Judie Haynes is a renowned ESL teacher with 28 years of experience working in urban and suburban settings with diverse students and their families. She brings a depth of knowledge and practice teaching students and working with families who have experienced trauma, violence, and chronic stress and has supported many school districts in designing and implementing curriculum for students who have experienced these phenomena.

She provides professional learning throughout the United States on working with English learners and presents at international TESOL and various TESOL affiliates in the United States and Canada. Haynes is the author and coauthor of seven books and writes a biweekly blog for TESOL. She is the cofounder and co-moderator of #ELLCHAT, a widely known Twitter chat.

Debbie Zacarian is known for her expertise in strengths-based leadership, instructional practices, and partnerships with culturally and linguistically diverse student and family populations. As founder of Zacarian & Associates and with more than three decades of combined experience as a district administrator, University of Massachusetts-Amherst faculty member, and educational service leader, she provides sustained policy and practice supports for educators that help them work more successfully with diverse student and family populations to strengthen achievement and outcomes. Her work credo is "achievement through access, equity, and engagement."

Zacarian was the founder and director of the Center for English Language Education and Advancing Student Achievement at the Collaborative for Educational Services. As founding director of Amherst Public Schools bilingual and English learner program, she and the district received many local, state, and national honors for its work with English learners. Zacarian has authored multiple books and more than 100 journal articles and educational policies for urban, suburban, and rural districts and state agencies.