Dr. Milton Chen is a leading voice in educational innovation, with a focus on media, technology, and project-based learning. He’s held key roles at The George Lucas Educational Foundation, Sesame Workshop, and KQED. A champion of global and bilingual education, he’s also served on major education boards and advised numerous national education initiatives. Honored with the Fred Rogers Award, he’s even been named a Jedi Master by George Lucas.

George is a business entrepreneur turned social entrepreneur.  For twenty years he has chased the dream of accelerating America’s transition to a performance-driven social sector.  He was on the founding team of Capital One and went on to build Third Sector Capital Partners, a nonprofit that connects social outcomes to sources of funding.

Maureen is a teacher at heart and is currently a User Experience Researcher at Google. She's worn many hats over the years, including leading K-12 Partnerships and developing a UX Research function at Khan Academy, building teacher mentoring tools at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, creating an edtech startup focused on classroom review games, and being a 6th grade teacher on the border of Texas and Mexico. She brings expertise in user-centered product development and hard-earned wisdom about go-to market strategies in the K-12 world.

Minli is a Mechanical Engineer by training and is currently the Vice President of Business Operations at Twilio. Among her varied experiences, she was the Chief of Staff at Khan Academy, a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, a social policy officer in the government, and a high school math teacher. She brings her expertise in strategy, operations and fundraising to the X in a Box team. Minli loves making things, building strong teams, and laughing at word puns.

I'm a Filipino-American visual development artist and animator from the San Francisco Bay Area currently in my junior year at the University of Southern California. I love envisioning worlds with cultural authenticity and I am currently available for freelance roles and internships. Aside from art, you can find me making a matcha latte or singing my favorite Beyoncé songs!

A Mexican student and aspiring storyboard artist, Mónica is passionate about books, movies and painting. She believes that art creates a medium that communicates in all languages. That's why she intends to provide an opportunity for students from all backgrounds to keep expanding their knowledge and artistic skills—so that they can tell their stories through art.

Sulav is a senior in El Cerrito High school and he is trilingual, able to speak Nepali, Hindi and English. He has also been a part of the varsity badminton team for 3 years now and loves to play all kinds of sports. Sulav enjoys digital art and media a lot and loves to create his own digital projects that involve creativity and imagination. He also plays video games and sees how games use story and visual arts in their design. Sulav is very open and is willing to talk to new people all the time.

Denia Henderson studies stop-motion animation at Pennsylvania Western Edinboro University. With lifelong involvement in art and engineering, her skills span painting, drawing, photography, metals, ceramics, and woodwork. As a Student Advisor for X In A Box (creators of Story Xperiential), she guides others in creative pursuits and assists with special projects, including troubleshooting new features.

With his first college directing experience, Ayush discovered his talent for transforming sketches into visual stories. This creative spark drove him to explore film-making's diverse territories. Now skilled in rigging, rendering, computer graphics, and digital art, he continues bringing his imaginative visions to life while delivering ethical messages to society.

Heaven, an aspiring marine biologist who has recently found love for animation and creating new ideas to share with people. A reader and a writer, someone who loves to get her thoughts out to the world where other people may enjoy. She wants to help others who want to grow in their skills and also their comforts. Pushing her own and others limits to constantly learn and grow.

In her years as an educator, Brigitta has come to realize one truth: she loves students. Her specialties fall in English and Storytelling & Animation, but the overlying verity is that relationships with students transcend any subject. She sees education as an opportunity to spark enthusiasm and unveil passions, and sometimes the way to do that is a step outside of the traditional curriculum.

Erin Whalen serves as the Principal of Da Vinci RISE High School. RISE is a school devoted to providing equity to students experiencing housing instability, foster care and the juvenile justice system. Born into a proud Black, Chicano and Indigenous family, Erin has always found himself enticed by education’s power to be a force of empowerment. 

Meghan Salter teaches public education in Huntington, West Virginia. With BA and MA degrees from Marshall University, she's taught gifted/special education in Cabell County since 2009. A certified Remote Pilot who integrates drone technology in her teaching, Meghan is Nationally Board Certified and was recognized as a 2019 Women to Watch in UAS honoree and 2020 Cabell County Teacher of the Year finalist.

Sydney is a multimedia artist, filmmaker and high school educator in Oakland, CA. She is passionate about community empowerment and strongly believes in uplifting youth voices. She comes from a background of DIY culture and continues to advocate for accessibility within the arts and social justice movement. She holds a BA in Film Studies from UC Berkeley.

During her 25+ years working with children, Mary has become passionate about creating an inclusive, diverse learning environment that addresses needs and enriches the experience of every student and recently began facilitating local professional development sessions to aid fellow educators in generating their own creative hands-on activities and assessments.

Jorge Flores is an artist, activist and educator who lives with his wife and son in Lancaster, California. He has over a decade of experience working in major studios such as the Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros Television. He is passionate about bringing new technologies and opportunities into the classroom. His commitment to equity and social justice is an integral part of his lessons. 

Deborah Morita has taught in Hawai'i for 30 years and currently serves as a High School Educator in Creative Media Arts at Hawai'i Technology Academy. At this innovative learning community, she develops career-based partnerships that allow students to work alongside media professionals. She creates multiple platforms for students to experience new technologies while developing their talents and passions both in and out of the classroom.

Nikki Wallace is an award-winning science educator at Memphis' Crosstown High. Since 2018, she's developed project-based curricula connecting marginalized students to science in their communities. A Biorad Explorer Fellow and West TN STEM Hub committee member, she's been featured in XQ America and PopUp Magazine. With degrees in Biology and Science Education, Wallace balances her professional work with travel, gardening, and family time.

Bill is an elementary school teacher in Ontario, Canada. Teaching from grades 3-8 has taught him the importance of engaging a variety of learners. As education continues to evolve, it is important to find new avenues to meet students at their level and show them how their learning is connected to real-world applications. 

Katelyn is a high school science teacher who is passionate about helping students learn more about science, applying their knowledge to real-world situations and becoming more globally-minded. She enjoys creating a dynamic learning environment, focusing on student engagement and community building. Over the past few years, she has collaborated with colleagues to create cross-curricular innovative learning experiences.