Evangelista is the Executive Director of Internationals Network, a national nonprofit that partners with public school systems and community-based organizations to design and sustain innovative, multilingual learning environments for recently arrived immigrant and refugee students. The child of immigrants and a first-generation college student, Lara brings both personal and professional commitment to this work. With over 25 years of experience in New York City public schools as both an educator and as a parent, she has led transformative efforts to improve outcomes for newcomer students as a teacher, founding school team member, and administrator. She served as principal of The Flushing International High School and later as Deputy Superintendent for the Consortium, Internationals, and NYC Outward Bound Schools (CIOB) District. Lara holds degrees in languages and education from Georgetown University, New School University, Hunter College, and Teachers College, Columbia University, where she is currently a doctoral candidate in the Urban Educational Leadership program.


Chandler Patton Miranda is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Molloy University and an educational anthropologist whose research examines the schooling experiences of recently arrived immigrant youth in the United States. Her work focuses on how educators navigate exclusionary policy and political contexts to create inclusive, empowering learning environments. She is the author of Sanctuary School: Innovating to Empower Immigrant Youth (Harvard Education Press, 2025), which identifies key mindset shifts for transforming schools into spaces of belonging and renewal. Chandler is a former high school science teacher.

Kristina Kyles Smith is a dynamic leader in education, dedicated to transforming schools and empowering communities. As CEO of Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School, Kristina has spearheaded innovations in school equity, leadership, curriculum design, and project-based learning. She holds an Ed.D. and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy, bringing practical and scholarly expertise to her work.

Kristina has held key roles, including Assistant State Superintendent and Regional Director for a national professional development company. She has published articles on school transformation and equity. She is a recognized speaker, educator, and advocate for educational justice.

Mica Fidler is an evangelist of progressive education because she experienced the power of curious, joyful, authentic learning as a student, teacher, and instructional leader. After studying literary translation at Brown University, she began her career with a Fulbright grant in South Africa. Since then, she spent a decade teaching and coaching in expeditionary learning schools, striving to bring the principles of outdoor learning into public school classrooms in New York City and Baltimore.

Mica now serves as the Director of Partnerships and Volunteer Recruitment at Thread, a community impact organization that leverages the power of relationships to support Baltimore City students through graduation and beyond. Mica serves on the board at the Park School of Baltimore. She is a 3rd generation Baltimorean and an avid hiker, polyglot, and parent to 2 toddlers.

Ron Berger is an acclaimed national and international keynote speaker focused on inspiring a commitment to quality, character, and citizenship in students. He is the Senior Advisor at EL Education, a nonprofit school improvement organization that partners with public schools and districts across America, leads professional learning, and creates open educational resources.

Ron is the author of best-selling education books, including: An Ethic of Excellence, A Culture of Quality, Leaders of Their Own Learning, Transformational Literacy, Management in the Active Classroom, Learning that Lasts, and We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture. He was a professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he did his graduate work. He founded and directs the website Models of Excellence: The Center for High-Quality Student Work, which holds the world’s largest collection of beautiful K-12 student work.

Ron was a public school teacher and master carpenter in rural Massachusetts for over 25 years and received the Autodesk Foundation National Teacher of the Year award.

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.