Dana Polson is a Co-Director, teacher, and founder of ConneXions Community Leadership Academy, a Baltimore City charter school serving 200 students in grades 6-10. At ConneXions she has taught Social Studies and American History, coached policy debate, served as an advisor, and worked collaboratively on all facets of school administration. She is currently working on her PhD in the Language, Literacy and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Ms Polson holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and an MA in Music from the University of Virginia; she earned a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, studying viola performance with John Graham. She worked as a string quartet violist, teacher, freelancer, and in music administration. Ms Polson is a card-carrying alumna of the Resident Teacher Program, and taught history and law at Baltimore City's Carver Vocational Technical High School for 4 years.

Eric Rice was trained as a cultural anthropologist at Johns Hopkins, where he received his Ph.D. in 2002 after completing a study of race and the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé. From 1999 through 2001 he was a consultant to the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS), for whom he conducted a two-year ethnographic study of the Blum Mentoring Program. He then worked in the BCPSS Department of Professional Development for two years as Staff Associate and then Staff Specialist for Systemic Mentoring. Moving to Johns Hopkins in 2003, he served as the Program Evaluator for a large federal grant (Project SITE SUPPORT) that brought more than 700 new teachers to BCPSS. He spent the 2005-06 year coordinating the JHU School of Professional Studies in Business and Education’s involvement in the East Baltimore Educational Initiative. He is now the Special Assistant to the Dean of the new JHU School of Education, where he also assists with JHU’s involvement in BCPSS leadership programs and MSDE technological initiatives.

Matt Wernsdorfer attended the Baltimore City Public School system, k-12, and has degrees in History, Classics, and Theater. From 1996-2003, he worked for Baltimore City for 8 years as a social studies teacher (another card carrying alumnus of the Resident Teacher Program) and Blum teacher mentor. Currently an Organizational Facilitator for Talent Development Schools at Johns Hopkins, he spends most of his time at Baltimore Talent HS in Harlem Park, Abraham Lincoln HS in Brooklyn, and various schools in North Carolina. In addition to helping to found the Baltimore Teachers Network, Matt has served the Cross Cities Campaign for Urban School Reform as National and Program board member for 8 years and was elected to represent the Southeast Education Committee on the Southeast Community Organization from 2000-2003.