Carl S. Taylor, Ph.D., Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, assists communities, foundations and government agencies in understanding gangs, youth culture, and violence. Having conducted research projects in Detroit over the last two decades, he has a strong understanding of the problems facing many neighborhoods in urban America. He also directs the Michigan Gang Research Project and has served on the Michigan Juvenile Justice Committee and advises various projects concerning youth throughout America.

Prasad Venugopal, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Detroit Mercy, is a dedicated activist for peace and social justice, and a board member of the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, representing the U.S. Peace Council.

Stephen P. Vogel, M. Arch, FAIA, School of Architecture, University of Detroit Mercy, is a licensed architect with extensive experience in urban design, adaptive reuse, historic rehabilitation and multi-family, mixed income housing communities. He is past president of the American Institute of Architects, Detroit Chapter and Michigan Chapter. He was inducted into the College of Fellows of the AIA in 1994 and received the AIA Detroit Gold Medal in 1996 and the AIA Michigan Gold Medal in 2004. He is co-founder of the Detroit Collaborative Design Center and the International Center for Urban Ecology.

Jenenne Whitfield, executive director, The Heidelberg Project, gives tours, lectures, and workshops to community and school groups about healing communities through art. She has coordinated gallery shows, museum exhibits, art programs for children, lectures and workshops, art installations on the streets of Cambridge, Minneapolis, and Bloomington. The Heidelberg Project plans to halt and reverse the decay by acquiring and restoring property in the area.  As it grows, the project will help provide an economic base for this community through development and education. 

Susan M. Wolfgram, Ph.D., Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin-Stout, teaches a variety of courses in family studies. She is interested in research methods, individual and family relations, multicultural education, antiracist education, family violence, open adoption, asset-building for low-income families, diverse forms of family, social construction of gender and race.

Anisa M. Zvonkovic, Ph.D., Department of Human Development and family Studies, Texas Tech University takes a close relationships perspective on how aspects of the physical and social environment can have an impact on individuals and their family relationships. Her primary research interest is work and its connection to personal life, with current work focusing on job demands, particularly travel, and how they affect workers and their families.