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Pooja Makhijani was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Edison, New Jersey. She attended Johns Hopkins University, where she received a degree in biomedical engineering. Pooja also received her Masters in Fine Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. Makhijani's work has appeared in *The New York Times*, *The Village Voice*, *The Newark Star-Ledger*, T*he Indian Express*, *Time Out New York*, *India Today*, *Writing*, *Weekly Reader*, and *Time Out New York Kids* among others. She is the editor of *Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America* (Seal Press, November 2004), an anthology of essays by women that explores the complex ways in which race shapes American lives and families. She is also the author of *Mama's Saris* (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2007). *Mama's Saris* tells the story of a precocious girl's desire to dress up in her mother's beautiful saris. Pooja is the proud receiver of the 2003 Magazine Award Honor in Nonfiction by The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for her essay, "The First Time," in the November/December 2003 issue of *Cicada*. Pooja is also deeply interested in using memoir and storytelling to discuss and deconstruct the idea of race. She has conducted several writing workshops for young adults on this topic. In addition, she teaches writing and children's literature at Western Connecticut State University's new MFA in Professional Writing program. Pooja currently resides in New York City with her husband.

Consulting Editor of *Hip Mama* magazine, Ariel is also the author of *The Hip Mama Survival Guide*, *The Mother Trip*, *Atlas of the Human Heart*, and *Whatever Mom*.

China Martens is the editor of *The Future Generation*, a zine for subculture parents, kids, friends and others. She has a short story published in *Breeder: Real Life Stories from the New Generation of Mothers* and is a columnist for *Slug and Lettuce*I was...a student nurse

Jack M. Wilson is the 25th President of the five-campus, 60,000-student University of Massachusetts System- serving since September 2, 2003. During his career, he has served various institutions as Professor of Physics, Department Chair, Research Center Director, Dean, Vice President, Provost, and a private sector entrepreneur. At the University of Massachusetts, he served previously as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and as founding CEO of UMassOnline. Prior to arriving at UMass, Wilson was the J. Erik Jonsson '22 Distinguished Professor of Physics, Engineering Science, Information Technology, and Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he also had served as a Dean, Research Center Director, and Provost. Before being appointed at Rensselaer, he served at the University of Maryland, College Park and as an officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Institute of Physics, and the American Physical Society. Wilson is nationally and internationally known for his leadership in the reform of higher education programs, winning the Theodore Hesburgh Award, the Boeing Award, and the Pew Charitable Trust Prize for his innovative programs. He was awarded an Outstanding Civilian Service Medal by the U.S. Army for service to the Army Education program. Wilson earned his bachelor's degree at Thiel College in 1967, his master's degree in 1970 and his doctorate in 1972 in Physics, both from Kent State University.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has worked for more than three decades to improve the quality of life for people around the world. She is an advocate for mental health, early childhood immunization, human rights, and conflict resolution through her work at The Carter Center in Atlanta. She also champions professional and family caregivers through her work at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Georgia, near her home town of Plains, GA.

Keith Motley, Ph.D., is the eighth chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston. He leads an institution with approximately 13,500 undergraduate and graduate students, a full-time and part-time faculty of more than 800, and a $254 million annual budget. Between 2005 and his appointment as chancellor which began on July 1, 2007, Dr. Motley served as vice president for business, marketing, and public affairs at the University of Massachusetts President's Office, where he reported directly to President Jack M. Wilson, working closely with university leaders and the Board of Trustees. Prior to joining the President's Office, he was the interim chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he previously had served as vice chancellor for student affairs, following a twenty-plus-year career in higher education administration that included ten years as dean of student services at Northeastern University. As vice president for business, marketing, and public affairs at the University of Massachusetts President's Office, Dr. Motley was instrumental in leading strategic, system-wide initiatives and working closely with the Board of Trustees committees on advancement and athletics. He instituted the Development Council, comprised of vice chancellors from the five University of Massachusetts campuses, to improve collaboration on fundraising and facilitate that process. He also led an executive team of representatives that determined the selection of marketing firms that will provide the University of Massachusetts with a unified and updated branding strategy. Dr. Motley's responsibilities in the President's Office also included building external relationships with K-12 specialists and higher education policy leaders, locally and federally; creating relationships with corporations; and working with functional networks such as associations. He was the designee to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education Blue Ribbon Task Force on Student Financial Aid and the American Council on Education (ACE) Solutions for the Future Project. Dr. Motley also served on the Boston Foundation's Steering Committee for the Carol G. Goldberg Seminar on Higher Education-Community Partnerships, The Role and Impact of Colleges and Universities in Greater Boston Today. A founder of the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and chair emeritus of the school's Board of Trustees, Dr. Motley serves as the immediate past chair of the Board of Trustees of Newbury College in Brookline. He also serves on numerous boards of community organizations, including the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts, Freedom House, Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, Inc., the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, ACCESS, the Boston Private Industry Council and the Dimock Community Health Center. He is the founder and education chair of Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, Inc., and the Paul Robeson Institute for Positive Self-Development. Dr. Motley also chairs the Boston Committee Initiative's Do the Write Thing Challenge of the National Campaign to Stop Violence. He is a member of Iota Phi Theta fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi fraternity Beta Beta Boule. J. Keith Motley holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Northeastern University and a doctorate from Boston College. He is a proud graduate of the University of Pittsburgh's Upward Bound Program. He is married to Angela Motley and is the father of Keith Jr., Kayla, and Jordan.

Lillian Santiago is the Operational Manager of Bauza Associates, LLC and has assisted in the development of the multi-cultural readiness program for numerous businesses in the United States. Lillian, a recognized leader for her expertise in marketing to the Hispanic community has also dedicated her time, both professional and personal to the well being of others. For over ten years she was responsible for the direction and success of several non-profit organizations. She also devoted over four years of her time as an elected official a City Council Member for the City of Holyoke, Massachusetts, and has served as board member of the Care Center in Massachusetts, the Womens Fund of Western MA and the National Conference for Community and Justice. Lillian has presented and been interviewed by various entities for her knowledge in both womens issues and public health. She earned her M.Ed. in Education and counseling from Cambridge College in Boston and her B.S. in Psychology and Public Administration from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico.

With the experience Mike Ross gained solving complex problems and bringing disparate parties together as a legislator, he now brings to his practice as an attorney where he focuses on real estate, strategic advice, and government relations. Mike served for 14 years as a Boston City Councilor, as well as serving as the President of the body. In 2013 he entered the race for mayor, sharing a bold vision for the city’s future. As an elected official he championed the opening of elementary schools in underserved neighborhoods and recently celebrated the announcement of the opening of a new downtown school - the first since the Carter administration. He brought physical education to area schools and focused on creating innovative job training models. His efforts revitalize the Boston Common and launch Food Trucks by borrowing ideas from other cities, have helped to move Boston forward. Ross represented District 8 on the Boston City Council, including Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, and Mission Hill and some of Boston's greatest institutions and landmarks: Fenway Park, the Longwood Medical Area and Massachusetts General Hospital, the Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and a number of our city's finest academic institutions. World-renowned public spaces like the Boston Common, the Public Garden, the Esplanade, and Frederick Law Olmstead's historic Emerald Necklace are also in the district. Ross spearheaded the effort to turn the Boston Common into America's greatest park. As Chair of the Special Committee on Boston Common, Mike led the effort to bring more activity to the Boston Common, through improved programming efforts, as well as creating a restaurant and other eateries like the ones in a number of New York City's parks to draw tourists and residents alike to the Common. Mike has a long history of utilizing technology to make city government more accessible for residents. Prior to his election to the Council, Mike was part of a team that developed Boston's first Website. The site received the "Best of the Web" award for municipalities by Government Technology Magazine. As Councilor, Mike wrote for Boston magazine's blog, Boston Daily, as well as contributing to Blue Mass Group. He believes that there is a strong role that technology and the internet can play in making government better, more open, and more accessible.