Fallon Davis is a Non-binary Visionary, Afro-Native Vegan, Radical Educator, and Creative Culture Worker devoted to enhancing and uplifting the lives of Black and Brown individuals. As a leader and entrepreneur since they were a teenager, Fallon has cultivated a wealth of knowledge in the areas of Transformational Leadership for Racial Equity, Trauma Informed Care and Land and Food Systems, strengthening their work as a Community Leader. As the Founder & CEO of STEAM URBAN, a STEAM-disciplined, trauma conscious educational non-profit for Black and Brown students of all ages, their organizational mission is Environmental Justice, Social Justice, and Educational Equity. In recognition of their work, Fallon recently received the prestigious Dr. Arnold Brown Racial Justice Award from the YWCA of North Jersey. Their episode of PBS’s docuseries, 21, was nominated for a 2023 Webby Award in the category of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Fallon’s body, mind and soul are a daily dedication to making real change in the world through effective planning and implementation of programs and processes that will make the lives of marginalized individuals better.

Collin Rossi received his BA in English and Theater Arts at Arcadia University in 2005. In 2009, he was accepted to the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows program, part of the New Teacher Project. Returning to Arcadia University, he completed his teaching certification and earned his Master of Education in Special Education. After three years as a special education teacher in the Philadelphia School District, he returned to Arcadia to pursue a Master of Science in Health Education. The call of the classroom proved too loud to ignore, and in 2014 he returned to teaching at South Brunswick High School as a Special Education English teacher, moving out of Special Education into General English in 2018. Collin has contributed to writing a co-teaching handbook for the district and led professional development seminars on co-teaching, equity in the special ed classroom, and subject area content for his colleagues. He has collaboratively developed the curriculum for genre-focused English classes on Crime & the Criminal, and Dystopian Literature and independently designed a Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature course curriculum. Collin is developing a Film & Literature course and updating the Creative Writing courses. Since 2019, he has presented workshops at the NJEA Teacher’s Convention, introducing teachers to his curriculum and creative writing projects and to Culturally Affirming Literature in partnership with his school’s librarian, Lisa Manganello. Look for them on next year’s workshop list! His proudest achievement came in 2021 when he was named Cooperating Teacher of the Year by The College of New Jersey for his work with his first student teacher.

Thuraya Zeidan is an educator in New Jersey, for nearly ten years now. She gives presentations and workshops on multiculturalism in the classroom and anti-racist teaching. Thuraya writes poetry and short stories, inspired by being a woman, Palestinian, and social justice advocate.

Pearl Ohm (she/her) teaches math at Essex Street Academy, a small unscreened high school with open admissions for students from all boroughs. Pearl actively leads courses at MƒA and workshops for the New York Performance Standards Consortium with a focus on inclusive and antiracist practices. Pearl has exclusively taught at small, Consortium schools and focuses to emphasize constructivist, inquiry-based understanding in all her math classes. In her schools, she has served as mathematics department chair, mathematics department mentor, inquiry team member, professional development facilitator, and scheduling programmer. She is working toward completing the NYU Metro Center facilitative leadership certification program and has served as the NYC Director of Fellowship for STEM-Ed Innovators, a yearlong fellowship program that develops the capacity of full time NYC public school STEM teachers to integrate democratic STEM teaching principles. Pearl spends a lot of time thinking about the institution of education and its barriers, increasing equity, and dismantling systems of oppressions. She is finishing her seventeenth year in the classroom, and loves feeling like a life longer in her abolitionist teacher journey., Sarah Ahmed (she/her) is a math teacher and instructional coach at Essex Street Academy, a 9-12 high school that is a member of the New York Performance Standards Consortium. Prior to teaching at ESA, Sarah taught at both charter and traditional public high schools in NYC as well as Oakland, California. In her teacher journey, Sarah has valued her time in teacher fellowship communities such as the Hollyhock Fellowship Program and Math for America, where has been a learner and facilitator in both spaces. She has taught most levels of high school math and is particularly excited to teach Calculus this spring with a team of inspired fellow educators who, like Sarah, are deeply moved by abolitionist principles and ways to liberate mathematics for all. Sarah has also recently begun teaching as an adjunct instructor at New York University, where she hopes to continue freedom dreaming with aspiring new teachers in the NYC area. In her (little) spare time she loves talking about rehumanizing and revolutionizing mathematics, planning surprise birthdays for people, and spending time with her two dogs and husband.

Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com, Leah is a writer, teacher educator, and teacher-scholar-activist who works through her consulting firm, Just Writing LLC. She credits the many leadership and teaching positions she has held for the development of her anti-racist worldview as well as her commitment to equity and humanization. Her journey includes serving as a high school English teacher for Newark Public Schools; co-founding the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus), a social justice caucus within the Newark Teachers Union; organizing childcare center workers into a union; and serving as a member of the Newark Board of Education (2016-2019). Leah holds a BA in English from Duke University. From Rutgers-Newark, she earned a Master of Public Administration degree as well as her PhD in Urban Systems. As an activist-scholar, her research interests include critical democratic education, teacher leadership, and ontological inquiry. Leah is an active citizen in several community and political organizations, including the Newark Branch of the NAACP where she serves as chair of the education committee. To learn more about Leah and her work, visit her site at www.blackwomanteacher.net or follow her on social media @blackwomanteacher.

Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com

Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com, Leah is a writer, teacher educator, and teacher-scholar-activist who works through her consulting firm, Just Writing LLC. She credits the many leadership and teaching positions she has held for the development of her anti-racist worldview as well as her commitment to equity and humanization. Her journey includes serving as a high school English teacher for Newark Public Schools; co-founding the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus), a social justice caucus within the Newark Teachers Union; organizing childcare center workers into a union; and serving as a member of the Newark Board of Education (2016-2019). Leah holds a BA in English from Duke University. From Rutgers-Newark, she earned a Master of Public Administration degree as well as her PhD in Urban Systems. As an activist-scholar, her research interests include critical democratic education, teacher leadership, and ontological inquiry. Leah is an active citizen in several community and political organizations, including the Newark Branch of the NAACP where she serves as chair of the education committee. To learn more about Leah and her work, visit her site at www.blackwomanteacher.net or follow her on social media @blackwomanteacher.

Leah is a writer, teacher educator, and teacher-scholar-activist who works through her consulting firm, Just Writing LLC. She credits the many leadership and teaching positions she has held for the development of her anti-racist worldview as well as her commitment to equity and humanization. Her journey includes serving as a high school English teacher for Newark Public Schools; co-founding the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus), a social justice caucus within the Newark Teachers Union; organizing childcare center workers into a union; and serving as a member of the Newark Board of Education (2016-2019). Leah holds a BA in English from Duke University. From Rutgers-Newark, she earned a Master of Public Administration degree as well as her PhD in Urban Systems. As an activist-scholar, her research interests include critical democratic education, teacher leadership, and ontological inquiry. Leah is an active citizen in several community and political organizations, including the Newark Branch of the NAACP where she serves as chair of the education committee. To learn more about Leah and her work, visit her site at www.blackwomanteacher.net or follow her on social media @blackwomanteacher., Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com

Maribel Valdez Gonzalez, M.Ed. is an Indigenous Xicana educator and mother of two. She resides in occupied Duwamish territory, also known as Seattle, WA. She is from occupied Somi Se’k land, also known as San Antonio, TX. In her 10 years as an antiracist educator, Maribel Valdez Gonzalez has been honored to work with youth and adults to decolonize and humanize pedagogical practices, social structures, and belief systems in classrooms and beyond. She is a founding leader of the Education Amplifier program which began in the fall of 2017. She has since served as Amplifier’s educational consultant for multiple national public art campaigns to bridge the gap between social change movements and education by providing educators with teaching tools created by Amplifier partners to guide students toward action. Maribel has collaborated with and offered curricular guidance to non-profit organizations such as the Women’s March, March for our Lives, Earth Guardians, Families Belong Together, IllumiNatives, She Can STEM, and many more. Maribel is a former 6-8 English Language Arts and World Cultures teacher and is a STEM Integration Transformation Coach for Technology Access Foundation. She works to create transformative systems of learning for students and teachers of color to eliminate race-based disparities by partnering with teachers to cultivate a project-based learning environment at TAF@Washington Middle School in Seattle Public Schools. Maribel’s goal is to create academically engaging learning experiences through a culturally sustaining environment that fosters empowerment, healing, and radical kindness. Committed to creating systems centered on equity and justice, she also serves on the advisory board for Learning for Justice and is a member of the Antiracist Arts Education Task Force for Visual & Performing Arts for Seattle Public Schools.

Tricia Friedman (she/her) has worked as an educator in The United States, China, Thailand, Ukraine, Morocco, Indonesia, Switzerland, and Singapore. Tricia is the founder of Allyed.org and the Be a Better Ally Podcast where she hosts conversations about the state of LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools Currently, she is the Creative Content Director with Shifting Schools. Tricia lives in beautiful British Columbia with her wife, and their puppy.

Kamilia Scantlebury is a Culture and Climate Specialist, Educator Service Professional and Teacher Leader. She holds a Masters in Educational Leadership and a M.B.A. in Management. She has been an educator for over 14 years and has spent her entire educational career serving underserved communities in New Jersey, while being committed to ensuring that all students receive equity in education. She believes that the most successful students are those who thrive in a school filled with motivated teachers and parents/guardians who guide them and hold them to high expectations. She feels that holistically educating the entire child and taking care of their social emotional needs is just as important as teaching students arithmetic or how to read. She believes students are most successful when home and school work strongly together in partnership. She is excited to work with the Radical Pedagogy Institute. Mutual Aid and the Anti-Racist Alliance of North Jersey.

Nicole Auffant is a social science researcher and anti-racist activist, and organizer. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Systems with a concentration in Urban Educational Policy and Women’s and Gender Studies from Rutgers University. Nicole facilitates anti-racism workshops and professional development with several anti-racist organizations including, Soul Focused Group, EduSAGE Companion Consulting, and People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. She currently organizes with Brick City Mutual Aid and the Anti-Racist Alliance of North Jersey., Renee Shalhoub (she, her) is passionate about advocacy and rights around immigration, environmental issues and sustainability, LGBTQIA+ rights and education. She is a special education teacher specializing in working with people with autism. Renee has served on the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots College Leadership Council, Madison Environmental Commission, volunteer with Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center and is an organizer with People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, Center for the Study of White American Culture and Anti-Racist Alliance of North Jersey. She is the co-founder of Mutual Morris, a mutual aid network in Morris County, New Jersey.

Dr. Rebecca Johnson is a veteran mathematics teacher with the NYC Department of Education, with over a decade of experience working with secondary school-aged students. She is a Master Teacher with Math for America and has earned her doctoral degree in mathematics education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College (NM) gave her a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of different disciplines, and she strives to help her students develop understandings of these connections as well. She is deeply committed to fostering culturally responsive and socially just mathematics learning environments.

Roger is a teacher, poet, essayist, playwright, sex positive Queer and Gender Theorist, questioner, and explorer. He has taught at the Honors College at the University of San Francisco and is currently teaching at LIM College. He has brought his master class, Musical Theater Through a Queer Theory Lens, to various institutions around the country. He has also partnered with the Hetrick-Martin Institute: Newark (Maplewood site) in the creation of a program for queer youth called Identity & Art. The program sought to bring a stronger sense of self and queer identity to LGBTQIA+ youth by exploring the work of queer artists and, in turn, creating original work themselves. This program served as the foundation for RE/WRITING SEX & GENDER, which he will be teaching at FIT this spring. He also conducts DEI trainings/workshops for educators in settings ranging from public schools to private institutions. After receiving his BFA in Acting from Tisch School of the Arts, he began a nearly 20 year career in Musical Theater which took him to 47 states (he thinks), Europe, and to Broadway, where he swung and dance captained the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof starring, at various points, Alfred Molina, Randy Graff, Harvey Fierstein, Andrea Martin, and Rosie O’Donnell. Roger earned his MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts with a Concentration in Performance Creation from Goddard College, where he studied Queer/Gender Theory and history as well as performance creation. As a writer, Roger’s work has been featured in The Washington Post (print and online editions) and on sites such as HIV Here & Now, VillageQ, Amtrak’s Ride with Pride series, The Body, and North Jersey Pride’s Pride booklet. His one-man, autobiographical play Objects in the Mirror, which uses his life to question just how far we’ve come in terms of queer liberation, has had two readings and is currently in development.

Al Moussab is currently in his 19th year as a teacher. He is currently at East Side High School in Newark, NJ. He has been an advisor to the debate team, chess club, and Amnesty International. He is also a member of the Newark Education Workers’ Caucus, the social justice caucus of the Newark Teachers’ Union AFT Local 481. Amnesty International Chapter of East Side High School was formed in the Fall of 2020 during the pandemic. In response to the BLM protests of the summer of 2020, these students wanted to continue learning, discussing, and organizing around these issues.

Victoria Thompson is a STEM Integration Transformation Coach at Technology Access Foundation–a nonprofit leader redefining STEM education in public schools–a consultant for Ignite EdTech, and a learning specialist for NCCE. She has been in education for five years and began her journey teaching fifth and sixth grade math and science in Summerville, SC. After completing her masters degree in curriculum and instruction she moved to the Seattle, WA area in 2018, where her career has pivoted to focusing on STEM integration in schools, K-12 mathematics instruction with research on decolonizing mathematics curriculum for teachers and learners, creating inclusive math environments, and using technology to bridge equity gaps in math education. She has presented at ISTE, ImpactEducation, CUE, and DigCitSummit on topics such as creating inclusive math classrooms, culturally responsive STEM education, and equity in educational technology.

Victoria Thompson is a STEM Integration Transformation Coach at Technology Access Foundation–a nonprofit leader redefining STEM education in public schools–a consultant for Ignite EdTech, and a learning specialist for NCCE. She has been in education for five years and began her journey teaching fifth and sixth grade math and science in Summerville, SC. After completing her masters degree in curriculum and instruction she moved to the Seattle, WA area in 2018, where her career has pivoted to focusing on STEM integration in schools, K-12 mathematics instruction with research on decolonizing mathematics curriculum for teachers and learners, creating inclusive math environments, and using technology to bridge equity gaps in math education. She has presented at ISTE, ImpactEducation, CUE, and DigCitSummit on topics such as creating inclusive math classrooms, culturally responsive STEM education, and equity in educational technology.

Victoria Thompson is a STEM Integration Transformation Coach at Technology Access Foundation–a nonprofit leader redefining STEM education in public schools–a consultant for Ignite EdTech, and a learning specialist for NCCE. She has been in education for five years and began her journey teaching fifth and sixth grade math and science in Summerville, SC. After completing her masters degree in curriculum and instruction she moved to the Seattle, WA area in 2018, where her career has pivoted to focusing on STEM integration in schools, K-12 mathematics instruction with research on decolonizing mathematics curriculum for teachers and learners, creating inclusive math environments, and using technology to bridge equity gaps in math education. She has presented at ISTE, ImpactEducation, CUE, and DigCitSummit on topics such as creating inclusive math classrooms, culturally responsive STEM education, and equity in educational technology.

Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com

Nenad Radakovic is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Nenad grew up in (what was still called) Yugoslavia, received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a teaching certificate from the University of Osijek in Croatia. After teaching high school mathematics in Vukovar, Croatia, Nenad immigrated to Canada and taught in a private Armenian school (grades 5-10) in Toronto. He received an MA and PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Mathematics and/for social justice is a central theme of his research. Stemming from this theme is Nenad’s interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in teacher education.

Leah is a writer, teacher educator, and teacher-scholar-activist who works through her consulting firm, Just Writing LLC. She credits the many leadership and teaching positions she has held for the development of her anti-racist worldview as well as her commitment to equity and humanization. Her journey includes serving as a high school English teacher for Newark Public Schools; co-founding the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus), a social justice caucus within the Newark Teachers Union; organizing childcare center workers into a union; and serving as a member of the Newark Board of Education (2016-2019). Leah holds a BA in English from Duke University. From Rutgers-Newark, she earned a Master of Public Administration degree as well as her PhD in Urban Systems. As an activist-scholar, her research interests include critical democratic education, teacher leadership, and ontological inquiry. Leah is an active citizen in several community and political organizations, including the Newark Branch of the NAACP where she serves as chair of the education committee. To learn more about Leah and her work, visit her site at www.blackwomanteacher.net or follow her on social media @blackwomanteacher.

Maribel Valdez Gonzalez, M.Ed. is an Indigenous Xicana educator and mother of two. She resides in occupied Duwamish territory, also known as Seattle, WA. She is from occupied Somi Se’k land, also known as San Antonio, TX. In her 10 years as an antiracist educator, Maribel Valdez Gonzalez has been honored to work with youth and adults to decolonize and humanize pedagogical practices, social structures, and belief systems in classrooms and beyond. She is a founding leader of the Education Amplifier program which began in the fall of 2017. She has since served as Amplifier’s educational consultant for multiple national public art campaigns to bridge the gap between social change movements and education by providing educators with teaching tools created by Amplifier partners to guide students toward action. Maribel has collaborated with and offered curricular guidance to non-profit organizations such as the Women’s March, March for our Lives, Earth Guardians, Families Belong Together, IllumiNatives, She Can STEM, and many more. Maribel is a former 6-8 English Language Arts and World Cultures teacher and is a STEM Integration Transformation Coach for Technology Access Foundation. She works to create transformative systems of learning for students and teachers of color to eliminate race-based disparities by partnering with teachers to cultivate a project-based learning environment at TAF@Washington Middle School in Seattle Public Schools. Maribel’s goal is to create academically engaging learning experiences through a culturally sustaining environment that fosters empowerment, healing, and radical kindness. Committed to creating systems centered on equity and justice, she also serves on the advisory board for Learning for Justice and is a member of the Antiracist Arts Education Task Force for Visual & Performing Arts for Seattle Public Schools.

Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com

Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com, Leah is a writer, teacher educator, and teacher-scholar-activist who works through her consulting firm, Just Writing LLC. She credits the many leadership and teaching positions she has held for the development of her anti-racist worldview as well as her commitment to equity and humanization. Her journey includes serving as a high school English teacher for Newark Public Schools; co-founding the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus), a social justice caucus within the Newark Teachers Union; organizing childcare center workers into a union; and serving as a member of the Newark Board of Education (2016-2019). Leah holds a BA in English from Duke University. From Rutgers-Newark, she earned a Master of Public Administration degree as well as her PhD in Urban Systems. As an activist-scholar, her research interests include critical democratic education, teacher leadership, and ontological inquiry. Leah is an active citizen in several community and political organizations, including the Newark Branch of the NAACP where she serves as chair of the education committee. To learn more about Leah and her work, visit her site at www.blackwomanteacher.net or follow her on social media @blackwomanteacher.

Leah is a writer, teacher educator, and teacher-scholar-activist who works through her consulting firm, Just Writing LLC. She credits the many leadership and teaching positions she has held for the development of her anti-racist worldview as well as her commitment to equity and humanization. Her journey includes serving as a high school English teacher for Newark Public Schools; co-founding the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus), a social justice caucus within the Newark Teachers Union; organizing childcare center workers into a union; and serving as a member of the Newark Board of Education (2016-2019). Leah holds a BA in English from Duke University. From Rutgers-Newark, she earned a Master of Public Administration degree as well as her PhD in Urban Systems. As an activist-scholar, her research interests include critical democratic education, teacher leadership, and ontological inquiry. Leah is an active citizen in several community and political organizations, including the Newark Branch of the NAACP where she serves as chair of the education committee. To learn more about Leah and her work, visit her site at www.blackwomanteacher.net or follow her on social media @blackwomanteacher., Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com, Darius Phelps is a Pre-K Specialist with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. In 2015, he received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from UGA in 2019 and a Specialist degree in Educational Psychology in 2021.This Fall, he will start working on his PhD in English Education at Teachers College Columbia University.He has been teaching for eight years ranging from birth through five, Pre-Kindergarten and recently Middle Grades. Darius has given a TEDx talk titled, “Fingerprints Upon My Heart” and received “Georgia Child Caregiver of the Year” for 2016. His dream is to become a children’s book writer and illustrator, focusing on subjects such as anxiety, depression, and grief., Dr. Bree Picower is an Associate Professor at Montclair State University in the College of Education and Human Development. She is the Co-Director of two innovative teacher education programs, the Urban Teacher Residency, Newark Teacher Project as well as the Critical Urban Education Speaker Series with Dr. Tanya Maloney at MSU. She is the author of Reading, Writing and Racism, Practice What You Teach: Social Justice Education in the Classroom and the Streets and the co-editor of What’s Race Got To Do With It? How current school reform maintains racial and economic inequality and Confronting Racism in Teacher Education: Counternarratives of Critical Practice. Across her writing and teaching, Picower examines the role of racism in education and how to prepare teachers to disrupt Whiteness in order to advance social and racial justice., Georgina is the founder and director of Teach About Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating K-12 students to be champions for gender equity. She holds a BA in History and MA in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth College as well as a degree in History from L’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. The focus of Georgina’s work is curriculum design and providing collaborative professional development for K-12 teachers who want to make equity work part of every aspect of school life. She’s interested in the liberatory power of intersectional, anti-bias pedagogy across departments. In the words of bell hooks, “I celebrate teaching that enables transgressions–a movement against and beyond boundaries. It is that movement which makes education a practice of freedom.” In addition to giving workshops, Georgina is currently at work on a book and high school curriculum on the history of women, gender, and power. Learn more about Teach About Women and Georgina’s work at www.teachaboutwomen.org or follow her on social media @TeachAboutWomen

Georgina is the founder and director of Teach About Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating K-12 students to be champions for gender equity. She holds a BA in History and MA in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth College as well as a degree in History from L’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. The focus of Georgina’s work is curriculum design and providing collaborative professional development for K-12 teachers who want to make equity work part of every aspect of school life. She’s interested in the liberatory power of intersectional, anti-bias pedagogy across departments. In the words of bell hooks, “I celebrate teaching that enables transgressions–a movement against and beyond boundaries. It is that movement which makes education a practice of freedom.” In addition to giving workshops, Georgina is currently at work on a book and high school curriculum on the history of women, gender, and power. Learn more about Teach About Women and Georgina’s work at www.teachaboutwomen.org or follow her on social media @TeachAboutWomen

Dr. Bree Picower is an Associate Professor at Montclair State University in the College of Education and Human Development. She is the Co-Director of two innovative teacher education programs, the Urban Teacher Residency, Newark Teacher Project as well as the Critical Urban Education Speaker Series with Dr. Tanya Maloney at MSU. She is the author of Reading, Writing and Racism, Practice What You Teach: Social Justice Education in the Classroom and the Streets and the co-editor of What’s Race Got To Do With It? How current school reform maintains racial and economic inequality and Confronting Racism in Teacher Education: Counternarratives of Critical Practice. Across her writing and teaching, Picower examines the role of racism in education and how to prepare teachers to disrupt Whiteness in order to advance social and racial justice.

Darius Phelps is a Pre-K Specialist with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. In 2015, he received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from UGA in 2019 and a Specialist degree in Educational Psychology in 2021.This Fall, he will start working on his PhD in English Education at Teachers College Columbia University.He has been teaching for eight years ranging from birth through five, Pre-Kindergarten and recently Middle Grades. Darius has given a TEDx talk titled, “Fingerprints Upon My Heart” and received “Georgia Child Caregiver of the Year” for 2016. His dream is to become a children’s book writer and illustrator, focusing on subjects such as anxiety, depression, and grief.

Brandie (they/them/elle) holds a BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Tampa, as well as a MPhil and PhD in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. They currently work as an independent math coach and scholar through their own educational consulting company, The Queer Mathematics Teacher (QMT). Prior to launching QMT, Brandie worked as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Drew University in New Jersey, specializing in K-12 mathematics and science. They have also taught middle and high school mathematics in both New York City and Florida. As a queer Latinx scholar, activist, and educator, Brandie’s research and work at QMT is focused on the ways in which students’ intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces and how to re/humanize mathematics for all students through the use of critical and queer pedagogy. To learn more about Brandie and her work, visit the QMT website: www.TheQueerMathematicsTeacher.com

Leah is a writer, teacher educator, and teacher-scholar-activist who works through her consulting firm, Just Writing LLC. She credits the many leadership and teaching positions she has held for the development of her anti-racist worldview as well as her commitment to equity and humanization. Her journey includes serving as a high school English teacher for Newark Public Schools; co-founding the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus), a social justice caucus within the Newark Teachers Union; organizing childcare center workers into a union; and serving as a member of the Newark Board of Education (2016-2019). Leah holds a BA in English from Duke University. From Rutgers-Newark, she earned a Master of Public Administration degree as well as her PhD in Urban Systems. As an activist-scholar, her research interests include critical democratic education, teacher leadership, and ontological inquiry. Leah is an active citizen in several community and political organizations, including the Newark Branch of the NAACP where she serves as chair of the education committee. To learn more about Leah and her work, visit her site at www.blackwomanteacher.net or follow her on social media @blackwomanteacher.

Awo Okaikor Aryee-Price, Ed.D., is a natural-born organizer who discovered early on her gift as an agent for change. A thoughtful facilitator and strategist, she has studied the critical language needed to challenge systems of oppression and is not afraid to lead those conversations. Okaikor has always envisioned a society that is more just, and dedicates her pursuits to bringing others into critical consciousness around racial and social justice issues. A longtime educator in the New Jersey school system, she has provided countless students a level of care and instruction unlike any other due to her intention to design an anti-racist, equity-driven educational environment. She also served as a national co-organizer of the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. With the New Orleans-based People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, Okaikor facilitates training on undoing racism and community organizing. She created EduSAGE Companion to guide schools, organizations, and companies that want to transform from a place of inequity toward a Design for Critical Rehumanization™ through education, love, and action.