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Gwendolyn Eden hails from the heartland of Nebraska and now resides in thriving, urban Denver. As a product of a year-long fellowship program, Eden is passionate about developing teachers so that all students might learn. Currently in her third year of teaching, Eden is thrilled to share her beginner's perspective and learn from the bigger conversations happening right now in the field of education.

Alicia taught for 30 years in the Brookline Public Schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. She was a Chinese bilingual teacher, then a first-grade educator and finally a third-grade teacher. In 2008, Hsu was awarded the Ernest R. Caverly Award for teaching excellence by the Brookline Education Foundation. She is committed to exploring the ways in which art and story can connect young people, families and communities.

Katie is a high school writing and English teacher at The Hill Center, a K–12 school for children with learning differences in Durham, North Carolina. She previously taught at a middle school in Boston and at a secondary school in rural Tanzania. Mgongolwa has a passion for diversifying curricula, helping students and teachers develop strategies for courageous conversations, and working with schools to close the opportunity gap.

Scott Hirschfeld is the director of education for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, where he manages the development of global learning resources and programs. Prior to joining U.S. Fund, Scott was director of curriculum for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and director of education for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), two of the leading U.S. NGOs working to end discrimination and promote social justice in schools and communities. Before working in the nonprofit sector, Scott was a classroom teacher and staff developer in the New York City public school system for 13 years

Maggie Messitt is an American writer and editor focused on narrative and immersion journalism in middle America & southern Africa. She lived in rural Africa for more than six years and split her life between two continents for two more. She returned to the US as a full-time resident in early 2011. Maggie currently resides in Athens, OH, where she's a doctoral fellow in Creative Writing at Ohio University. When she's not teaching or working on her next manuscript, she continues to write/report for regional and national publications. Maggie lived in Limpopo, South Africa, from 2003-2011 (6yrs

Lisa Ann Williamson is associate editor at Teaching Tolerance. Before coming to SPLC, she worked as a multimedia journalist. Her jobs at newspapers in Iowa, Michigan and New York included covering crime, education, theater and religion stories. Williamson also taught college courses in journalism, literature and interpersonal communication. She graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a major in theater and earned her masters at the University of Iowa.

Sara Schmidt is a writer, homeschooling mom, artist, wife and activist from the St. Louis area. Sara has taught in various capacities, from a European at-risk program and college support services to American Red Cross service corps. She writes for the Institute for Democratic Education in America and is inspired by nonconformist teachers, guerrilla learning, free schools, peaceful revolution, living outside the box and above all, kids.

Jeremy is a writer and public school educator. He has taught English for nearly two decades since graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont. He is passionate about using the classroom and the study of literature to help students navigate a complex world. He writes frequently about education, parenting, running and the world as a whole. More of his writing can be found on his blog, One Man’s Field.

Ann Van Etten teaches eighth-grade language arts in Iowa. She received a bachelor’s degree in English education with a minor in creative writing from the University of Northern Iowa, and a master’s in English education at the University of Iowa. She earned her National Board Certification in English language arts in 2010. Van Etten also teaches creative writing to middle school students at the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy, a non-profit after school arts organization.