Dr. Richard Bowman has worked in education for more than two decades. Originally from Los Angeles, he moved to Albuquerque in 2010 to work with Albuquerque Public Schools as a Harvard Graduate School Strategic Data Project Fellow to increase the strategic use of data and accountability through the Strategic Data Project at HGSE’s Center for Education Policy. While in New Mexico, Dr. Bowman was asked to serve on the state teacher evaluation advisory council (NMTEACH) and spent four years at Santa Fe Public Schools as the Chief Information and Strategy Officer, where he led the digital learning, technology, accountability, and data analysis initiatives of the district. Dr. Bowman earned his Ph.D. in Policy Analysis (Education Policy/Quantitative Methods) at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, studying the effect of small learning communities on student outcomes. He also taught high school science in the Los Angeles Unified School District for three years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Applied Science (Computer Science/Electrical Engineering) from the California Institute of Technology. Deeply committed to equity in education, Dr. Bowman returned to Albuquerque Public Schools in 2016 to continue his strategic approach to improving educational outcomes for all students and the collaborative implementation of educational technology. Currently, Dr. Bowman is a Board Member at the Association for Education Finance and Policy and the Chief Information and Strategy Officer for Albuquerque Public Schools. Dr. Bowman lives in Albuquerque with his wife, Dr. Claudia Diaz Fuentes, Faculty in the Economics Department at the University of New Mexico, and their two children.

Elisabeth Lembo is an Education Program Specialist in the Office of Program and Grantee Support Services at the US Department of Education. Currently, she focuses on organizing and implementing technical assistance initiatives for the American Rescue Plan COVID-19 response and recovery package. A former 2nd grade teacher in Duncan, Mississippi and Harlem, New York, Ms. Lembo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Georgetown University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Cornell University.

Laurie Matzke currently works for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction where she serves as the Assistant State Superintendent. She oversees the Student Support & Innovation Division which includes the academic offices within the department. Laurie graduated from Valley City State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and minors in reading and early childhood education. She obtained her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction at California State University, Fullerton. She taught first grade for five years in Corona, California before joining the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction in 1994. Laurie, her husband Brad, and their three children reside in Bismarck, ND.

Luisa Santos, District 9 School Board Member, is a proud product of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Luisa moved to Miami from Bogota, Colombia as a child. After discovering she was an undocumented student in high school, college seemed an impossibility, but she persisted and began higher education at Miami Dade College. While completing her studies at Georgetown University, Luisa worked with the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC, and saw first hand how teachers and school staff can change lives while leading a program for historically underserved students. Luisa came home to Miami to launch her own business, Lulu’s Ice Cream, where over the course of 8 years she reimagined what students could learn in the workplace before selling the business. Luisa’s story has been featured in Forbes, Glamour, and even the White House, where she spoke during the Latinas in the U.S. Summit. She was named the Florida Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Luisa’s career narrative as a change-agent, thought-leader, mentor, and education advocate was built on what our public schools taught her.

Dr. Jessica Swanson is Senior Fellow at the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University and partner of the National Comprehensive Center. Prior to joining the Edunomics Lab, she served as Deputy Chief, Finance at DC Public Schools, where she oversaw the district's resource allocation, budget development, and grants administration and compliance. Before that, Dr. Swanson also served in several other roles at DC Public Schools, TNTP, and DC Prep. She began her career teaching social studies to middle school students as a Teach For America corps member. Dr. Swanson holds a doctorate in education from the University of Virginia.

Antonia Barkey Watts is currently serving as the Board Vice Chair and serves on the Board's Legislative Committee and as the Board's liaison to the Howard County Recreation and Parks Board. Mrs. Watts also serves on the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) Nominating Committee. She has worked in education since 2011, holding a variety of roles such as classroom teacher, instructional technology specialist, adjunct professor, private tutor and online ESL teacher. Mrs. Watts previously worked as an engineer in crash and safety testing for Toyota, where she analyzed data and then derived cost effective, yet innovative solutions based on that data. Mrs. Watts has a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Michigan; a master’s degree in bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley; and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Delaware. Mrs. Watts resides in Elkridge with her husband and two young children, who currently attend Howard County public schools.