Cindy Lawrence is the Executive Director and CEO of the National Museum of Mathematics, also known as MoMath. Cindy's journey to leading MoMath is as dynamic as the exhibits she oversees. She began her career as a CPA that transitioned into education. Under her leadership, MoMath has become a beacon of interactive math education, attracting over a million visitors and influencing audiences around the world. She strives to change public perceptions of mathematics and to improve and diversify mathematics education. 

Anna Housley Juster, PhD, LICSW is a licensed child and adolescent mental health clinician, education consultant, and award-winning author with over twenty-five years of experience supporting children and families.

Today, after several years treating children and families at an outpatient community-based mental health center, Dr. Housley Juster runs a private practice combining expertise in mental health, developmental psychology, education, and play and supports teacher trainings focused on trauma-informed practices and increasing self-regulation skills in the classroom. Her first picture book, the award-winning How to Train Your Amygdala (Free Spirit Publishing) was released in February, 2024.

Dr. Emily Affolter is the director and faculty for Prescott College’s Sustainability Education Ph.D. Program. Prior to this role, she worked as a Senior Research Scientist and Equity Consultant at the University of Washington’s Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity. She earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction focused on Multicultural Education from the UW working alongside Dr. Geneva Gay, founder of culturally responsive teaching. Emily’s current scholarship, dissemination, and facilitation highlight culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies for teachers, faculty, and leaders in K-16 settings and STEM higher education utilizing an equity literacy frame. 

I am a proud educator, education researcher, and leader. I am thrilled to join the team at Music Workshop where I can focus on issues of equity throughout our programming, while I help build a professional development series for teachers, and manage the organizations projects as we build onto our current programming.

Dr Robin Koslowitz is a nationally recognized clinical psychologist and expert in childhood trauma and resilience. Dr Koslowitz has been a licensed school psychologist since 2002 and a licensed clinical psychologist since 2017. She holds a master's degree in school psychology and a PhD in school clinical child psychology from New York University. In addition to her clinical work, dr Koslowitz is a parenting educator and the host of the Post-Traumatic Parenting Podcast. She brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles as a third and fourth grade teacher. Robin joins us today to share her invaluable insights, personal journey and to discuss her forthcoming book, post-traumatic Parenting.

Katherine Hamilton is the Senior Vice President of Programs at Ensemble Learning. Katherine brings a wealth of experience in promoting equity and excellence for multilingual learners. She also serves as a charter board chair, collaborating with educational leaders and teachers to enhance achievement in mathematics and beyond. She has a Master’s degree in Education from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Yale University. 

Hi, I’m Melissa Taylor, a mom of two, an education blogger & writer, a children’s book expert, a former award-winning bilingual teacher with an M.A. in Education, a former literacy trainer, and a passionate advocate for literacy, representation in children’s literature, and high-quality education.

I freelance write for various clients such as Random House, Adobe Education, eBay, ALEX Toys, Imagine Toys, Scholastic Parent and Child, Babble, Sylvan Learning, Parenting Magazine, and others about education topics and children’s books.

Imagination Soup is a place where parents, grandparents, librarians, and teachers can find great children’s books as well as educational learning ideas, resources, and community. My goal is to make your life easier. Let me know how else I can help!