Bertha-Elena (she/her) is the Principal of Humanity Advanced, LLC. She is a native of Caracas, Venezuela where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She immigrated to the United States in 1990 to work in community mental health in Framingham, MA. She earned her Doctor in Psychology degree at William James College in 1998 and her Master’s in Education, School Leadership and Administration at Worcester State University in 2011. Dr. Rojas is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and an Educator. Her passion for Psycholinguistics, second language acquisition and cultural diversity brought her to public education. She worked as a Bilingual School Psychologist in the Worcester Public Schools (WPS) for several years and she was the Principal of the Academic Center for Transition in 2012. From 2013 through 2017, she served the WPS in an assistant superintendent level role as the WPS Manager of English Learners and Supplemental Supports. Bertha-Elena is a Board Member and the Advocacy Chair of the Multi-state Association for Bilingual Education (MABE) and a Board Member of the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University.

Celeste (she/her) has been a teacher of English, English as a second or other languages, and a district ESL Coach for the Worcester Public Schools in Massachusetts. She has spent 30 years in education. Her two most gratifying professional experiences are working with SLIFE students and working with teachers through professional development and coaching. Celeste co-lead a curriculum development team to develop ESL curricula for newcomers and SLIFE students. She designed and facilitated professional development for both ESL and Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) endorsed teachers focused on maximizing opportunities for literacy acquisition and academic language growth for EL students in middle school and high school. Celeste attended Fitchburg State College where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Anna Maria College for which she received an Ed.M, and Harvard Graduate School of Education where she received an Ed.M concentrated in Language and Literacy. When not teaching, she enjoys spending time reading, walking her Airedale Guto, and spending time exploring beaches with her husband Mark.

Lee (she/her) is currently an Educational Consultant working with Humanity Advanced, LLC, and CAST, a non profit education research and development organization. She plans and delivers Professional Development to educators relating to English Learners, equity and foundations of Universal Design for Learning. Prior to her work as a consultant, Lee worked for the Worcester Public School System as an ESL/Special Education Coach, UDL Coach, an ESL and Special Education teacher. Lee helped develop pedagogy that integrated language development and UDL to advance the English acquisition and academic learning of students in substantially separate programs. She also co-founded a professional learning community with Arts faculty that focuses on the integration of the UDL framework in Art instruction. Lee is passionate and curious about all learners and seeing each person's uniqueness. She completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education at Boston University, where she also obtained her Master Degree in Education, with a specialty in Deaf Education.

Orlenda (she/her) was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 2011. She completed a Certification in Social Academics Events and organized conferences for her college and was a manager of an international company dedicated to supporting small businesses in the Dominican Republic before she immigrated to Boston in 2013. While in Boston, she earned her Medical Interpreter’s Certification and volunteered for a non profit organization that provided support to individuals with AIDS. She moved to New Bedford, MA in 2018 and started working in New Bedford Public Schools where she completed the English as a Second Language Academy for teachers and support staff. All of her training prepared her to become the Lead Family Engagement Specialist and FISS - Family Institute for Student Success- Coordinator until 2021, where she found her passion for helping families to achieve their children’s dreams by guiding parents/guardians to effectively navigate the public school system. Orlenda loves spending quality time with her husband Jeremiah and son Oliver, exploring different culinary cuisines, and especially volunteering in her community.