Audrey J. Sirota is a veteran teacher, educational consultant, trainer, and staff developer. She served with the Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE), where she conducted training programs for in-service and pre-service teachers and advised districts on staff development approaches.

Laura Ianacone Taschek, a daughter, granddaughter, and niece of teachers, teaches social studies at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Fairfax County, Virginia, where she also serves as a mentor teacher. Before beginning her graduate studies, she worked at the National Clearing House for Bilingual Education. She received her master’s degree in secondary education from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1998, also serving as a teaching assistant for Audrey Sirota and others, and began her teaching career at Half Moon Bay High School in the Cabrillo Unified School District in Half Moon Bay, California.