About headline

Elizabeth City is Senior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), where she is Executive Director of Reach Every Reader and previously served as Director of the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) Program. Liz has served as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, and consultant, in each role focused on helping all children, and the educators who work with them, realize their full potential. She is currently focused on accelerating the development of equitable, learning-rich environments. She has authored and co-authored several books for educators, including: Meeting Wise; Strategy in Action; Instructional Rounds in Education; Data Wise; Resourceful Leadership; and The Teacher’s Guide to Leading Student-Centered Discussions.

Liz holds an A.B. in History and Literature from Harvard University, an M.A.T. in English from Brown University, and an Ed.D. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

John Gomperts is a long-time leader in non-profits and government organizations devoted to civic engagement and to creating greater opportunity for children and youth. John is currently an Executive Fellow with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, and is advising a wide range of organizations and leaders working in the children & youth space and in national service and civic engagement.

From 2012 – 2020, John served as President & CEO of America’s Promise Alliance, the nation’s largest coalition of organizations and communities working on issues related to young people. Prior to that, John served as the Director of AmeriCorps in the Obama Administration. Earlier, John led non-profits that work to enlist individuals and communities to provide young people with the resources and supports they need to thrive. In an earlier portion of his career, John worked in the US Senate (Sens. Wofford, Kerry, Daschle), practiced law and advocacy, and served as a judicial clerk.

John earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center and his AB in History from University of California, Berkeley. John has served on a wide range of boards including FoodCorps (Chair), Points of Light, Presidio Institute, News Literacy Project, and others.

Laura Sztejnberg is a seasoned education and talent-development leader with deep experience spanning K–12 systems, philanthropy, and management consulting. Most recently, she advised organizations on talent development, performance management, and conflict resolution, drawing on her work across McKinsey’s education practice to support school systems, EdTech providers, and private-sector partners at scale.

Laura previously held roles at Overdeck Family Foundation, TNTP, and MDRC, where she led large-scale teacher effectiveness initiatives and rigorous evaluations of U.S. education interventions. She has co-authored publications on early reading instruction and high school improvement.

She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Duke University and dual master’s degrees—a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Philosophy in Education Policy—from NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

When Alejandro Gibes de Gac was 7, his family immigrated to the US escaping political persecution and seeking educational opportunities. He published a memoir at 12 chronicling his challenges transitioning to life in America. In the process, he became as passionate about the education of others as he was about his own. After graduating from Harvard in 2009, he spent two years as a 1st grade teacher in Philadelphia. There he became frustrated that his students—and millions more in low-income communities—lack continuous access to learning at home and school. As a result, they face chronic summertime reading losses in elementary school that account for two-thirds of the achievement gap in high school. This is symptomatic of a deeper problem: low-income parents have been left out of the process of educating their kids.

Alejandro founded Springboard Collaborative in 2011 to close the literacy gap by closing the gap between home and school. Alejandro was since honored as ‘one of the world’s best emerging social innovators’ by Echoing Green, a leading venture philanthropy firm that selected 20 fellows from 3,500 global applicants. He was also recognized as one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 in 2014; one of two national recipients of the Claneil Emerging Leaders distinction in 2015; one of the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 40 Under 40 in 2016; and a recipient of the People of Promise award from America’s Promise in 2017. Alejandro is an alumnus of Teach for America and McKinsey & Company. He holds a BA with high honors from Harvard University and an MS in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ken Trujillo is a distinguished attorney specializing in complex litigation and government relations, with expertise in securities, education, gaming, and white-collar criminal defense. He has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School for over 15 years and previously served as City Solicitor of Philadelphia, Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (2009-2012).

Nationally recognized for his civic and business leadership, Ken has served on President-Elect Barack Obama’s SEC agency review team and Governor Ed Rendell’s transition team, holding key roles with the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority and Delaware River Port Authority. A former Co-Chair of the 2016 Democratic National Convention Host Committee, he is also a venture capital and real estate investor and has owned radio stations serving the Latino community.

Ken has held numerous board leadership roles, including Chair of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Health Partners’ Audit Committee. He serves as Vice Chair of Philadelphia250 and on the boards of the Strategic Investment Fund for La Raza, Inc., Raza Development Fund, and WHYY. His commitment to advancing Latino communities is underscored by his leadership with the National Council of La Raza and its affiliated organizations.