Benelly Álvarez is a New York City public school educator focusing on bilingual and special education and language equity and access. She has experience teaching in elementary school classrooms where she prioritizes advocating for students and their families’ needs. She also has experience as an educational administrator where she supports teachers and school leaders in creating equitable school systems and structures. She is a coauthor of the book, Reading, Writing, and Talk: Teaching for Equity and Justice in the Early Grades, which focuses on the importance of language equity in early childhood classrooms.

Ivette Marlenne Alvarez is a doctoral student and researcher at Erikson Institute, studying how professional learning environments foster bilingual teachers’ healing and leadership. She teaches K–5th grade bilingual social-emotional learning at a Chicago Public School, where she also leads the school’s social-emotional support efforts. With over a decade of experience, she has taught Pre-K students and Spanish-speaking parents, and facilitated bilingual professional development. She is committed to cocreating spaces that are rooted in radical healing and love.

Teresa N. Brockie is a member of the A’aninin Nation from the Fort Belknap Reservation and an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University. In collaboration with Tribal members on the Fort Peck Reservation she codesigned and adapted a 12-component intervention called Wakhˇáŋyeža (Little Holy One). It aims to instill traditional values in children to prevent adolescent suicide and substance use, to teach caregivers methods for coping with trauma and stress, and promote positiv parenting practices.

Kamilah Drummond is the founder of KDRUMM Consulting LLC, a nationally recognized expert in transformative SEL and equity. She partners with schools and organizations to design strategic, equity-centered professional learning. A 2023 CASEL award recipient, keynote speaker, and published writer, Kamilah also facilitates with the National SEED Project. Kamilah is the board chair for SEL4MA, serves on the Boston Arts Academy board, and is a sought-after speaker and consultant committed to adult SEL, justice, and healing-centered education.

Addison Duane is an Assistant Professor of Child & Adolescent Development in the College of Education at Sacramento State University. As a former elementary school teacher, she conducts community-based research to investigate trauma and transformation in schools. She earned an MA in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on Critical Pedagogy from the University of Colorado, a PhD in Educational Psychology from Wayne State University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with UC Berkeley’s Innovations for Youth.

Jessica Martell is a New York City public school educator who focuses on curating inclusive classrooms with an emphasis on practices rooted in restorative justice. She has worked alongside students and their parents for over 25 years to disrupt educational inequities. She is also an instructor and doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, emphasizing culturally responsive teaching practices with preservice teachers. She is a coauthor of the book Reading, Writing, and Talk: Teaching for Equity and Justice in the Early Grades, which focuses on the importance of language equity in early childhood classrooms.

Lorea Martínez is the award-winning founder of HEART in Mind, a company dedicated to helping schools and organizations integrate SEL in their practices, products, and learning communities. A global educator, Dr. Martínez is a Columbia University Teachers College faculty member, educating aspiring principals in Emotional Intelligence. Her book, Teaching with the HEART in Mind, was selected as a teacher favorite by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. Dr. Martínez is passionate about strengthening adult social and emotional capacity and currently focuses on the implementation of her Growing Your HEART Skills program for educators.

Ashley N. Metzger is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the SHIFT Research Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. She studies the behavioral health of neurodivergent children and youth in schools and the processes of school transformation to promote well-being. As a Fellow, she works on the research and evaluation team for CalHOPE Student Support. Ashley received a William T. Grant Foundation Officers’ Research Grant to help understand educators’ use of research evidence to improve the lives of young people and transform schools. 

Kamryn S. Morris is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Washington. After working in classroom and out-of-school settings, she earned her PhD in Family & Human Development from Arizona State University. She is a prevention scientist and investigates culturally relevant practices for supporting school belonging, the pervasiveness of racism, and equitable school transformation. Kamryn completed her postdoctoral training with the SHIFT Research Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.

Micia Mosely is the founder and director of The Black Teacher Project (BTP). She received her PhD in Education, with an emphasis on Social and Cultural Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. Micia has been a leader in educational equity as a high school teacher and in her work with the Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools, The Posse Foundation, and The National Equity Project. In 2015 she founded BTP, which supports the leadership and wellness of Black teachers. Micia is also an accomplished actress and stand-up comedian.

Alexander Enrique Parker is a doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, as well as a public educator, with over 10 years of experience as a 4th grade teacher. He researches burnout and emotional labor in K–12 educators, focusing on gender dynamics and affective challenges for teachers of color. In addition, he explores restorative justice and other means of reducing exclusionary disciplinary practices in U.S. schools.

Roberto Rivera is the cofounder and CEO of CADRE LLC, a Chicago-based company that creates culturally relevant tools and technologies to improve individual and collective well-being. A global leader in education and youth development, Dr. Rivera brings over 25 years of experience working with school communities across the United States and internationally. Once labeled an “at-risk” student, he transformed adversity into purpose with his work, which sits at the intersection of Hip-Hop, healing, social justice, and educational innovation, and is featured in the permanent “Upstander” exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum. A CASEL research collaborator and national speaker, Roberto’s mission is to build thriving ecosystems where students, educators, and communities are affirmed and empowered.

Hilary Gourneau is a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and is the Fort Peck Tribes Head Start Director. She obtained a Master in Counselor Education degree with a certificate in Trauma-Informed Services at Portland State University. She believes in order for success to be possible within schools, Native students and their families need to feel connected, respected, supported, and reflected at all levels.

Tara Hofkens is an education researcher at RAND and visiting scholar at the University of Virginia where she studies social and affective processes involved in teaching and learning. She is currently working on school-based interventions that support active and experiential learning funded by the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the LEGO Foundation, and the Overdeck Foundation. She also consults with public and independent school systems on how to support student motivation, engagement, and well-being.

Rebeca Itzkowich was a teacher education faculty member at Erikson Institute for over 25 years. Her research focuses on how issues of bilingualism and biliteracy impact identity and learning in the United States. As an immigrant from Mexico, her passion and commitment have been to support immigrant children and their families, first as a teacher in Head Start and public schools in New York City, Oklahoma, and Illinois, and then as a teacher educator. She is a founding member of the Early Math Collaborative and RJEM (Racial Justice in Early Mathematics) at Erikson Institute.

Patricia A. Jennings is a professor at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. She is a leader in the field of social and emotional learning and mindfulness in education and has developed and evaluated effective programs to support educator and student well-being. She is the author of four books and multiple peer reviewed articles and chapters. Previously she spent 22 years as a teacher and school leader.

Mai Xi Lee is the Social Emotional Learning Director at the Sacramento County Office of Education, where she leads the California statewide CalHOPE Student Support project. Mai Xi believes in the power of a more humanized educational ecosystem and has spent the last decade-plus leading systemic and transformative SEL implementation efforts across large school systems in CA. She remains committed to ensuring that schools become places and spaces for healing and thriving for all.

Brent Malicote is an Associate Superintendent at the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE). He is involved in a variety of programs that support student needs across the county. He also advocates for SEL with his work at CalHOPE, a community that helps children integrate back into learning after experiencing trauma. He has held multiple administrative and leadership positions where he prioritizes creating inclusive learning environments.

Valerie B. Shapiro is an associate professor at UC Berkeley. She is a translation scientist who studies system-level strategies to overcome the persistent gap between rigorous research and the routines of educational practice as it relates to the promotion of mental, emotional, and behavioral well-being of children and youth. Valerie serves as the Scientific Director and Special Project Advisor to CalHOPE Student Support. In this work, she and her partners were recognized with the 2024 Chancellor’s Award for Campus Community Partnerships at UC Berkeley, and also honored by the Society for Prevention Research with their 2024 Public Service Award for putting lessons from research into practice.

Mariana Souto-Manning is a distinguished, award-winning scholar and leader in early childhood teaching and teacher education, and President of Erikson Institute. A first-generation immigrant from Brazil, her work centers justice, belonging, and the dismantling of systemic inequities. She draws on community-rooted pedagogies and epistemologies to advance collective healing and transformation. Author of 12 books and over 100 articles, she partners with educators, families, and communities to reimagine education as a site of liberation.

Sara Staley is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Learning, Research, and Practice at the University of Colorado Boulder. She codirects A Queer Endeavor, a nationally recognized center for gender and sexual diversity in education that works in partnership with districts and school communities to organize learning environments in which LGBTQ+ youth can thrive. Her work has appeared in journals such as Research in the Teaching of English and the Harvard Educational Review. 

Maurice Swinney is the Chief Innovation Officer at Chicago Beyond, where he creates more equitable systems for young people and communities. He served as Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) first Chief Equity Officer and interim Chief Education Officer. Here, Maurice led the creation of the district’s first equity framework and shifted funding to underserved schools, making over 20 policies more equitable. His accomplishments stem from his 21 years of varied experience in education.

Eseta Tualaulelei is an associate professor at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. She teaches literacy education and intercultural communication to early years preservice teachers. She is passionate about equitable education for children with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and her research is focused on intercultural education and teacher professional learning and development. Her research is informed by Bourdieu, indigenous Pacific Islands’ research approaches, and critical education theories.

Alex Shevrin Venet is an educator, author, and professional development facilitator based in Vermont. She teaches graduate teacher education at Vermont State University and Antioch University. Previously, she was a teacher and leader at an alternative therapeutic school, community college instructor, and after-school teacher in the upper elementary grades. Alex’s work focuses on trauma-informed education practices with a focus on empowering teachers to create systemic change. She is the author of the bestselling book Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education and Becoming an Everyday Changemaker.

Dody Wibowo is a scholar-practitioner in peace education with over two decades of experience. He serves as lecturer and Quality Assurance coordinator for the master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, and as Director of Advocacy and Community Empowerment at the Sukma Foundation. Holding a PhD from the University of Otago, his work focuses on supporting teachers in delivering peace education.

Deborah H. Wilson has worked as a registered nurse internationally for the last 30 years and obtained a PhD from Johns Hopkins University. Her research uses Community Based Participatory Research to work with Native American communities to adapt, implement and evaluate sustainable, culturally informed interventions to promote and strengthen Native early childhood education teachers’ health and well-being. Wilson currently works as a senior lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.