Jonathan Mooney is a writer and learning activist who did not learn to read until he was 12 years old. He is a graduate of Brown University’s class of 2000 and holds an honors degree in English Literature. Jonathan has spent his entire professional career as a social entrepreneur developing organizations, programs, and initiatives to improve the lives of marginalized groups. In 1997, as an undergraduate at Brown University, Jonathan co-founded Project Eye-To-Eye, a non-profit advocacy organization for students with learning differences. As the founding president and Executive Director, Jonathan grew the organization from an undergraduate project conceived in his dorm room into a national organization, which currently has 38 chapters in 20 states working with over 10,000 parents, educators, and students. Jonathan has also worked extensively to create career and college pathways to move low-income youth and adults out of poverty creating the Los Angeles Energy pathway program; The Urban Teacher Fellowship; and the Promo Pathway, an initiative Vice President Al Gore called “a model for moving at-risk youth into the creative economy.”

Dr. Nancy Dome has been supporting children and developing educators for over 20 years. She started her career as a childcare worker, supporting those students most at risk. Later, realizing the education track would allow her greater flexibility and reach than the social services track, she went back to school to become a teacher. From there she spent 10 years working in multiple capacities, ranging from classroom teacher, mentor teacher, and teacher on special assignment in the Juvenile Court and Community Schools in San Diego. These roles allowed her to train and support teachers in becoming more culturally competent educators for the diverse population they served.