Dr. Tommy Chang is the CEO of New Teacher Center, a national organization that works to disrupt the predictability of educational inequities for systemically underserved students by accelerating educator effectiveness. He has over 25 years of educational leadership experience in schools, districts and non-profits. Dr. Chang has served many roles in public education. He was the Superintendent of Boston Public Schools and a local instructional superintendent of the Intensive Support & Innovation Center at the Los Angeles Unified School District. He is former biology teacher and high school principal. He has also served as the Senior Advisor for Strategy and Programs at Great Public Schools Now, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles that invests in schools, organizations and initiatives that catalyze excellence in public education. A native of Taiwan who immigrated with his family to the U.S. at age six, Dr. Chang grew up in Los Angeles and holds an Ed.D. from Loyola Marymount University, M.Ed.’s from the Principals Leadership Institute and the Teachers Education Program at the University of California Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Chang is a fearless advocate for educational equity and for fostering safe, welcoming, and sustaining learning environments for all students, including immigrants, LGBTQ youth, and court-involved students. He sits on a number of boards including Families in Schools, a non-profit focused on parents and community engagement, Silicon Schools Fund, a non-profit that funds the creation of new schools in the Bay Area of California focused on innovation and personalization, and Leading Educators, a non-profit that partners with school systems to improve teaching and leadership.

Nella García Urban became CEO of DSST Public Schools in March 2024, leading one of Colorado’s highest‑performing public school networks. DSST serves 7,600 students across 16 middle and high schools in Denver and Aurora and is recognized nationally for excellence, including winning the 2018 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. García Urban brings more than 20 years of experience in public education, joining DSST after serving in multiple senior leadership roles at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston, Texas. She began her career as a founding teacher and helped launch several high‑performing campuses. She graduated from Rice University as a Mellon Mays Fellow and holds a master’s degree in education leadership from Sam Houston State University. A Pahara Fellow and Broad Academy alumna, she is also a certified executive coach. García Urban serves on the Member Council of Colorado League of Charter Schools and is a board director for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. She is the Board Chair of LEAL - Latino Educators Advancing Leadership - an organization working to increase the number of Latino leaders in charter schools.

Dr. Andrea Zayas has served as the Chief of Engagement & Partnerships at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools since January 2025, focused on effective programming and galvanizing stakeholders in pursuit of advancing our policy and advocacy goals. Previously, Dr. Zayas held significant roles including Chief Academic Officer at the Boston Public Schools, National Director of K-12 Strategy at Ballmer Group Philanthropy, and Founder of La Cima Charter School. Andrea founded Upstream Education Consulting, providing strategic initiatives for non-profit business, education, and municipal leaders and has extensive experience as a charter school authorizer at the NYC Department of Education, National Director of Regional Leadership Development at the KIPP Foundation, and as an instructor of education policy and practice at Boston University. Her early career included teaching in and starting charter schools in the Twin Cities, Philadelphia, and the South Bronx with an early EMO. In 2023, she was appointed by President Biden as Commissioner of the White House Initiative for Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, and currently serves on the board of Propeller, a nonprofit that invests in high potential social entrepreneurs tackling disparities in New Orleans. Dr. Zayas earned a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University, an Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a doctorate in Education Leadership from Xavier University of Louisiana. She is a recipient of the Pahara Institute Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.