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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

Thom Ronk is a multicultural educator with more than 20 years experience in corporate, government and non-profit educational programs. He has facilitated students’ and teachers’ learning throughout the United States as well as in China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Turkey. He has extensive experience writing and developing print- and Web-based curriculum materials, and he’s the primary author of Essay Writing for High School Students: A Step-by-Step Guide (Kaplan Publishing, 3rd Edition, 2006). Thom received a master's degree in Secondary Education/TESOL from Temple

Kathleen is professor emerita of women’s studies at San Diego State University and visiting research fellow at University of California, Davis, where she directs a National Endowment for the Humanities seminar for schoolteachers on the political theory of Hannah Arendt. She has been active in the field of women and politics and feminist theory since 1975, publishing widely on feminism and political theory in both scholarly and popular journals. Jones’ latest book, Diving for Pearls: A Thinking Journey with Hannah Arendt (Thinking Women Books, 2013), explores Arendt’s influence in her life .

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.

Murali is the Hindu American Foundation’s director of education and curriculum reform. Balaji works on empowering educators in culturally competent pedagogical approaches. He also serves as an advisor to numerous organizations around the country in promoting religious literacy and civic engagement. Balaji is the author of several books, including The Professor and The Pupil, and the co-editor of the seminal anthologies Desi Rap and Global Masculinities and Manhood.

Lauryn has over 10 years experience as an elementary classroom teacher, literacy instructional coach and culturally responsive trainer. She was formerly a teaching and learning specialist with Teaching Tolerance. She holds a bachelor's degree in American Studies and a master's of education degree in culturally responsive teaching, both from the University of Colorado. She is currently working on her doctorate in education at Vanderbilt University. Lauryn has a passion for educating teachers on engagement strategies and is particularly interested in closing the opportunity gap for young males

Jill Spain is a middle school language arts teacher in New Jersey. She has earned a bachelor of arts degree in special education and a master of arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. She is the recipient of an Outstanding Lessons Award for a Holocaust lesson for sixth graders, has participated in the “Lest We Forget” study tour to historic Holocaust sites in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic and is a member of her school’s curriculum council.

Kaplan teaches in the Africana Studies Department at the University of South Florida, Tampa. He was the Executive Director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews for Tampa Bay and served as an advisor to President Clinton’s race relations task force. In 1998, he received a National Hero of Education Award from the U.S. Department of Education for his multicultural work in Florida schools. His most recent book is The Myth of Post-Racial America.

Kellie Bliss has been in the field of early childhood education for over 26 years, primarily as a classroom teacher. She pulls stories from personal teaching experiences, as well as from a parent’s perspective. Being Native Alaskan and living in diverse cities has brought insight and awareness to racial and cultural issues. She studied human development at Pacific Oaks College, where she received her master’s degree. She currently teaches at a local community college in Northern California.