Henry Armand Giroux is an American-Canadian scholar and cultural critic. One of the founding theorists of critical pedagogy in the United States,he is best known for his pioneering work in public pedagogy,cultural studies,youth studies,higher education,media studies,and critical theory. In 2002 Routledge named Giroux as one of the top fifty educational thinkers of the modern period.
Thomas Berry was a cultural historian and scholar of the world’s religions,especially Asian traditions. Later as he studied Earth history and evolution,he called himself a “geologian.” He rejected the label “theologian”or “ecotheologian”as too narrow and not descriptive of his cultural studies in history of religions. He was drawn early on to respond to the growing ecological and climate crisis and proposed the need for a "New Story" of evolution in 1978. In this essay he suggested that a deep understanding of the history and functioning of the evolving universe is a necessary inspiration and guide for our own effective functioning as individuals and as a species.
Thomas Blanchard Stowell (1846–1927) was a distinguished American educator.
Judith Ellen "Judy" Heumann is an American disability rights activist. She is recognized internationally as a leader in the disability community. Heumann is a lifelong civil rights advocate for people with disabilities. Her work with governments and non governmental organizations (NGOs),non-profits,and various other disability interest groups,has produced significant contributions since the 1970s to the development of human rights legislation and policies benefiting children and adults with disabilities. Through her work in the World Bank and the State Department,Heumann led the mainstreaming of disability rights into international development. Her contributions extended the international reach of the independent living movement.
Nínive Clements Calegari is an educator in the United States. Following ten years of classroom experience in public schools,she became an author and founded a national literacy program,826 National. She also founded The Teacher Salary Project. Currently she is the CEO of Enterprise for Youth,an organization that empowers young people to prepare for and discover career opportunities in the San Francisco area through a three-phase program model of job-readiness training,paid internships with college credit,and ongoing career development and networking support.
Juan Felipe Herrera is a poet,performer,writer,cartoonist,teacher,and activist. Herrera was the 21st United States Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017.
The USC Rossier School of Education is one of the graduate schools of the University of Southern California. Rossier offers six master's degree programs,a Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership (Ed.D.) degree,a Global Executive Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and a Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy. Rossier also offers online programs including a master's in teaching English to speakers of other languages,an online Ed.D.,an online master's in school counseling,and an online master of arts in teaching. Rossier places an emphasis on the study of urban education locally,nationally and globally. The school also houses the USC Language Academy and the Office of Professional Development.
Shawn A. Ginwright is Professor of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University and author. His research examines the ways in which youth in urban communities navigate through the constraints of poverty and struggle to create equality and justice in their schools. Ginwright has also been noted for his studies in hip hop academics.
Beverly Willis is an American architect who played a major role in the development of many architectural concepts and practices that influenced the design of American cities and architecture. Willis' achievements in the development of new technologies in architecture,urban planning,public policy and her leadership activities on behalf of architects are well known. Her best-known built-work is the San Francisco Ballet Building in San Francisco,California. She is the co-founder of the National Building Museum,in Washington,D.C.,and founder of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation,a non-profit organization working to change the culture for women in the building industry through research and education.
Frank E. Baxter is a Republican American businessman and diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to Uruguay under George W. Bush,from 2006 to 2009.
Arlene C. Ackerman was an American educator who served as superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools,San Francisco Unified School District,and Philadelphia Public Schools.
Frederick M. Hess is an American educator,political scientist,and author. He is a resident fellow and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. In addition to his blog "Rick Hess Straight Up" at Education Week,he is also a regular contributor to Forbes and The Hill,and executive editor of Education Next. His books include Spinning Wheels,Letters to a Young Education Reformer,Cage-Busting Leadership,and A Search for Common Ground.
Willow Creek Academy (WCA) is a K-8 public charter school located in Sausalito,California. It is part of the Sausalito Marin City School District and is located on the former campus of Bayside Elementary School next to its namesake,Willow Creek.
Robert Frederick Smith is an American businessman,philanthropist,chemical engineer,and investor. He is the Founder,Chairman,and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.
Yolanda Theresa Moses is an anthropologist and college administrator who served as the 10th president of City College of New York (1993–1999) and president of the American Association for Higher Education (2000–2003).
Shaun R. Harper is an expert on diversity,equity,and inclusion (DEI) in businesses,firms,agencies,and educational institutions. He is a Provost Professor in the Rossier School of Education and the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He also is the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership,founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center,and editor-at-large of TIME magazine. Harper served as the 2020-21 American Educational Research Association president,and the 2016-17 Association for the Study of Higher Education president. He was elected to the National Academy of Education in 2021. Harper spent a decade at the University of Pennsylvania,where he was a tenured professor.
KIPP SoCal is a charter school operator associated with KIPP. KIPP LA,serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area,was founded in 2003 with two middle schools and now consists of 15 schools.
Katherine Loker was an American heiress and philanthropist. She donated tens of millions of dollars to fund university programs and infrastructure improvement at California State University,Dominguez Hills,Harvard University,and the University of Southern California (USC). She also made significant contributions to the California Museum of Science and Industry,the California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles,the Donald P. Loker Cancer Treatment Center,the Los Angeles Music Center,and the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda,among other institutions. She was honored in 1996 with the Harvard Alumni Association Medal and in 2007 received the Presidential Medallion,the highest award of USC. Loker was awarded an honorary doctorate from USC in 1997 and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Harvard in 2000. In 1999,The New York Times spotlighted her leading role in philanthropy. The rose 'Katherine Loker' is named in her honor as are many facilities in California and Massachusetts.
Brendesha Marie Tynes is an American psychologist,and a Professor of Psychology and Education at the USC Rossier School of Education. Her research considers how young people engage with social media,and how this influences their socioeconomic and academic outcomes. Tynes is principal investigator on the Teen Life Online and in Schools Project,which studies race-related cyberbullying.
Angela Glover Blackwell is an American attorney,civil rights advocate,and author. In 1999,she founded the research and advocacy nonprofit organization PolicyLink and currently serves as its Founder in Residence after twenty years as president and CEO. Blackwell regularly provides expert commentary in a variety of news media and hosts the podcast Radical Imagination.
