATO BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Thomas Wartenburg
President
Mount Holyoke College

Tom Wartenberg has published numerous books and articles, including Big Ideas for Little Kids: Teaching Philosophy Through Children’s Literature (Rowman and Littlefield, 2nd Edition 2014), and A Sneetch is A Sneetch and Other Philosophical Discoveries: Finding Wisdom in Children’s Literature (Wiley Blackwell, 2013). Among his awards are the 2011 APA/PDC Prize for Excellence and Innovations in Philosophy Programs and the 2013 Merritt Prize for his contributions to the philosophy of education. His course, Philosophy for Children, is the subject of a PBS documentary: http://wgby.org/bigideas. He directs an NEH Summer Seminar for School Teachers on Existentialism at Mount Holyoke College.


Michael Burroughs
Vice President
Penn State University

Michael Burroughs, vice president of PLATO, is also associate director of the Rock Ethics Institute, senior lecturer of philosophy, and an affiliate faculty member of education at Penn State University. He recently published a co-authored book (with Jana Mohr Lone) entitled Philosophy in Education: Questioning and Dialogue in Schools (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016). This book focuses on the theory and practice of doing philosophical and ethical work with young children. Michael also researches and has published several articles and chapters in the areas of community engaged philosophy, philosophy with children, ethics, education, critical philosophy of race, and social epistemology.


Roberta Israeloff
Secretary
Squire Family Foundation

Roberta Israeloff has directed the Squire Family Foundation since its inception in 2007, and is a founding member of PLATO where she serves as Secretary. She also served on the Executive Board and as National Facilitator of the National High School Ethics Bowl which SFF helped launch. She’s enjoyed a 40-year career as a writer, editor and teacher during which she published five books, most recently, What Went Right: Lessons from Both Sides of the Teacher’s Desk, co-authored with George McDermott (Rowman & Littlefield). She has also taught writing and literature.

Stephen Kekoa Miller, Humanities Department chair at Oakwood Friends School and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, has taught philosophy and religious studies for the past 15 years in Poughkeepsie NY. Stephen has developed a wide range of courses from first grade philosophy through upper level college courses, and a philosophy series for parents.  Stephen’s research interests lately have centered on pre-college philosophy, philosophy of education, virtue ethics and emotions.  Stephen is also on the board of the United Nations Association-Mid Hudson Valley and serveson the Teachers Advisory Council of the National Humanities Center. Along with being PLATO's treasurer, he is also co-chair of PLATO’s Education Committee.


Jana Mohr Lone
Founder and President Emeritus
University of Washington

Jana Mohr Lone is Director of the Center for Philosophy for Children and Affiliate Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington, and the author of The Philosophical Child, co-author of Philosophy in Education: Questioning and Dialogue in Schools, and co-editor of Philosophy and Education: Introducing Philosophy to Young People. She works with pre-college teachers and students in Seattle schools and around the country and with UW students, parents, school administrators, and others interested in philosophical inquiry with youth. Jana is the founding president of PLATO and the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Questions: Philosophy for Young People.


Allison Cohen
Board Member
Langley High School

Allison's Bio


Megan Laverty
Board Member
Teachers College, Columbia University

Megan J. Laverty is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She researches in philosophy of education, moral philosophy and pre-college philosophy. Her recent books include Art's Teachings, Teaching's Arts: Philosophical, Critical and Educational Musings (2015), co-edited with Tyson E Lewis and, In Community of Inquiry with Ann Margaret Sharp: Philosophy, Childhood and Education (2017), co-edited with Maughn Rollins Gregory. Laverty is the author of numerous articles and the book, Iris Murdoch’s Ethics: A Consideration of her Romantic Vision (2007).


Steve Goldberg
Board Member
Oak Park River Forest High School

Steve Goldberg taught history and philosophy for twenty-nine years at Oak Park River Forest High School, a suburban public school west of Chicago. He also has taught at DePaul University (Philosophy Department), Northwestern University (Center for Talent Development), and University of Chicago (Graham School). He serves on several PLATO committees and recently co-led, with Wendy Turgeon, PLATO's second summer seminar. He currently co-chairs, with Bart Schultz, the planning committee for PLATO's fourth biennial conference, to be held June 23-24, 2017 at the University of Chicago. His interests include playing drums, travel, and hiking (when his balky hip cooperates). He has two adult daughters and lives in Oak Park with his wife, Katherine, and Kulu, their Jamaican dog.


Janice Moskalik
Board Member
University of Washington

Janice Moskalik is an Instructor in the Philosophy Department at Seattle University. She has also worked with the UW Center for Philosophy for Children for a number of years and is a member of their Board of Directors. Janice received her PhD in Philosophy from the University of Washington, and her LLB from the University of British Columbia. Her main research areas are ethics, philosophy of law, and philosophical pedagogy. Recently, UW’s Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities has supported Janice’s research in philosophical pedagogy, awarding her two Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships through their project Reimagining the Humanities PhD.


Bart Schultz
Board Member
University of Chicago

Forthcoming


Sara Goering
Board Member
University of Washington

Forthcoming


Wendy Turgeon
Board Member
St. Joseph's College

Wendy C. Turgeon is a Professor of Philosophy at St. Joseph’s College-NY.  She has been involved in 'Philosophy with/for Young People' for many years and has developed courses and programs for undergraduates and graduate students in introducing philosophy in pre-college education. She has served on the boards of ICPIC, PLATO, and NAACI, three organizations that work to promote philosophy throughout education and advocate for children as thinkers and members of society.
 


Kyle Robertson
Board Member
University of California, Santa Cruz

Kyle Robertson is a Lecturer in the Philosophy Department at UC Santa Cruz where he teaches ethics, applied ethics and formal logic; and Assistant Director of the University's Center for Public Philosophy. He runs a philosophy in the schools program, an ethics education program at the Santa Cruz County Jail, and Ethics Bowl programs for Northern California. Kyle is the founder and director of the Northern California High School Ethics Bowl, and is on the National High School Ethics Bowl steering committee. Kyle earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from UC Santa Cruz and his J.D. from UC Berkeley.


Kelly Laas
Board Member
Illinois Institute of Technology

Forthcoming



MEET OUR STAFF


Ariel Sykes
Communications Coordinator
Montclair State University


OUR COMMITTEES

Research & Advocacy

Michael Burroughs, chair
  • Allison Cohen
  • Alexis Dyschant
  • Steve Esquith
  • Sara Goering
  • Stephen Miller
  • Ariel Sykes
  • Debi Talukdar

Executive Committee

Thomas Wartenberg, chair
  • Michael Burroughs
  • Roberta Israeloff
  • Jana Mohr Lone
  • Kyle Robertson

Finance Committee

Kyle Robertson, chair
  • Jana Mohr Lone
  • Tom Wartenberg

 

Nominating Committee

Roberta Israeloff, chair
  • Sara Goering
  • Steve Goldberg


Development Committee

Jana Mohr Lone, chair
  • Ellen Feder
  • Polly Hunter
  • Roberta Israeloff
  • Janice Moskalik
  • Kyle Robertson

 

Questions Journal Committee

Wendy C. Turgeon, chair
  • David Heise
  • Rory E. Kraft (Editor Emeritus)
  • Stephen Miller
  • Jana Mohr Lone (Founder and Editor Emeritus)
  • Janice Moskalik
  • Megan Mustain
  • Alison Reiheld
  • Jesse Walsh

Education Committee

Allison Cohen and Stephen Miller, chair
  • Jessica Davis
  • Steve Goldberg
  • Chris Ng
  • Clair Katz
  • Ben Lukey
  • William Mottolese
  • Wendy Turgeon
  • Ariel Sykes

Awards Committee

Megan Laverty, chair
  • Allison Cohen
  • Steve Goldberg
  • Roberta Israeloff


Conference Committee

Bart Schultz and Steve Goldberg, chair
  • Allison Cohen
  • Karl Joyner
  • Kelly Laas
  • Ariel Sykes
  • Ryan Priester
Jana Mohr Lane, President
University of Washington

Thomas Wartenberg, Vice President
Mount Holyoke College

Roberta Israeloff, Secretary
Squire Family Foundation

Kyle Robertson, Treasurer
University of California Santa Cruz

Michael Burroughs
Rock Ethics Institute, Pennsylvania State University

Allison Cohen
Langley High School, Virginia

Jessica Davis
Teachers College, Columbia University

Jim Davis
BU Academy, Boston

Sara Goering
University of Washington

Steven Goldberg
Oak Park and River Forest High School, Chicago

Polly Hunter
University of Virginia

Megan Laverty
Teachers College, Columbia University

Janice Moskalik
University of Washington

Bart Schultz
University of Chicago

Wendy Turgeon
St. Joseph’s College