Donna Volpitta, Ed.D. is an educator, author, and speaker who loves making the brain science of resilience and mental health easy to understand and apply. She is a co-founder of the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative, a board member of One Revolution Foundation, a member of the Mental Wellness Initiative and Children’s Wellness Initiative of the Global Wellness Institute, a Global Presence Ambassador for Parenting 2.0, and a member of the Character Collaborative.

Stephanie Carter is the Director of Tutoring and Writing Centers at the Community College of Rhode Island and a respected leader in student success and learning assistance. With over twenty-five years of experience, she has helped students navigate the challenges of college, specializing in supporting first-year students and their families during the transition from high school to college. Stephanie has worked in classrooms, residence halls, tutoring centers, and writing centers, gaining expertise both as a scholar and practitioner.

Laurie L. Hazard, Ed.D. teaches in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the New England Institute of Technology. She is a higher education consultant with over thirty years of operational and strategic experience in the field of student success. Her experience ranges from assessment work to developing innovative programs for institutions tailored to their specific populations.

Aaron Stoyack is a Park Ranger at Pamplin Historical Park and author of more than a dozen articles for scholarly, professional, and popular audiences. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from WCU in 2022 with a BA in History. Aaron has served on the Executive Board for local historical societies and presented at conferences on campus and at the national level. He also designs and delivers both ticketed and private custom tours of Civil War battlefields and other sites.