Jim’s career has expanded our understanding of who gets to succeed in education by replacing deficit mindsets with asset-based strategies for student success. Convinced that anyone can learn under the right conditions, he led student affairs at Stanford, Dartmouth, Swarthmore, and NYU Abu Dhabi; oversaw the Gates Foundation's personalized advising portfolio and $1.6 billion Gates Millennium Scholars Program; and founded ACT's Center for Equity in Learning, partnering with Michelle Obama's Reach Higher Initiative to expand college access. In 2021, he co-founded the EdSAFE AI Alliance to champion ethical AI in education. A first-generation, mixed-race graduate, Jim serves on numerous boards and advisory councils.

Dr. Michael Torrence leads Motlow State Community College, one of Tennessee’s top-performing post-secondary institutions. He encourages all communities to ‘lean into the college’ so that all can go and grow together. Purposefully and passionately, he models the strength, beauty, and value of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Dr. Torrence’s higher education career spans more than 30 years and represents a demonstrated love for the teaching and learning community; working both as faculty and as an administrator across Student Affairs and Academic Affairs. His exemplary leadership has garnered him recognition and awards including recent honors: Phi Theta Kappa Paragon Award for New Presidents and GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader of the Year Award in Higher Education. Dr. Torrence earned a Ph.D. in Exceptional Learning from Tennessee Technological University and an M.A. and B.A. in English from South Dakota State University.

Across a career as both an instructor and an administrator in community colleges, Bruce has shown a commitment to transformative teaching and learning, and a passion for enhancing student success. Bruce has managed the development and execution of college and career readiness efforts, led the design, implementation, and assessment of scholarly, diverse, and learning-centered curriculum, and developed strong partnerships within the local, regional, and national educational ecosystem. He has served as Co-Principal Investigator for a National Science Foundation (LSAMP)-funded project aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented minorities that complete high-quality degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines (the NC STEM Alliance).

Bruce holds a bachelor’s in mathematics from Central State University, a master’s in applied mathematics from Virginia Tech, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in higher education administration at Liberty University. He is a 2022 ELI Fellow at Clark Atlanta University.

Through her personal and educational experiences, Jessica developed a passion for improving student outcomes among underrepresented, minoritized, and poverty-affected students. Jessica has devoted her career to expanding access, increasing graduation rates, and promoting student success among students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. In her current role, she provides leadership and vision for a network of organizations with a mission to help institutions use new technology to innovate teaching and learning and to better serve Black, Latinx, Indigenous, poverty-affected, and first-generation students.

Jessica earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University.

Ed has dedicated his career to racial-justice equity, ensuring those with the most challenging educational journeys receive the support, encouragement, and engagement needed to achieve their dreams. Since joining UNCF six years ago, after serving as a program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ed has played a pivotal role in securing more than $50 million in funding for institutional transformation.

Ed leads the Institute for Capacity Building where he designed and developed the Career Pathways Initiative to engage institutions in transformative practices to scale student-centered strategies and ensure graduates realize the promise of higher education. Ed is a proud, first-generation graduate of Morehouse College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics, Ed also earned a Master’s in Education from the Harvard GSE.