Kwame Simmons is a dynamic educator who uses an innovative approach to revolutionize urban education. Founder and senior facilitator of The Simmons Advantage, he has dedicated his career to transforming urban schools into national models of success and assisting students to achieve maximum academic outcomes.

His enthusiasm and depth of knowledge regarding current research in school leadership, high-quality instruction, technology integration, and assessment, help him identify and resolve barriers to gain optimum performance from teachers and diverse student populations. Simmons demonstrates effective leadership through his innovative thinking and willingness to take risks to produce the best learning environment for school communities.

While in St. Louis, Missouri, his efforts led his school to receive several national awards, including Most Improved School of the Year. Simmons went on to transform a persistently low-performing school in Washington, D.C., into the city's first blended-learning school. He has been recognized by the Washington Post and the U.S. Department of Education, and he received the 2015 BET Honors Award for Excellence in Education.

Salome Thomas-EL is the award-winning principal of Thomas Edison Public Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware, and a nationally recognized speaker on education and leadership
issues, particularly in urban and rural schools. He is the author or coauthor of five books, including I Choose to Stay (Kensington, 2004) and Passionate Leadership (Corwin, 2019).