Keith Young, a former English and math teacher who got his start teaching for the U.S. government in Germany, discovered early on that he had a knack for training teachers, which led him to a career in coaching, leading school turnaround as a principal, and improving student outcomes in Colorado, Puerto Rico, and Arizona. As a first-generation college graduate and former Head Start kid from northern Alabama, he picked up every advanced education degree available and developed a practical, results-driven coaching style that now helps teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators across the U.S. and internationally. Now based on the South Carolina coast with his husband, Keith authored The Instructional Coaching Handbook (2023) and Training Design, Delivery, and Diplomacy (2023), while also staying busy helping shepherd several of their 22 nephews and one niece.

Judith Mendoza-Jimenez's journey to success began when she entered American schools at the age of 10, after immigrating from Mexico. As a first-generation college student, she navigated higher education, earning advanced degrees from the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University, while also balancing the challenges of serving as a bilingual special education teacher, assistant principal and principal at the high school level. These formative experiences have profoundly shaped her dedication to supporting diverse learners in her current role as Director of Student Services for the Nogales Unified School District.