Teacher Advisory Board
Dedicated civic educators across Arizona supporting and advising Civics Matters Arizona.
Ashley Crose
Maricopa County, Saguaro High School
Ashley Crose is a National Board-Certified Teacher as well as an award-winning educator that has taught high school social studies at Saguaro High in Scottsdale, Arizona for the past 25 years. Ashley was named the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Arizona History Teacher of the Year and was inducted into the Northern Arizona University College of Education Hall of Fame in 2025. He was also a 2022 Arizona Education Association Top 10 Teacher and Semifinalist for State of Arizona Teacher of the Year, the 2020 Scottsdale Charro’s Teacher of the Year.
Brittany DeFoe
Maricopa County, BASIS Chandler
Brittany is in her 17th year of teaching and has taught AP US Government and Politics since 2014. She is excited to expand civics education in Arizona through the Civics Matters Teacher Advisory Board. One of the biggest rewards to teaching government and civics is having a student tell her that they can’t wait to go out and vote.
Mandi Goldsmith
Yavapai County, Seligman Middle and High School
Mandi Goldsmith attended school in Seligman and is proud to now serve the community as a teacher in the Seligman Unified School District. As a dedicated middle and high school educator, she is passionate about helping students succeed, creating meaningful learning experiences, and supporting the unique needs and opportunities of students and educators in rural communities.
Nate Porter
Santa Cruz County, Patagonia Union High School
Nate Porter is a history teacher, athletic director, and coach at Patagonia Union High School. He has been teaching in Southern Arizona for 16 years.
Robert Roher
Maricopa County, Most Holy Trinity Catholic School
Robert Harrison Roher is a Jr. High Social Studies teacher at Most Holy Trinity Catholic School in Phoenix, Arizona. Driven by his belief that the next generation is crucial to the success of the future, he inspires his students to plan for a future where they see themselves as upcoming leaders in their communities. Mr. Roher is a life-member of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati and a Teaching Associate at the American Revolution Institute, headquartered in Washington, DC.
Steve Lochowitz
Pima County, Mountain View High School Tucson
Steven Lochowitz is an AP U.S. Government & Politics, U.S. Government/Civics, and Law & Public Safety educator at Mountain View High School with more than a decade of experience advancing civic and law-related education. A Bill of Rights Institute Fellow, College Board AP U.S. Government & Politics Exam Reader, Harvard Case Method Institute certificate holder, and Southern Poverty Law Center Teaching Hard History cohort member, he also advises an award-winning Mock Trial program and the Kids Voting Arizona League Council and serves as an NCSS representative for the Arizona Council for the Social Studies.
