George S. Perry served in the New York City Department of Education and the Chancellor’s Office as the Director of School Leadership and Organizational Alignment. Prior to this, George was executive director of Perry and Associates, Inc. a national consulting firm, founded in 2001, that acts on its commitment to social justice and equity by assisting district and school leaders improve the academic achievement of all students.

Joan Richardson was editor-in-chief of Phi Delta Kappan magazine, the flagship publication of PDK International, for 10 years and also director of the PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, the nation’s longest-running public opinion survey about K-12 education. Before joining PDK in 2008, she served as communications director for the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward) for 12 years.