Alaa Murabit is a medical doctor, Canadian Meritorious Service Cross recipient, one of 17 Global Sustainable Development Goal Advocates appointed by the UN Secretary General, and a UN HighLevel Commissioner on Health Employment & Economic Growth. In 2016 she founded a global Mentorship Programme for emerging leaders and co-founded The Omnis Institute, an independent nonprofit committed to challenging critical global issues through the empowerment of emerging local leaders, and became the Executive Director of Phase Minus 1, which provides thought leadership in conflict resolution and inclusive security. Alaa previously founded The Voice of Libyan Women at the age of 21. An MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow, Ashoka Fellow and International Deliver For Good Influencer, Alaa serves as a board member for The Malala Fund, Women’s March Global, International Alert, and Malaria No More. Her efficacy in security, health policy & sustainable development was most recently recognized as one of Canada’s 25 Most Influential Women. She also received the 2018 Nelson Mandela International Award from The Mandela Family. In 2017 she was named a Forbes 30 Under 30, Aspen Institute Spotlight Scholar, and Bay St. Bull Canada's 30x30. 

Dayvon Love is a Baltimore-based political organizer and the Director of Public Policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS), a grassroots think tank with the objective of advancing the public policy interests of Black people. He is featured in the 2017 HBO film Baltimore Rising, which details the protests in the city following the death of Freddie Gray. The film documents Love’s youth education work around public policy as well as his legislative work on police reform, including the civilian oversight of law enforcement. Love is the co-author of The Black Book: Reflections from the Baltimore Grassroots (LBS, 2015), a collection of essays and a resource on the issues and challenges facing grassroots activists, and a call to action for advancing racial justice.

Scott Pelley has been a reporter and photographer for more than 45 years, best known for his work on 60 Minutes and as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News. He has been the recipient of numerous accolades including multiple Edward R. Murrow and George Foster Peabody Awards, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Batons, and 37 Emmys. In addition to the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, he has received honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Overseas Press Club of America, and the Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Writers Guild of America. Pelley serves on the board of directors of the International Rescue Committee. The correspondent is the author of a 2019 memoir, Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter’s Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times (Hanover Square Press).

Zaynab Abdi was born in Yemen. After a revolution erupted in Yemen, she fled to Egypt and eventually made it to Minnesota in 2014. She graduated high school in Minneapolis with a 4.0 GPA and was the president of the Student Council and the captain of the girls’ soccer team. She did all that while being in the country only 2 years! Zaynab is the Student Senate President in the College For Women. She is now an honor student beginning her Senior year. Following her academic
passions has led Zaynab to triple major in Political Science, International Relations, and Philosophy.

Mary Boswell-McComas became Chief Academic Officer for Baltimore County Public Schools in August 2019, after serving as Interim Chief Academic Officer since July 2017.  Previously, she served as BCPS Executive Director of Academics and Coordinator of Professional Growth and Partnerships. Prior to those positions, Dr. Boswell-McComas was a principal in Baltimore City Public Schools and an administrator and teacher in Harford County Public Schools. She obtained the rank of captain in the United States Army Reserves. Dr. Boswell-McComas has a doctoral degree in education from Wilmington University, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Loyola University Maryland, and a bachelor’s degree in history from Loyola University.

Katie Bowers, Managing Director for the Harry Potter Alliance, Katie Bowers has organized thousands of fans across the globe to make a difference on gender equity, LGBTQ+ rights, literacy, access to education, and more. An avid reader with a desire to do good, Katie has been integrating her love of pop culture and social justice through youth organizing initiatives and experiential education since 2005. Katie holds a B.S. in Developmental Sociology from Cornell University and an M.S.W. from Hunter College.

David Bowles is a Mexican-American author from south Texas, where he teaches at the University of Texas Río Grande Valley. He has written several titles, most notably The Smoking Mirror (Pura Belpré Honor Book) and They Call Me Güero (Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, Claudia Lewis Award for Excellence in Poetry, Pura Belpré Honor Book, Walter Dean Myers Honor Book). His work has also been published in multiple anthologies, plus venues such as Asymptote, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Metamorphoses, Rattle, Translation Review, and the Journal of Children’s Literature. In 2017, David was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. David’s literary representation is Taylor Martindale Kean and Stefanie Von Borstel of Full Circle Literary. His Hollywood representation is Sandra Ávila
of Inclusion Management.

Kathy Crutcher has been mentoring young writers since 2003 and is passionate about empowering others to tell their stories. She loves words and loves to teach. She has been pursuing this love all over the place -- from elementary schools in rural Japan to college classrooms in the American South to inner-city high schools in Washington, DC -- and with many different communities: adult literacy learners, refugees, gifted writers, reluctant writers, kids, teens, college students, those who've written many stories, and those who are writing their very first.

Dr. Michael J. Daria serves as the Superintendent for the Tuscaloosa City Schools. He started his education career with the Greene County Schools before coming to the Tuscaloosa City Schools in 1996. Daria has served as an English teacher, assistant principal, principal, executive director of personnel and assistant superintendent prior to his current role. He received his Ed.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Alabama. He and his wife Susy have two children, Nicholas and Tyler, who attend the Tuscaloosa City Schools.

Jaime Donally is a passionate technology enthusiast. She began her career as a math teacher and later moved into Instructional Technology. Her desire to build relationships have brought about opportunities to collaborate with students and educators around the world. She provides staff development and training on immersive technology as an edtech consultant. Her latest adventures include the launch of Global Maker Day and the #ARVRinEDU community. She works as an author and speaker to provide practical use of augmented and virtual reality with more
resources at ARVRinEDU.com.

Dr. Lesley Farmer, Professor at California State University (CSU) Long Beach, coordinates the Librarianship program, and was named as the university’s Outstanding Professor. She also manages the CSU ICT Literacy Project. She earned her M.S. in Library Science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and received her doctorate in Adult Education from Temple University. Dr. Farmer chaired the IFLA’s School Libraries Section, and is a Fulbright scholar. A frequent presenter and writer for the profession, she won several honors, including American Library Association’s Phi Beta Mu Award for library education, the International Association of School Librarianship Commendation Award, and the SLA Education Division Anne Gellar Award. Dr. Farmer’s research interests include digital citizenship, information literacy, and data analytics. Her most recent books are Library Improvement through Data Analytics (ALA, 2016) and Managing the Successful
School Library (ALA, 2017).

Malaka Gharib is a writer, artist, journalist and the author of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir. She is an editor and digital strategist at NPR in Washington, D.C., the founder of the food zine The Runcible Spoon, and the co-founder of the D.C. Art Book Fair.

Daryl Grabarek

Bethany Henderson is an award-winning social entrepreneur and cross-sector leader. Currently she is helping DC's most vulnerable children find success at school, on the playing field, and in life. She also teaches aspiring social changemakers how to convert their dreams into action. Bethany's career has criss-crossed the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She served as a White House Fellow (http://1.usa.gov/9IfbFj) in the Obama Administration; founded the local government service corps City Hall Fellows (www.cityhallfellows.org); co-created the boutique clothing line Grow With Me Tee; was a trial attorney at international litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel; and helped build out a Center for Social Entrepreneurship at George Mason University. Bethany began her career serving in NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration, helping to drive the city government's adoption of (the then-brand-new) Internet technology.

Kathy Ishizuka

Joquetta Johnson

Katherine Lester has been a School Librarian since 2001. She has been actively involved in “Making” running Maker Clubs of more than 120 students. She is a certified educator for Google for Education, BrainPOP, and Ozobot. Katherine is a past-president and advocacy chair for the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) and a Board Member of AASL. She has been the Communications Director for the SIGLIB group of MACUL and an Affiliate Representative for ISTE. She is a member of the Library of Michigan’s School Library Workgroup. She has also been a member of state committees such as the Michigan #GoOpen Strategy Team, the Michigan ESSA Tactical Review Committee and the State Educational Technology Plan Update Workgroup.

Alicia Levi currently serves as President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental. Throughout her career, Alicia has worked to transform the lives of children through smart strategies to improve academic outcomes.
Prior to joining RIF in 2016, Alicia served as Vice President, Education for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and oversaw all of PBS’ educational efforts in developing digital education services for PBS, local public television stations, students and teachers nationwide. She was responsible for PBS’ strategic partnerships, digital media production, professional development, and other emerging products and services that support the PreK-16 education market.

Elissa Malespina 

Anita Merina joined the Little Free Library after retiring from the National Education Association where she coordinated NEA’s Read Across America program. During her tenure, Anita helped create NEA’s Books Across America school library grants and partnerships with Youth Service America, First Book, Heart of America Foundation, Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Library of Congress, and We Need Diverse Books. Through her role, she also gained valuable experience in fundraising, celebrity and influencer outreach, community organizing, and strategic partnerships. Outside of literacy, she is a full-time glass artist and enjoys tennis and gardening. She is the mother of twin daughters, an architect and filmmaker, and her husband teaches applied anthropology at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a focus on sea level rise and
coastal communities.

Monica Merritt

Rebecca T. Miller

Shannon McClintock Miller is an international speaker, consultant and author who has a passion for education, librarianship, advocacy, technology, social media and making a difference in the world and lives of others, especially children. Shannon brings a special expertise and vision to conversations around school libraries, education, technology, creativity and student voice. Shannon is the Innovation Director of Instructional Media and Library Media at Van Meter Community School in Iowa and Future Ready Librarians Spokesperson working with students, librarians, educators and others around the world every day. She is Buncee’s Librarian Advisor, a Capstone author and blogger and Skype Educator. Shannon is the author of the award winning The Library Voice blog and enjoys writing for various blogs, journals and other forums including ISTE, School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

Susan B. Neuman is a Professor of Teaching and Learning at New York University specializing in teacher education and early literacy development. Previously, she has been a Professor at the University of Michigan and has served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.  In her role as Assistant Secretary, she established the Early Reading First program, the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program and was responsible for all activities in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act. She has served on the IRA Board of Directors (2001-2003), and other numerous boards of non-profit organizations.  She is a past Editor of Reading Research Quarterly, the most prestigious journal in reading research. Her research and teaching interests include early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction, prek-grade 3 for children who live in poverty. Neuman has received two life-time achievement awards for research in literacy development and is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. She has written over 100 articles, and authored and edited 11 books. 

Kevin Maillard

As the Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Schools of the nation’s tenth largest district, Keith Oswald takes great pride in ensuring excellence and equity in education for all children. Mr. Oswald is a veteran educator who began his career in Palm Beach County as a teacher at Barton Elementary School. His passion to make a difference in the lives of students brought him from the classroom, to numerous administrative posts including Chief Academic Officer, before being appointed Deputy Superintendent in 2018.
In his current role, Mr. Oswald works closely with the Superintendent as a strategic partner in the Districts commitment to increasing academic achievement at the 179-District operated schools. In addition to this executive level position in the A-rated School District of Palm Beach County, Mr. Oswald enjoys active participation in numerous non-profit agencies.

Isabel Quintero

Nicky Rigg leads Google's partnership with libraries to help communities grow their skills, careers, and businesses through initiatives such as Grow with Google, Libraries Ready to Code, and Libraries Lead with Digital Skills. She has spent the last 15 years advising corporate philanthropy initiatives, managing international development programs, and researching the effectiveness of community-driven solutions across four continents. She was born on the southern border (Tucson, AZ), raised on the northern border (San Juan Island, WA), has an MA from NYU (International Development) and a BA (Education) from the University of Arizona.

Tea Rozman-Clark is the executive director of Green Card Voices. Previously, she worked for Reconciliation and Culture Cooperative Network, a New York City nonprofit working with immigrants from the former Yugoslavia. Tea is an NYU graduate with a degree in Near and Middle Eastern studies and has a PhD in cultural history, specializing in oral history recording, from the University of Nova Gorica. She is a first-generation immigrant from Slovenia and a 2015 Bush
Leadership Fellow.

Jodi Rubin

Ali Schilpp is SLJ’s 2018 School Librarian of the Year and recently received the Children’s Literature Advocate Award from Frostburg State University. Five years ago, as the first and only Library Media Specialist to work at Northern Middle School in Garrett County, Maryland, she tapped into her 12 years of library experience with Baltimore County Public Schools to create an engaging, technology-driven space. Ali expanded learning beyond her rural community by sharing LEGO Travel Buddy, a
digital citizenship library program that fosters global connections. She is a 2019 LEGO® Master Educator and continuously seeks new opportunities to challenge her students—from writer’s workshops, and STEAM events, to collaborations with notable authors. Many of her library initiatives have been generously supported by Scholastic, MSDE Digital Learning, and ALA's Ready to Code grants. Ali holds a B.S. from Stevenson University and Master's with K-12 certification from
Towson University.

Andrea Swenson has been working with teens for nearly 30 years, first as a teacher and, for the last 16
years as a librarian.  She has spent most of her career at East Side Community School, a Library of Congress American Prize winner for Literacy and New York City Showcase School.  She has served as a mentor to many school librarians and is a specialist in collection development.  She is the curator of the NYCDOE special collection in LGBTQ topics and fiction.

After 25 years of joyful practice as a teacher librarian in K12 education, and several more as a public and special librarian, Joyce Valenza joined the faculty of Rutgers University where she prepares future librarians to lead cultures of literacy and engage communities. She write the NeverendingSearch Blog for School Library Journal and contribute to several other library and edtech publications. Joyce speaks globally about the thoughtful use of technology in learning and the power of librarians to lead. Her research interests include: school librarianship, youth information seeking, educational technology, social media curation, OER, emerging literacies, social media and online communities of practice.

Joyce is active in AASL, ALA, ALISE and ISTE.

Marijke Visser is Senior Policy Advocate at the American Library Association’s Public Policy & Advocacy Office, Washington, D.C. Her portfolio includes issues related to youth and technology as well as telecommunications policy. Marijke advocates for policies at the federal level that advance equitable access to information. Her advocacy raises the awareness of decision makers of the role of libraries in education, employment and entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and individual empowerment. Marijke leads ALA’s work on the federal E-rate program which ensures public libraries have access to high-capacity broadband. She covers issues related to broadband adoption and use through libraries, especially for populations with unique challenges. She earned her bachelor’s degree is Peace and Global Studies/Sociology and Anthropology from Earlham College in Indiana. Before joining the ALA in 2009, Marijke earned her master’s in Library and Information Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.