Milton Chen
Executive Director, The George Lucas Educational Foundation
San Rafael, CA

Dr. Milton Chen is executive director of The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), a nonprofit operating foundation founded by the filmmaker in 1991. GLEF utilizes media, especially its multimedia website (www.edutopia.org), a magazine, Edutopia: The New World of Learning, and documentary films, to tell inspiring stories of how interactive technologies are transforming America's schools.

Linda Darling-Hammond
Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University
Co-Director School Redesign Network (SRN)
Stanford, CA

Linda Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University, where she has launched the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute and the School Redesign Network. Professor Darling-Hammond has also served as faculty sponsor for the Stanford Teacher Education Program. Her research, teaching, and policy work focus on issues of teaching quality, school reform, and educational equity. Darling-Hammond was named one of the nation’s ten most influential people affecting educational policy over the last decade.

Dr. Mark A. Elgart
President and Chief Executive Officer, AdvancED
Alpharetta, Georgia

Mark A. Elgart currently serves as the founding President and Chief Executive Officer for Advance Education. Under his leadership, AdvancED is recognized as a leader on issues of educational quality. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Knowledge Alliance, and on the Advisory Board of Measured Progress.

Kati Haycock
President, The Education Trust
Washington, DC

Kati Haycock is one of the nation’s leading child advocates in the field of education. She currently serves as director of the Education Trust. Established in 1992, the Trust does what no other Washington-based education organization seeks to do—speaks up for what’s right for young people, especially those who are poor or members of minority groups.

C. Kent McGuire
Dean, College of Education
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

C. Kent McGuire is the Dean of the College of Education at Temple University. He also serves as Director of the Center for Research in Human Development and Education, a university-based research organization focused on the study and demonstration of effective strategies for educating poor and minority youngsters.

Ellen Moir
Executive Director, New Teacher Center
University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA

Ellen Moir is Executive Director of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) New Teacher Center, a national resource for high-quality new teacher and new administrator induction programs. The New Teacher Center has become a national resource for new teacher training since opening its doors in 1998. The center focuses on improving student performance by increasing teacher retention and effectiveness.

Wendy D. Puriefoy
President, Public Education Network
Washington, DC

Wendy D. Puriefoy is a nationally recognized expert on issues of school reform and civil society. Ms. Puriefoy is well known for her passionate advocacy of education equity for poor and disadvantaged children and has written and spoken extensively on the issues.