Julie Larrea Borst is Executive Director of Save Our Schools NJ Community Organizing; Board President of the NJ Community Schools Coalition; Special Education Parent Advocate; and an education blogger who writes about special education, public education funding, and education policy. Her blogs have been reprinted in the Washington Post. She serves on the Special Education Steering Committee for BATs. Borst regularly provides testimony to the NJ Senate and Assembly Education Committees, to the NJ State Board of Education, and to the U.S. Department of Education. She holds degrees in Applied Sciences and International Marketing Management from Pace University.

William Field is on the faculty of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, where he directs the undergraduate political science program. A resident of New Jersey since 1994, he and his wife raised two kids in the state’s public schools, taking advantage of the many magnet programs offered by local school districts. He served for two years as a citizen volunteer on the Howell Township Board of Education’s Finance Committee and headed an advocacy group for music in the town’s schools. He currently serves on the executive board of the American Association of University Professors.

Rachel C. Green is a political leader, activist, mother, and former school board president in Gloucester County. As Deptford School Board president, Rachel worked with her fellow school board members, administration, and district staff to create and lead wonderful programs and savings for the Deptford Township School District and the community. Rachel currently serves as Vice President NJ State Federation of Democratic Women, Executive Board Member of the Gloucester County NAACP, President Gloucester County Federation of Democratic Women, and Founder/CEO of Women of Color Coalition, Inc. Rachel is also the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Acenda, Inc. and is currently pursuing her Doctoral Degree in Management of Organizational Leadership.

Martha Hickson has been a high school librarian since 2005. She has written for School Library Journal, Booklist, KnowledgeQuest, the American Library Association Intellectual Freedom Blog, NJEA Review, and CNN.com. She has been a presenter at conferences and webinars, including the American Association of School Librarians, Future Ready Librarians, and the New Jersey Library Association. Her defense of intellectual freedom has been recognized with awards from the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, the New Jersey Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, and the National Council of Teachers of English. In 2022, the National Coalition Against Censorship presented Martha with the Judith Krug Outstanding Librarian Award and the American Library Association presented her with the Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity in recognition of her “energy and bravery in the face of … persistent and ongoing hostility,” while advocating for students’ First Amendment right to read.

Matt Kazmierczak is the founder of Education Truth Project, a Political Action Committee working to educate the public on real issues facing public schools and Boards of Education. He is a former Republican campaign strategist who started his political career out of college when he joined John McCain for President campaign in 1999. After moving back to his hometown of Oakland NJ he soon ran for Council and was elected as the youngest official in NJ at the time. He also ran a successful political consulting and marketing business before joining the state government as Chief of Staff for a State Legislator. Matt also served numerous roles on congressional, legislative, county, and statewide elections including political director and campaign manager.

As the newly elected president of the Dover Board of Education, Daniella Mendez is the first out trans woman to serve in the role of School Board President in New Jersey and potentially the country. Daniela is the Senior Peer Services Coordinator for the non-profit Prevention is Key - CARES and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association. Daniella is also a founding cabinet member of EMERGE NJ, contributing to its mission of increasing the number of Democratic women leaders from diverse backgrounds in public office. Daniella has a unique understanding of marginalized communities and a passion to be a voice for the voiceless. She has worked with various nonprofits to organize food drives to assist communities with food insecurity throughout the tri-state area.

Robin Nowicki is a small business owner, former investment manager, and dedicated activist. As one of the first Moms Demand Action members in New Jersey, her activism journey that began with gun violence prevention took her deeper into women’s rights and general political activism. She founded District 4 Coalition for Change in 2014 and has been a grassroots organizer and supporter for NJ Congressional races since 2014. Most recently, her activism has been focused on the attacks on our public school system, public education, whitewashing of history, and pressure on educators.

Noelle O’Donnell is currently serving her second consecutive elected term on the Board of Hunterdon Central Regional HS School District. She received her Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Rutgers University and completed both undergraduate and graduate coursework in clinical social work at New York University, where she developed her passion for working with teens and adolescents. Her prior work experience at the Carrier Clinic and the Richard Hall Community Mental Health Center focused on adult and adolescent mental health, which taught her that every person has something important to offer and must find their own unique path in life. Noelle and her husband have lived in Flemington Borough for 18 years and have four children.

Jacquelyn Poland Hoagland is a New Jersey Attorney, a former partner and now “Of Counsel” at Hoagland, Longo, Moran, and Dunst & Doukas. She is a state-appointed arbitrator and has lectured on recent changes to the law in the area of uninsured/underinsured coverage. Ms. Hoagland is a Member of the Central Jersey Spinal Cord Association and the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association. Ms. Hoagland was a member of the Colts Neck Board of Education for 9 years serving as both Vice President and Chair of the Policy Committee. Ms. Hoagland is a strong advocate of education and is focused on addressing the recent attacks on public education. She supports protection of our teachers and making sure that the needs of “all” children are addressed in our public schools. She is a strong proponent of protecting the 1st Amendment and fights vehemently against attempts to ban books and limit the study of history. Ms. Hoagland also fights against attempts to limit the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and in the area of prevention of “harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) in our schools.

Tazmine (Taz) Weisgerber, CHES® (she/her) is a sexual health trainer focused on comprehensive sex education. In this role, Taz is responsible for providing professional development to sex educators around the country. She also works on other national sexual health projects which aim to further the reach and scope of comprehensive sex education. Taz has been assisting NJ school districts with aligning to the 2020 NJSLS for Comprehensive Health and providing presentations to community members about the content and rationale for the updates. She holds a B.S. in Health Education with Teacher Certification from Montclair State University and is a master's student in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Rutgers University

Dr. Yonaton Yares has a doctorate (EdD) in Higher Education and a Masters in Student Services (Higher Education) Administration, along with a certificate in On-Campus Student Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Yares completed his undergraduate education at Rutgers University. He has been attending school board meetings for over 20 years, starting when he was a student. He has been a candidate for the board of education and has served as a campaign leader for other campaigns. Currently, he serves on the Cultural Proficiency, Equity, and Character Education committee for his local school district. His recently defended dissertation was a case study of a NJ School District’s DEI efforts and how it affected students’ access to postsecondary education.

Louise Walpin has decades of experience advocating for rights for a myriad of causes. Most notably, Louise and her wife were the lead couple in both the legislative and court (Lambda Legal) fight for marriage equality from 2009-2013. They were the first same sex couple to marry in New Jersey on October 21, 2013 at 12:01AM at the home of Senator Raymond and Salena Lesniak

Louise Walpin is a retired psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse who has worked for over 25 years with those aged 2-90 years of age. She is the mother of 3 adult children, and has 3 grandchildren. Louise is the Director of Advocacy and Organizing for SWEEP-NJ. In her spare time, you can find Louise with her horse, Fozzie.