Dr. Fred Bonner II is Professor and Endowed Chair in Educational Leadership and Counseling at Prairie View A&M University. He is formerly the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University and an esteemed expert in the field of diversity in education. Prior to joining Rutgers, he was Professor of Higher Education Administration and Dean of Faculties at Texas A&M University-College Station. He earned a B.A. in chemistry from the University of North Texas, an M.S. Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Baylor University, and an Ed.D. in higher education administration & college teaching from the University of Arkansas. Bonner has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Association for Higher Education Black Caucus Dissertation Award and the Educational Leadership, Counseling and Foundation's Dissertation of the Year Award from the University of Arkansas College of Education. His work has been featured nationally and internationally. He is the author of the recently released book Building on Resilience: Models and Frameworks of Black Male Success Across the P-20 Pipeline.

Pauli Badenhorst is a native of Cape Town, South Africa. He has lived in many international locations, such as South Korea and his wife is South Korean, and thus has a broad international view of racial relations. He is an advanced doctoral candidate completing a dual degree in Curriculum & Instruction and Comparative & International Education at the Pennsylvania State University. His work predominantly focuses on the relationship between race and materiality.