Soundhari Balaguru, Phd, is a clinical psychologist and Founder of Integrated SEL, a coaching, training, and consulting business that supports educators center social-emotional wellness and belonging, to shift school culture and climate in positive directions. She helps schools integrate Social-Emotional Learning, Restorative Discipline, Culturally Affirming Practices, and Educator Wellness, so that SEL is not a boxed curriculum, but lives dynamically throughout the school-day. Her child-centered approach, paired with a systems perspective, provides educators with practical tools for engagement and implementation. After working in schools for 18+ years, she believes that for students to meet their full potential, schools need to prioritize relationships, validate and affirm their students’ identities, and support students and adults to grow and learn from their mistakes. Dr. Soundhari is working towards a future where schools can promote what is therapeutic, even if it’s not therapy, and all students are valued and affirmed.  

Taryn Sprayberry’s work has spanned both private and public sectors with a unifying goal: to serve as a resource in navigating emotionally significant and complex relationships to help both individuals and groups reach their full potential. Having worked in higher education, as a business and leadership coach, and in talent and human resources, Taryn has realized a need for systematic improvements in the way relationships are taught and practiced, and that these skills need to be formed from a young age. It is this realization that spurred Taryn’s interest in Valor Collegiate Academies and led her to join the Powered by Compass team as Director of Strategic Partnerships. In this role, Taryn is tasked with scaling the impact of the Compass model to ensure students across the nation have access to comprehensive human development.

Dr. Tehia Starker Glass is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and Elementary Education in the Department of Reading and Elementary Education at UNC Charlotte.  Dr. Starker Glass earned degrees from Bethune-Cookman University (B.S. Elementary Education), the University of Northern Iowa (M.A. Educational Technology), and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Ph.D. Educational Psychology).  Dr. Starker Glass’ teaching background spans K-12 through higher education.  She has taught in Japan, Italy, Hawaii, New York, Florida, and Tennessee.  The majority of her teaching experiences have been in urban and/or title one elementary schools while in the states. Dr. Starker Glass’ research interests include preparing preservice and inservice teachers’ culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy, examining motivational factors that influence teachers’ behavior towards culturally diverse students, culturally responsive classroom management, investigating the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) and teacher education, and instructional design.

Kimberly Tsai Cawkwell, M.Ed. has served over thirteen years in the education ecosystem. As the Director of Programs at Challenge Success, Kimberly is honored to be in community with others to advocate for equitable systems and practices that nurture wellbeing, belonging and engagement for all. In addition to her work at Challenge Success, Kimberly currently serves as an Educational Advisor at the High Tech High (HTH) Graduate School of Education; supporting M.Ed students in developing culturally sustaining/responsive pedagogy in their school spaces. Growing up as a multilingual learner in a semi-isolated motel next to a busy New Orleans expressway, living through the duality of American and Taiwanese cultures, and experiencing teaching and learning in variety of settings around the globe, Kimberly has developed a unique lens for culturally responsive environments and an insatiable desire to center student voices in classrooms. Through the opportunities to learn from students in her own classrooms to students from diverse corners of our globe, Kimberly believes deeply in student-driven transformative learning that sparks a common love and joy to seek knowledge. As she continues to support systemic change that lifts up student voices and honors the passions and identities of all students, Kim is grateful for the invaluable knowledge gained from others, holds humility as a practitioner and mentor for Deeper Learning practices, and is continuously inspired by the beautiful humans who are called to serve youth.
Prior to joining CS, Kim was a founder of two High Tech Elementary (HTe) project-based learning schools, a former coach and design specialist at the University of San Diego, New Tech Network, and Center for Love & Justice.. She holds a B.A. from the University of California, Riverside and M.Ed and multiple-subjects credential from the University of California, San Diego. When she’s not designing and facilitating learning, Kim might be found spending quality time with her two daughters, loving spouse, and family in Oceanside, San Gabriel, and Taichung. Her core values are family, joy, and equity.