Dr. Lawrence “Torry” Winn is a Chancellor Leadership Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis, where he co-founded and serves as the Executive Director of the Transformative Justice in Education (TJE) Center. With a diverse professional background spanning twenty-five years, Dr. Winn has dedicated his professional life to the nuanced connections between
historically marginalized communities of color and various entities, including schools, non-profits, and government organizations. His research examines race, justice, critical consciousness, foresight, and how Black youth acquire social capital in out-of-school learning spaces. He has co-authored several books including Faith Made Flesh: The Black Child Legacy Campaign for Transformative Justice and
Healthy Futures (Cornell University Press, 2023) and Restorative Justice in Education: Transforming Teaching and Learning Through the Disciplines (Harvard Education Press, 2021).

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Winn holds a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, a Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Human Ecology and Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Outside of academia, Dr. Winn and his wife Dr. Maisha T. Winn share a passion for international travel, African American history, art, reading all things Toni Morrison
and running. Dr. Winn also takes great joy in spending quality time with his two sons Obasi and Zafir, observing their golfing skills, engaging in literary debates, exploring coding projects and participating in discussions about current events.

Dr. Vajra M. Watson is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Senior Associate Vice President of the Sacramento State Placer Campus. Watson is a steadfast
solutionary who works at the intersections of theory and practice, policies and pedagogies. She is active in the community and is honored to serve on a number of Boards and is the founder of Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS), an award-winning literary arts organization that pairs
community-based poet-mentor educators and teachers together to develop curriculum that reclaims and reimagines schooling. She is the author and co-editor of four books: Learning to Liberate (Routledge, 2012), Transformative Schooling (Routledge, 2018), The Soul of Learning (Routledge, 2022), and Faith Made Flesh (Cornell University Press, 2023). She is the recipient of numerous awards including the California Educational Research Association’s Best in
Research Award. 
 
Dr. Watson obtained her B.A. from UC Berkeley and holds two Master’s Degrees from Harvard University in International Education and Teaching and Learning. In 2008, she received her Doctorate in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. Vajra is the very proud mother of two children; her daughter is a sophomore at Yale and her son recently graduated from UC Berkeley with Dual Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and Business Administration. She loves to listen to music and enjoys game nights with family and friends (playing everything from
dominoes to Uno).