Gabriele Strohschen is a native of Berlin, Germany, found her passion for education as a means to social justice when she started a church-based tutoring center for immigrants and worked in community activism work in Chicago. She completed her studies at Northern Illinois University in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Phenomenology. In 2003, she joined DePaul University as director for the graduate programs at the School for New Learning where she currently serves as Faculty Mentor. Known to students as Dr. G., she collaborates with community residents and students in civic engagement projects in Chicago's Latino immigrant and Black communities. Her action research in adult education has also taken her around the globe, including Afghanistan, China, Czech Republic, the EU, Kenya, Mexico, and Thailand.
Kim Lewis completed the Master of Arts program in Applied Professional Studies at DePaul University in 2018 with the focus area title of Designing and Developing STEM Leadership Programs and Advocacy Strategies. As schools, businesses, and community organizations develop foundational programs in STEM, diverse leadership is not at the forefront. Ms. Lewis partners with non-profit organizations, community leaders, and educational facilities to create project-based STEM initiatives in integrative leadership strategies and development to meet the complexities of local and global demand.