Carol Kochhar-Bryant is a professor of special education at the George Washington University. For 21 years she has developed and directed advanced graduate and doctoral leadership preparation programs related to secondary and transition services for youth with disabilities. She teaches courses in special education, legal issues and public policy, systemic change and leadership, and interdisciplinary planning and development. She currently consults with public school districts, state departments of education, and federal agencies, and has collaborated in international special education and transition policy research with the World Bank and the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development. She has conducted evaluations of state systemic reform initiatives, national technical assistance centers, transition services in correctional systems, and a variety of community-based agencies. Kochhar-Bryant is a former teacher of individuals with intellectual disabilities, a residential program director, case management program director, and evaluator. She is widely published in the areas of disability policy, leadership development, interagency service coordination, career-vocational programming, and secondary-to-postsecondary transition for special learners. She is past president of the Division on Career Development and Transition of the International Council for Exceptional Children.

Angela Heishman is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, a Certified School Psychologist in Pennsylvania, and a Licensed Professional Counselor. She holds a Diplomate in School Neuropsychology from the American Board of School Neuropsychology. She is currently a school psychologist and Student Assistance Coordinator at the Big Spring School District in Newville, Pennsylvania. In her previous employment at Teenline at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill, she served as a mental health liaison, program consultant, and crisis responder for several Student Assistance Teams across central Pennsylvania. She was also a lead trainer on the Student Assistance Program (SAP) model as endorsed by the Commonwealth Approved Training System through the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Division of Safe and Drug Free schools. In addition to her experiences as an outpatient counselor, she has also worked extensively with adults with disabilities in residential services. She is currently a doctoral candidate in special education at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.