Mary Gonzales has been a professional organizer for twenty years. She is affiliated with the Gamaliel Foundation, an international training institute which develops faith-based organizations in urban metropolitan areas throughout the United States and in South Africa. She is currently the Regional Lead Organizer for the Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations (MAC), a Chicago metropolitan organization with 132 institutional members.

Greg Markus's research, teaching, and public work focus on political participation and urban politics. He recently led a research team in a four-year, 14-city study of civic participation in America and is writing a book about the study’s findings.

Bob Hudek , Bob has been with Citizen Action Fund since 1995. He was Co-Executive Director of the organization until 2005 when he became the sole Director until March 2007. Prior to that, he founded and served as Executive Director for the Coalition for Consumer Rights in IL. At the same time he was the political director for the IL Trial Lawyers Association, responsible for creating and implementing a comprehensive direct service consulting program for targeted candidates.

Victoria Kovari , Field Director. Vicki Kovari is the Field Director for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Ms. Kovari has worked as a community organizer, political consultant and non profit housing developer for over 27 years. For the last six years, she has worked as a Gamaliel Foundation organizer with MOSES, a congregation-centered community organization in Detroit, MI, directing campaigns for regional mass transit and health care.

ISAIAH has staff organizers who have multiple functions: Mentor clergy and lay leaders; plan and execute internal organizing; bring congregations into relationship with each other; facilitate movement into action; and engage participants in reflection. Organizing is agitating: helping people to view their lived experience anew, imagine their public selves in a fuller manner, decide to risk and invest time and energy. Moses and Jesus are key agitational figures of our tradition.

Barack Hussein Obama II born August 4, 1961 is the President-elect of the United States of America. The first African American to be elected President of the United States, Obama was the junior United States Senator from Illinois in 2004 and served until his resignation on November 16, 2008, following his election to the Presidency. His term of office as the forty-fourth U.S. president will begin on January 20, 2009.

Pamela McElvane is CEO of P&L Group, Ltd a Chicago based business of specialty companies offering an innovative approach to diversity business solutions, serving Fortune 1000 companies.