Nichelle Pinkney

Nichelle Pinkney is a social studies educator, curriculum leader, and author who has worked in K–12 education for more than sixteen years, serving in roles ranging from classroom teacher to K–12 Social Studies and World Languages Director. Her work focuses on designing diverse, equitable, and inclusive curriculum and on supporting teachers through professional development to facilitate challenging classroom conversations and prepare students for participation in a diverse, democratic society. She holds a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Lamar University and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Women’s Studies from Salem College.

Pinkney is the co-author, with Joe Schmidt, of Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities (Corwin, 2022), a book that offers frameworks and strategies for building courage, understanding, belonging, and empathy in classroom discussions. In addition to her writing, she has presented and trained educators nationally and internationally, and contributes to initiatives such as Learning That Transfers, where she emphasizes social studies as a vehicle for student action, agency, and activism through the study of diverse cultures and histories.