Kent D. Peterson was the first director of the Vanderbilt Principals' Institute and is former head of the National Center for Effective Schools Research and Development. He is currently professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Terrence E. Deal has taught at the Stanford and Harvard Graduate Schools of Education, Vanderbilt's Peabody College, and the University of Southern California. He lectures and consults internationally with business, health care, educational, religious, and military organizations.

Peterson and Deal are the coauthors of The Principal's Role in Shaping School and The Leadership Paradox: Balancing Logic and Artistry in Schools.