Luess joined iCivics in January 2023 as the Chief Product Officer. In this role, Luess leads the product strategy and editorial development for the iCivics portfolio.
Prior to iCivics, Luess held many positions in the K-12 educational publishing industry focused on developing history, civics, and government curricula. Most recently, as the VP, Humanities Product Development at Savvas Learning Company (formerly Pearson K12 Learning), Luess oversaw the K-12 Social Studies and World Languages product lines. There she was instrumental in the development of several market-leading programs, including Magruder’s American Government. She started her career in educational publishing in the Educational Technology group at Houghton Mifflin. Her first experience in the publishing world was as a children’s trade editor on the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series.
Luess holds a M.A. in History from University of Massachusetts and a B.A. in History from Duke University. She excels at navigating complex issues and developing creative product solutions that help students learn and practice knowledge and skills they need to engage in the civic process. She is an avid gardener and downhill skier who loves reading mysteries and doing jigsaw puzzles.
