Melissa Adams-Corral, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at California State University-Stanislaus. She earned her PhD in STEM Education from The Ohio State University and her Master of Arts in Bilingual and Bicultural Education from the University of Texas at Austin. She spent seven years as a bilingual elementary school teacher in Austin, TX where she taught grades 2-5 while engaging in action research at the intersection of race, language and mathematics. Her work focuses on methods of transgressing boundaries in schools in order to prioritize the well-being of children and their teachers. Her primary research interests involve the use of the theories and methods of community organizers to conduct research that actively supports teachers’ and young people’s efforts to improve their daily experiences at school. 

Theodore Chao is an associate professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. His research agenda involves engaging all students and teachers regardless of social identity (race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.) to fully see themselves as mathematical humans, particularly through technology. Teddy uses digital storytelling and photovoice as vehicles for mathematics teachers and students of color to create narratives that connect their mathematics identities with their community and family identities. He also builds technology for children to share their mathematical strategies, opening up windows for peers, teachers, and family members to recognize the brilliance of their mathematical thinking. Chao has published in journals such as Investigations in Mathematics Learning, Race, Ethnicity, and Education, and Teaching Children Mathematics. Chao is currently principal investigator of a NSF CAREER research project exploring the ways children in urban emergent communities use Digital Mathematics Storytelling to share rich mathematical knowledge from their communities and families.