Dr. Rey Hernández holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, where he received the Gabino Barreda Award, the highest national accolade of doctoral studies. He has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and International Relations from Oberlin College.

She teaches Mathematics at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. Earned her bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Puerto Rico; her MA at the University of California at Berkeley; and her doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in the same discipline.

He is a professor of philosophy and education, teaching Educational Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities courses at the University of Puerto Rico and the Interamerican University, Metro.

Yaacov Hecht was born in 1958 in Israel. He was the founder and the principal (1987 to 1997) of the Democratic School in Hadera, the first school in the world that called itself a democratic school.

She is a psychologist (UBA) and journalist with an extensive professional experience and trajectory in the field of human rights.

After being a volunteer teacher in a village school in Anaimalai, TN, Amukta worked at the Krishnamurti Foundation India school in Chennai when it was started.

Justo Méndez Arámburu is the founder and executive director of Nuestra Escuela, alongside his wife and Deputy Director, Ana Yris Guzmán Torres.

Mayor of the Municipality of Caguas, Puerto Rico. With a cutting edge, visionary and civic upbringing, William Miranda Torres is the son of the late Mayor William Miranda Marin and Sara Torres Carmen Figueroa, a woman of great mettle and social conscience.

Kirsten Olson is President of the Board of IDEA, a national not-for-profit that forwards democratic practices in education.

Derry practised as much democracy and student control over their own learning as he could get away with in his twenty years as a state secondary school teacher. He ended his school career as vice-principal (at times acting principal) of a large English secondary school which pioneered the role of the school being a resource for the whole community and the whole community being a resource for the school.

Ana Yris Guzmán Torres is co-founder and Deputy Director of Nuestra Escuela, alongside her husband and Executive Director, Justo Méndez Arámburu. Nuestra Escuela, Inc. (Our School, Inc.) founded in 2000, is a nonprofit organization that offers alternative educational services to young people who have left school without completing their high school education.

Eylem Korkmaz, one of the founding members of Alternative Education Association and Another School is Possible Association

Khalif Williams, Director of The Bay School in Maine, is passionate about building the social movement toward just and sustainable societies through education.

Natalia is 18 years old and attending her first year of college at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) as a Sociology student. For two years, she participated in a summer leadership program directed by Justo Méndez and Ana Yris Guzmán. Since then, she has worked on various activities with Nuestra Escuela, Inc. and the Alliance for Alternative Education in Puerto Rico. Consequently, she was president of a youth organization called Juventud Estrella (Youth Star), which is dedicated to community service and social activism. She is working as a volunteer at Nuestra Escuela. Natalia was also part of the Executive Committee of the IV International Congress of Children and Adolescent's Rights where the Youth Forum was created. She is a passionate ballet and tango dancer, movie and book junkie, always seeking spiritual harmony. Most importantly, she has a love for education and social justice that enables students to create their own path towards their own bright future.

Born and raised in the city of Ponce, Pagán Rodríguez has been active for nearly 30 years in the labor movement in Puerto Rico.

Scott Nine is the Executive Director of IDEA. A dynamic public speaker and organizer, he enjoys teaching and learning about leadership, social justice, community, educational reform, environmental sanity, personal growth, entrepreneurship, and how we get along with one another.

Carol Black is an Emmy-Award-winning writer/director/producer of both entertainment and documentary television and film. She studied literature and education at Swarthmore College and UCLA, and after the birth of her children, left a successful career in the entertainment industry to become involved in the unschooling and alternative education movements and later to make independent nonprofit films. “Schooling the World” is the culmination of many years of independent research into cross-cultural perspectives on children and education.

AUGUST TO JUNE intimately documents 26 third and fourth graders attending a public school where supporting each child’s strengths, creativity and emotional growth is blended with academic learning. Follow a school year filled with curiosity and compassion! Alfie Kohn calls it “….as engrossing as it is illuminating."

Beatriz (aka “Triz”, pronounced “trees”) develops and facilitates cultural empowerment programming with youth in the US and Puerto Rico.

Elizabeth Baker is the co-founder and Director of Community Development at a democratic, free school called The Patchwork School in Louisville, Colorado.

Lourdes Aponte Brigantty was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she studied at Colegio San José, Notre Dame, and José Gautier Benitez School.

Rafael Aragunde was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico, where he attended primary school. He studied his BA at the University of Notre Dame, United States, and in Rome, Italy. He subsequently lived in Italy, Germany and Spain.

Ravi is an experienced Social Worker (with specialization in Social Development); globally advocating human rights for over 17 years with focus on Social Inclusion and Social Justice.

Born in Argentina, Dr. Alicia Cabezudo is a professor and activist who specializes in Education for a culture of peace, Democracy, Citizenship and Human Rights. From Rosario, Argentina, she directed Educating Cities of Latin America as part of the International Network of Educating Cities based in Barcelona. Her focus is on facilitating peace in the educating cities.

Dr. José Luis Díaz Cotto serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Centros Sor Isolina Ferré since September 2001. Under his leadership is the management of the Ponce Center, Caimito, Guayama, Canóvanas and about 43 programs in twelve municipalities of the Island.

Professor at the Department of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Education of the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus, in the area of Curriculum and Instruction.

Until recently Mpume has been a Senior Lecturer and Academic Coordinator at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), which was, before democracy, an all white university.

José M. Evans was among the participants in the 2010 IDEC in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he shared his ideas on democracy and education in the United States during a workshop.

Doctor of Education from Harvard University. His work is noted for his research and promotion of alternative models of education at basic level and in community settings.

He has a Juris doctor and a Master’s degree (LL.M.) in Childhood, Adolescence and Family Law. Is an Associate Professor at the School of Law, University of Puerto Rico as well as external consultant at the Office of Children's Affairs of the Autonomous Municipality of Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Ginny is the founder and director of espacio a (space a), a community of natural, integral, and democratic learning in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The relationship between subjects (agency) and institutions (structure) is at the core of his interests as an educator and scholar.

Anita Yudkin Suliveres is a Professor at the College of Education of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She has a doctorate degree in Educational Psychology.

She has been a teacher at Saskatoon Public Schools for the past 31 years, a school system that works hard to be open-minded and progressive in their programming.

Isaac Graves began his journey in democratic education at a very young age having attended The Free School (Albany, NY), the longest running inner-city democratic school in the United States. Since graduating, he has worked extensively in the field as an educator, speaker, and organizer.

Ian Cunningham works with organizations at various levels including assisting with organization-wide change, boards on strategy development, team development and coaching of managers, directors and CEO's.

Jerry Mintz has been a leading voice in the alternative school movement for over 30 years.