Joris M. Ray is the superintendent of Shelby County Schools in Tennessee and an expert in K-12 education. As superintendent, Ray has focused on combating education inequality with efforts including providing digital devices and Internet access for every student.

Muhammad Khalifa is a professor of educational administration and executive director for urban education initiatives at the Ohio State University.

Juliet Garcia is a professor of communications at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, and the senior advisor to the chancellor for community, national and global engagement for the University of Texas system.