Dr. Linchi Kwok is a Top 2% Scientist, an author, and a full professor at The Collins College of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), where he exemplifies the university’s teacher-scholar model. Dr. Kwok has distinguished himself through high-impact scholarly activities in the global hospitality community, innovative research and teaching approaches, and exceptional citizenship behaviors in the organizations he serves. In 2024, Dr.

Pamela Dysart is a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota in Family Social Science. Her research interests focus on death, dying, grief, and loss. She has engaged as an AmeriCorps VISTA and Peace Corps Volunteer, worked with middle school students on financial literacy education, and has volunteered in a variety of medical settings (e.g., retirement centers, hospitals, hospice agencies). Pamela earned her MSW from the University of Maryland - Baltimore, she has taught English as a second Language abroad and in the US to youth and adults.

Elizabeth (Liz) Wiggins, PhD, LSC, LPC, is the Assistant Dean of the School of Counseling at Colorado Christian University. Dr. Wiggins received her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision and her master’s degree in both School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adams State University. She is a Licensed School Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado. She is passionate about promoting holistic practices in school and clinical settings in order to promote wellness.

T. G. Nagaraja is a University Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Dr. Roy Walter Upham Endowed Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. His research expertise is in gut microbiology of cattle, particularly of beef cattle. His research program, a blend of basic and applied research, has focused primarily on the role of ruminal microbes in function and dysfunctions of the rumen of cattle, and on food borne pathogens, particularly Shiga toxinproducing Escherichia coli and Salmonella in cattle.