Michelle Fenton Begley believes that art and music are for all and should have a place in our everyday lives. A versatile professional vocalist, voice teacher, teaching artist, and arts administrator, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Afro-American Vocal Jazz Performance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Michelle is a singer and songwriter with the trio In Trine, has sung soprano in multiple choirs for over 25 years, recorded with Yusef Lateef, Paul Halley, Gabriel Lofvall, and Kate Callahan, and created a variety of music and songwriting workshops. She is currently Education Programs Director at the American Mural Project, developing, creating and leading programs about the “art of work.”

Ivonne Chand O’Neal, Ph.D., is the founder and Chief Research Officer of MUSE Research, a full-service creativity and arts impact research and evaluation firm providing arts impact assessment for multinational companies, community and government development programs, the arts and culture sector, and educational institutions with particular focus on equity and access. Prior to founding MUSE, she served as chief research strategist for Crayola, Director of Outcomes and Evaluation for VSA: The International Organization on Arts and Disability, and as the founding Director of Research and Evaluation for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where she developed the Center's first comprehensive research platform of over 25 studies designed to measure the impact of the arts on individual, community, and international scales with such world class organizations and programming as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Mariinsky Ballet, and the One Mic International Hip Hop Festival. She has served two consecutive terms as the Co-Chair for the Arts, Culture and Museums Division of the American Evaluation Association; sits on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Opera and National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the Editorial Boards for the Creativity Research Journal and Arts Education Journal, and the Research Advisory Board for the University of Pennsylvania’s Human Flourishing Initiative. Dr. Chand O'Neal is a federally appointed reviewer for the Institute for Education Sciences, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Corporation for National and Community Service, and has worked actively with the entertainment industry (Disney, NBC) to increase creative thinking skills in educational television programs for children and teens. Her work has been featured by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Washington Post, and various news outlets. She is currently working on a 3-book compendium entitled: The Impact of the Arts on Human Flourishing (Springer, 2025).

Dr. Roque Diaz is a pioneering first-generation neurodivergent Puerto Rican who has built a distinguished career in leadership, administration, scholarship, and performance across nonprofit arts organizations, higher education, and K-12 education. As the Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MacPhail Center for Music, he champions initiatives to foster a more inclusive community, drawing from his personal experiences as a person of color in predominantly white spaces. An esteemed trumpeter, Dr. Diaz has performed with major international orchestras, showcasing his talents in various musical genres. Beyond performance, he is a leading DEI Arts and Culture Consultant, dedicated to reimagining arts organizations by decentering white prominence and building structures that support DEI growth.

Lauren Shelton is the founding Executive Director of the Indianapolis Center for Arts Education and Innovation at Butler University, where she leads initiatives focused on expanding access to high-quality arts education, including the Butler Community Arts School. With a background in classroom teaching, music direction, and large-scale program development, she successfully reinstated arts education across 47 schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. Currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for El Sistema USA, she advocates for equitable music education nationwide. Her work has been recognized with awards like the Yale School of Music Distinguished Educator of the Year and Outstanding Administrator from the California Music Educator Association.