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Rhonda J. Broussard (she/her/elle) is an author, entrepreneur, and futurist. As the Founder & CEO of Beloved Community and Awa by Beloved, PBC, Rhonda works to create sustainable paths to regional racial and economic equity.  Her vision for Beloved Community is informed by her leadership in education and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s goal “to create a beloved community” that would “require...

Jarrod founded Improving Education out of a desire to improve educational systems and create a new approach to educational reform that empowers teachers, schools, and communities to make change. He has extensive experience as a teacher and leader in Baltimore City Public Schools, and has served on multiple state and national commissions focused on a variety of educational initiatives. Jarrod has s...

Evangelista is the Executive Director of Internationals Network, a national nonprofit that partners with public school systems and community-based organizations to design and sustain innovative, multilingual learning environments for recently arrived immigrant and refugee students. The child of immigrants and a first-generation college student, Lara brings both personal and professional commitment...

Kristina Kyles Smith is a dynamic leader in education, dedicated to transforming schools and empowering communities. As CEO of Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School, Kristina has spearheaded innovations in school equity, leadership, curriculum design, and project-based learning. She holds an Ed. D. and is pursuing a Ph. D. in Public Policy, bringing practical and scholarly expertise to her wor...

Mica Fidler is an evangelist of progressive education because she experienced the power of curious, joyful, authentic learning as a student, teacher, and instructional leader. After studying literary translation at Brown University, she began her career with a Fulbright grant in South Africa. Since then, she spent a decade teaching and coaching in expeditionary learning schools, striving to bring...

Ron Berger is an acclaimed national and international keynote speaker focused on inspiring a commitment to quality, character, and citizenship in students. He is the Senior Advisor at EL Education, a nonprofit school improvement organization that partners with public schools and districts across America, leads professional learning, and creates open educational resources. Ron is the author of best...

Cory V. McCray is a proud son of Baltimore, a journeyman electrician, author of The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life, and a Maryland State Senator. His journey from electrical apprentice to public servant reflects the transformative power of skilled trades, mentorship, and second chances. As an author and legislator, McCray understands the responsibility of preserving legacy while building pathwa...

Dr. Gholdy Muhammad is the John Corbally Endowed Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Dr....

Jonathan Johnson is the Founder and CEO of Rooted School Foundation, where he leads The $50 Study—the largest randomized controlled trial of unconditional cash transfers to high school students ever conducted in the U.S.  A first-generation college graduate from California, Jonathan became an educator to give other young people the same chance at economic mobility he fought for. After founding hig...

What if we intentionally and robustly invested in nurturing the hearts and souls of young Black boys in Baltimore City and everywhere?    Listen to Damion Cooper’s compelling story which grounded his work at Project Pneuma, and consider ways that we could rethink schools to focus on hearts and minds work as well as the academic work. Damion Cooper uses his life’s experiences to teach lessons of fo...

Aleta Margolis is the founder and president of Center for Inspired Teaching , a nonprofit that has spent nearly three decades investing in teachers as the leverage point for change in the education system. At Inspired Teaching, she helps teachers redesign their roles in the classroom. Instead of merely delivering a curriculum, Inspired Teachers are Instigators of Thought, who fuel students’ curios...

Dr. Lisa Carey is an education specialist, teacher educator, researcher, and author focused on the intersection between K12 schooling and pediatric medicine.  Prior to her current roles, she was a special educator in Maryland Public Schools focused on inclusive programming. Lisa co-founded the Hospital Education Liaison Program (HELP) at Kennedy Krieger to support communication between healthcare...

Dr. Lisa Williams is a national expert on topics of equity and access in public education. She has served as Chief Equity Officer for the Fairfax County Schools as well as Executive Director for Equity and Cultural Proficiency in the Baltimore County Schools. In total, she has worked on issues of equity and access in public institutions for over 15 years.  She has provided guidance for school boar...

Stefan Redding Lallinger is a father to three daughters and a former teacher and principal. He's worked in schools and districts in New Orleans and New York City and is currently the executive director of an innovative think tank called Next100. He lives in Mt. Washington in Baltimore and serves on the Baltimore City School Board.

Vanessa López is the twenty-fourth grandchild of Tulia Vasquez López, the only daughter of Rosa Digna López, big little sister to Ramon Reynoldo Vargas and proud mother of Aszana LilaRosa López-Bell. She was born and bred on the streets of New York City back when White folks didn't ride the A train past 59th Street. Vanessa has papers from Purchase College, State University of New York and th...

Dr. Kaleb Rashad is the Co-Founder & Creative Director at the Center for Love & Justice located within the High Tech High Graduate School of Education (HTH GSE). Kaleb works with community leaders in the US/Canada, Spain, and Hong Kong to create new schools and redesign existing schools focused on advancing equity through anti-racist project-based learning. As an instructor at the GSE, Kal...

Shane Safir has worked at every level of the education system, from the classroom to the boardroom, for 25 years. In 2003, after teaching in San Francisco and Oakland and organizing in the community to launch a new school, Safir became the founding co-principal of June Jordan School for Equity (JJSE), an innovative national model identified by leading scholar Linda Darling-Hammond as "support...

Dr. Simone Gibson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Morgan State University, a Historically Black University located in Baltimore, MD. Additionally, she holds the position of Co-Director for the Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity (Mile). As a literacy specialist, Dr. Gibson concentrates her research and training efforts on preparing both pre-service and i...