Social Studies TEKS Review Content Advisors

The social studies content advisors provide feedback on the social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to the State Board of Education (SBOE) and work groups during the TEKS review process. The content advisors' reviews can be found on the following web page.

Social Studies TEKS Content Advisor Reviews

The following list includes individuals appointed by the SBOE to serve as content advisors for the 2021–2022 review and revision of the social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

Stephen H. Balch

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Balch was the principal founder of the National Association of Scholars and served as its president for 21 years. He also played a key role in the founding of five other higher education organizations as well as numerous academic programs at universities and colleges focused on the study of free institutions and Western civilizations. Dr. Balch received the National Humanities Medal for distinguished service on behalf of the humanities, bestowed by President George W. Bush. He also received the Jeanne Jordan Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award. Currently, he holds leadership positions as a member of the board of the American Academy for Liberal Education, president of Lambda of Texas, Texas Tech Phi Beta Kappa Chapter, and several other organizations. Dr. Balch has served in several faculty positions, including associate professor of government at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. Dr. Balch received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkley.

Kimberly J. Baxter

Instructional Officer for Secondary Social Studies

Dr. Baxter is the instructional officer for secondary social studies at Socorro Independent School District. In her current position, she is involved in curriculum and assessment writing and campus support for grades 6-12 social studies, professional development for teachers and administrators on the topic of social studies content and pedagogy, and collaboration with the instructional officer for elementary social studies for vertical alignment. Dr. Baxter’s previous roles include campus principal, lecturer, and social studies teacher. She is certified as a Texas teacher – Secondary Social Studies Composite, mid-management administrator, superintendent, and she has received a special education supplemental certification. She holds a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from The University of Texas at El Paso.

Shalon Bond

Social Studies Department Director

Ms. Bond is the director of the Social Studies Department in the Dallas Independent School District, where she established a teacher cohort for educators of social studies and implemented an interdepartmental professional learning program to support student-centered coaching to improve the instructional practices of social studies teachers. She also oversees the grades 3-12 literacy-based social studies curriculum and she developed a strategic plan for increasing campus participation in the district’s co-curricular programs and partnerships. In November 2020, Ms. Bond was elected president of the Texas Council for the Social Studies for 2022. She received her superintendent certification from The University of Texas at Arlington and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee.

M. Pinar Emiralioglu

Associate Professor

Dr. Emiralioglu is an associate professor of history at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). Her teaching experience at SHSU includes classes in world history, the Middle East, the Mediterranean world, and two graduate seminars. Dr. Emiralioglu is the author of Geographical Knowledge and Imperial Culture in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire. She has served as a member of the Search Committee for Visiting Assistant Professor of History of Medicine, the Search Committee for Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and several other committees. Dr. Emiralioglu completed her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago.

Donald Shaw Frazier

Director/President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Frazier is the director for The Texas Center at Schreiner University and has served for 15 years as the president and CEO of The McWhiney History Education Group. He has received numerous honors, awards, and fellowships. His most recent award was The Frank Vandiver Prize from the Houston Civil War Roundtable. Dr. Frazier is the author of several publications, including more than a dozen articles for newspapers and trade magazines on historical or tourism related topics that have gained him multiple awards and recognitions. As a public speaker, he has given lectures and presentations to more than 150 community and affinity organizations across the country, including Civil War roundtables, book festivals, dining clubs, and service groups. Dr. Frazier has also presented more than 40 scholarly papers, panels, and presentations at professional meetings and symposia in the United States and Mexico on a variety of topics.  He earned his Ph.D. from Texas Christian University.

Jeffrey W. Lash

Geographer

Dr. Lash is a geographer with a life-long passion for travel and teaching. Currently, he serves as the President of the National Council of Geographic Education. He has studied in San Francisco at Transworld Teachers where he received a certificate to teach English as a Second Language. He earned both a Master’s Degree in Geography Education and a Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from Texas State University .  At the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), Dr. Lash has taught several geography courses, directed field study programs on three continents, and established an interdisciplinary Geographic Information Systems (GIS) laboratory. He also founded the geography program and implemented a bachelor’s degree program in geography as well as a minor in GIS. His focus as a scholar is on human development through geography education and geospatial technology. Dr. Lash has been awarded two Fulbright Scholarships to the University of Belgrade in Belgrade, Serbia, and the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Steven Mintz

Professor of History

Dr. Mintz is a professor of history at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to being a historian, he is also an award-winning teacher and author of several books. Dr. Mintz has published extensively on slavery, social reform, ethnicity, and film. For five years, he served as the founding director of The University of Texas System's Institute for Transformational Learning, which was responsible for designing and testing new educational models and technologies that can make a quality education more accessible, affordable, and successful. Dr. Mintz plays an active role in the professional development of K-12 teachers and in programs to bring students from historically underrepresented groups into the professoriate. He is a member of the Society of American Historians, whose members are chosen on the basis of literary distinction. Dr. Mintz earned a Ph.D. in History from Yale University.

Alexa Proffitt

Assistant Professor/Curriculum Reviewer

Dr. Proffitt is an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). She is also a curriculum reviewer for the Texas Home Learning 3.0 – 8th grade English language arts and reading curriculum. Dr. Proffitt has been awarded the UTSA Graduate Student Professional Development Travel Award and UTSA Graduate Student Presidential Distinguished Research Fellowship. She is currently a member of the Association of Middle Level Education, American Educational Research Association, and Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio social organizations. She has been issued Texas teaching certifications for English language arts and reading and English as a second language. She earned her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching – Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Mary Smith

Social Studies Coordinator

Ms. Smith was the coordinator of secondary social studies and the social studies department chair and U.S. history team leader for Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. She has been honored with several awards including Outstanding Educator of the Year, the Billy Sills Distinguished Service Award by the Texas Council for the Social Studies, and the Joe Janca Award for Outstanding Service by the Cypress-Fairbanks Council for the Social Studies. Ms. Smith was instrumental in implementing a laptop initiative for 7,000 juniors studying U.S. History. She has been a presenter at several school districts and at the Texas and National Social Studies Supervisors Associations as well as at the Texas and National Councils for the Social Studies.  Ms. Smith holds a master of education degree from Prairie View A&M University.