Carol Ann Tomlinson is William Clay Parrish Jr. Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia's School of Education and Human Development. The author of more than 300 publications, she works throughout the United States and internationally with educators who want to create classrooms that are more responsive to a broad range of learners.

Michael Murphy is a national education coach, facilitator, and consultant with more than 40 years of education experience in urban, suburban, and rural school district settings. He trains and works with teachers, teacher leaders, school leaders, and district leaders across North America.

Murphy has worked as a teacher, elementary specialist, assistant principal, principal, director of planning and evaluation, special assistant to the superintendent, assistant superintendent, acting superintendent, and adjunct professor/executive lecturer at the University of North Texas.

Murphy's work supports school and district leaders in planning and implementing large-scale improvement initiatives; differentiated instructional practices; visioning; understanding change and its effect on people; evaluating school improvement progress; designing exceptional professional learning; and facilitating learning on how to engage people in productive, relationship-rich, and results-based conversations. Since 2009, he has consulted with various school leaders in 19 states and two provinces, and he has presented at numerous state, national, and international symposia and conferences.