Cory V. McCray is a proud son of Baltimore, a journeyman electrician, author of The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life, and a Maryland State Senator. His journey from electrical apprentice to public servant reflects the transformative power of skilled trades, mentorship, and second chances. As an author and legislator, McCray understands the responsibility of preserving legacy while building pathways for future generations, ensuring that stories of struggle and triumph continue to shape Baltimore’s future.

Dr. Gholdy Muhammad is the John Corbally Endowed Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling books Cultivating Genius and Unearthing Joy. She also co-authored the book Black Girls’ Literacies. Her Culturally and Historically Responsive Education Model has been adopted across thousands of U.S. schools and districts across Canada. In 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, she was named among the top 1% Edu-Scholar Public Influencers due to her impact on policy and practice. She has led a federal grant with the United States Department of Education to study culturally and historically responsive literacy in STEM classrooms. In the fall of 2026, her first curriculum, entitled Genius and Joy, will be available to schools and educators.

Jonathan Johnson is the Founder and CEO of Rooted School Foundation, where he leads The $50 Study—the largest randomized controlled trial of unconditional cash transfers to high school students ever conducted in the U.S.

A first-generation college graduate from California, Jonathan became an educator to give other young people the same chance at economic mobility he fought for. After founding high schools in New Orleans and Indianapolis, he launched The $50 Study in response to pandemic-era attendance challenges. The program provides students $50 weekly for 40 weeks with no strings attached. Results from the two-year RCT show students attended 1.23 more days of school per semester and demonstrated a 15% savings rate—three times the national adult average.

What if we intentionally and robustly invested in nurturing the hearts and souls of young Black boys in Baltimore City and everywhere? Listen to Damion Cooper’s compelling story which grounded his work at Project Pneuma, and consider ways that we could rethink schools to focus on hearts and minds work as well as the academic work.

Damion Cooper uses his life’s experiences to teach lessons of forgiveness, self-control, discipline, and redemption via mentorship. His own experiences inspired him to create Project Pneuma; a holistic program focused on social emotional learning, forgiveness and curbing impulse actions from trauma due to Adverse Childhood Experiences in young African American males by teaching them yoga, mindfulness, breathing techniques, conflict resolution/de-escalation, and martial arts. Project Pneuma also partners with the Baltimore City Police Department so that the young men and new officers can build bonds of trust, respect, and cultural competencies.

Damion is a 2014 BMe Leadership Award Recipient, 2016 Maryland Out of School Time (MOST) Emerging Leader, 2017 Presidential Volunteer Service Recipient, 2017 Champion of Courage Recipient, 2017 Warnock Foundation Social Innovation Fellow, and 2018 Kings Landing Women’s Association MLK Man of the Year. Damion was awarded the 2019 Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for his op-ed, “Surviving a gunshot, one man’s story” in the October 18, 2018, Baltimore Sun. Damion is also the NFL and Baltimore Ravens 2023 Inspire Change Changemaker Recipient and FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award Recipient. Damion holds degrees from Coppin State University (BS, Business Management & Marketing) and the United Baptist College & Seminary (Th.M., Theology) and is a 2018 graduate of The Leadership: a program of the Greater Baltimore Committee.

Aleta Margolis is the founder and president of Center for Inspired Teaching, a nonprofit that has spent nearly three decades investing in teachers as the leverage point for change in the education system. At Inspired Teaching, she helps teachers redesign their roles in the classroom. Instead of merely delivering a curriculum, Inspired Teachers are Instigators of Thought, who fuel students’ curiosity and innate desire to learn. Aleta is a former elementary and middle school teacher, teacher for court-involved youth, and professor of education at American University. She is the creator of the award-winning Hooray For Monday article series and teaching tool and is an Ashoka Fellow committed to investing in teachers.

Dr. Lisa Carey is an education specialist, teacher educator, researcher, and author focused on the intersection between K12 schooling and pediatric medicine. Prior to her current roles, she was a special educator in Maryland Public Schools focused on inclusive programming. Lisa co-founded the Hospital Education Liaison Program (HELP) at Kennedy Krieger to support communication between healthcare teams and school teams surrounding the needs of individual children. Lisa is also co-author of the new book, Supporting Student Executive Functions: Insights and Strategies for Educators.

Dr. Lisa Williams is a national expert on topics of equity and access in public education. She has served as Chief Equity Officer for the Fairfax County Schools as well as Executive Director for Equity and Cultural Proficiency in the Baltimore County Schools. In total, she has worked on issues of equity and access in public institutions for over 15 years. She has provided guidance for school boards, public and private schools as well as school systems and non-profits in the areas of racial equity, gender equity in STEM, leading for equity, school transformation, and culturally responsive practices. Dr. Williams has served as a Subject Matter Expert with the United States Department of Education Department of Career, Technical, and Adult Education division related to equitable access in STEM/CTE. She has also served as a board member for Restorative Response Baltimore, an organization that provides guidance and support for Restorative Practices and Community Conferences to decrease violence and create inclusive environments across the Baltimore Metropolitan Area.

Dr. Williams has held the position of teacher, mentor, university professor, and Title I director over her career in education. She has bachelors’ degrees in biology and psychology, an MA in psychology, and a doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership with an emphasis in social policy. She has presented at the local, state, national and international level on topics related to improving outcomes for marginalized student populations. Her dissertation study examined Response to Intervention (RtI) and the performance of students attending Title I schools.

She is co-author of two books, When Treating all the Kids the Same is the Real Problem: Educational Leadership and the 21st Century Dilemma of Difference and Humanity Over Comfort: How You Confront Systemic Racism Head On both published by Corwin Press. Her most recent publication, “We don’t make history, we are made by history: The call for education as an instrument of social justice. This historical and determinative role of schools in advancing race equity” was published in 2023 in the anthology, Zufunft Bildungschancen, in collaboration with University of Cologne.

Stefan Redding Lallinger is a father to three daughters and a former teacher and principal. He's worked in schools and districts in New Orleans and New York City and is currently the executive director of an innovative think tank called Next100. He lives in Mt. Washington in Baltimore and serves on the Baltimore City School Board.