Rhonda J. Broussard (she/her/elle) is an author, entrepreneur, and futurist. As the Founder & CEO of Beloved Community and Awa by Beloved, PBC, Rhonda works to create sustainable paths to regional racial and economic equity. Her vision for Beloved Community is informed by her leadership in education and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s goal “to create a beloved community” that would “require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”


Rhonda has been a change-agent in social justice advocacy throughout her career. Previously, she founded a network of language immersion and International Baccalaureate world authorized schools, was a National Board Certified Teacher and taught in public schools in drop-out recovery, college access, working class, immigrant, and affluent school communities. She has served on the board of New Orleans African American Museum, EdNavigator, Missouri’s Charter Public School Association, PROMO - Missouri's Statewide LGBTQ Advocacy Organization, Agile Learning Center of New Orleans, and Washington University in St. Louis YMCA-YWCA.


Rhonda is steadfast in her commitment to community engagement and leadership. Rhonda has been recognized as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French Ministry of Culture, is a Highland Leader, a Tulane Mellon Fellow for Community Engaged Research, a Pahara-Aspen Fellow and an Eisenhower Fellow. She currently serves as a Director of Diverse Charter Schools Coalition and Generation Hope. Rhonda has earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and Secondary Education from Washington University in St. Louis, a Masters of Arts in French Studies from The Institute of French Studies at New York University, and has studied in Cameroon, Martinique, Finland, New Zealand and metropolitan France. Rhonda is the author of One Good Question: How Countries Prepare Youth to Lead. You can find Rhonda, her wife Kim, and her bilingual family living in Bulbancha also known as New Orleans, Louisiana where she studies, performs, and teaches dances from the African diaspora.

Jarrod founded Improving Education out of a desire to improve educational systems and create a new approach to educational reform that empowers teachers, schools, and communities to make change. He has extensive experience as a teacher and leader in Baltimore City Public Schools, and has served on multiple state and national commissions focused on a variety of educational initiatives. Jarrod has spent years studying and refining practices of Improvement Science in education and is at the forefront nationally in using this methodology to improve student outcomes and educational systems.

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.