Willa Cofield, Cynthia Samuelson, and Mildred Sexton

Willa Cofield is a retired educator with a deep devotion to community uplift. She previously held positions at the North Carolina Fund, Livingston College, and the New Jersey Department of Education. She produced the documentary films The Brick School Legacy and, with Karen Riley, The Nine O’clock Whistle.

Cynthia Samuelson spent more than twenty-five years leading public and private information technology services organizations. She formerly worked for the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mildred Sexton retired after forty-three years as an educator, having worked for the Halifax County, North Carolina, public schools; the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice; Hampton University; Old Dominion University; and the Hampton, Virginia, city schools.