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Kim Todd's first book, *Tinkering with Eden, a Natural History of Exotics in America*, tells the stories of non-native species and how they arrived in the United States. *Tinkering with Eden* received the PEN/Jerard Award and the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award and was selected as one of *Booklist'*s Top Ten Science/Technical Books for 2001. Her second book, *Chrysalis*, *Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis* looks at the life of a pioneering explorer/naturalist who traveled to South America in 1699 to study insect metamorphosis. The story also traces ideas about metamorphosis through time. Chrysalis was published by Harcourt in 2007. It was selected as a Montana Book Award honor book, as one of the best science/technical books of 2007 by the Library Journal, and as a "Book to Remember" from 2007 by the New York Public Library. Her articles and essays have appeared in *Orion*, *Sierra Magazine*, *California Wild* and *Grist*, among other places. She has taught environmental and nature writing at the University of Montana, the University of California at Santa Cruz extension, and the Environmental Writers Institute. She currently teaches at Penn State, The Behrend College. Todd is a senior fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program. She has an M.F.A. in creative nonfiction and an M.S. in environmental studies, both from the University of Montana, and B.A. in English from Yale.

Diane Portnoy is co-founder and Director of the Immigrant Learning Center, a not for profit adult learning center that provides free English classes to immigrants and refugees so they can lead productive lives in the US and become successful workers, parents and community members. Portnoy is active in community, educational and civic organizations and is a speaker on adult education, immigrant issues and the positive impact immigrants have on the economy as entrepreneurs, workers and consumers.

Michael J. Sullivan is the mayor of the City of Lawrence, Massachusetts. A Republican, Sullivan has been the mayor since 2001 beating Isabel Melendez, and was re-elected in 2005 beating Marcos Devers in non-partisan elections. Although he formed an exploratory committee to enter the Special Election to replace Congressman Marty Meehan, Sullivan ultimately decided not to run and endorsed Republican candidate Jim Ogonowski.

Andrew M. Sum is Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles, monographs, and books on regional, national, and state labor markets, on the labor market behavior and problems of young adults and the role of education, literacy, and training in influencing the labor market experiences of adults. Among his publications are *Toward a More Perfect Union: Basic Skills, Poor Families, and Our Economic Future* (1988), *The Subtle Danger: Reflections on the Literacy Abilities of Young Adults* (1987), *Poverty and Adolescence* (1991), *From Dreams to Dust* (1996), *Literacy in the Labor Force: Results from the National Adult Literacy Survey* (1998), *State of the American Dream in New England *(1996), *Young Workers, Young Families, and Child Poverty* (1996), *The Road Ahead: Emerging Threats to Workers, Families and the Massachusetts Economy* (1998), and *A Second Chance for the Fourth Chance: A Critique of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998* (1999).

Gerardo Villacres is presently the managing partner of the Massachusetts based international company Ultra-Linx Marketing Group LLC. He was the Executive Director of the Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce, where he created a range of community related programs including conferences, seminars, advocacy, networking, and cultural events. In addition to his work with the Chamber, he hosted and produced the weekly TV program *Vision*, on which he interviewed business people, politicians, community leaders, scholars, and interesting personalities. Gerardo moved to New England in 1998 to launch two Spanish radio stations in Boston. Before coming to the Boston area, he worked at CBS in New York for close to 20 years and was the General Manager of CBS Hispanic Radio Network. Prior to that he worked in Business Affairs Department at CBS Records (Sony/BMG now) administrating music video production. Villacres has been recognized by the Greater Boston Hispanic Lyons Club with the Humanitarian Award, and has received many other national and international awards and recognitions, including Premios Ondas in Spain and the Billboard Award for the program *Buenas Noches America*. He was featured in *Boston Magazine* as one of the emerging leaders of the minority community, in the Boston Area in 2002 and that year he won The Minority Advocate of the Year award by the SBA in Massachusetts furthermore he was the Commencement Speaker for Bunker Hill Community College.

A nationally known speaker on higher education policy issues, Wilson served as the first president and chief executive officer of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation from 1999 to 2006. The foundation, established in 1998, is New Englands largest public charity dedicated to improving academic achievement for underserved communities. During Wilson's seven-year tenure, the foundation distributed more than $80 million in grants to educational institutions and non-profit organizations to improve access to college. She is also a former chair of the American Association of Higher Education and was the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, where she served on the board of directors from 2003 to 2006. Wilson currently serves on the boards of trustees of Boston College and Union Theological Seminary, the board of directors of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, the board of directors of Higher Education Resource Services, and the boards of Boston After School and Beyond, Boston College and Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses. She is a director of Medco Health Solutions. Wilson earned a bachelor's degree in English and secondary education at Cedar Crest College, a master's in education at Seton Hall University, and a Ph.D. in higher education administration at Boston College.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1942, The Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes is an American Baptist minister ordained to the Christian Ministry by The First Baptist Church of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Since 1970 he has served in The Memorial Church, Harvard University; and since 1974 as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in The Memorial Church. Widely regarded as one of America's most distinguished preachers, Professor Gomes fulfills preaching and lecturing engagements throughout America and the British Isles. In 2007 he preached at the Inauguration of Deval L. Patrick as Governor of Massachusetts; in 2005 he presented a series of sermons in St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, England, in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall; and in 2000 he delivered The University Sermon before The University of Cambridge, England, and The Millennial Sermon in Canterbury Cathedral, England. His New York Times and national best-selling books, *The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart*, (1996); and *Sermons: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living* (1998), were published by William Morrow and Company, Inc.; *The Good Life: Truths That Last in Times of Need* was published in 2002 by HarperSanFrancisco. In 2005, *The Backward Glance and the Forward Look* was published by WordTech. He has also published ten volumes of sermons as well as numerous articles and papers.

Eve LaPlante's award-winning *Salem Witch Judge (HarperOne, 2007, 2008)* follows *the Boston Globe bestseller American Jezebel (HarperOne, 2004, 2005)* and *Seized (HarperCollins, 1993, 2000)*. She contributed to the essay collection *Why I'm Still Married (Penguin, 2006, 2007)* and has written for *The Atlantic and The New York Times*.