Dr. Brandi Simonsen is a professor of Special Education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She is also a Co-Director of the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS; www.pbis.org) and Co-Principal Investigator of the National Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Support (I-MTSS) Research Network (mtss.org). Dr. Simonsen's scholarship focuses on supporting educators' implementation of PBIS/MTSS across a continuum of settings.

Dr. Ruthie Payno-Simmons (formerly Riddle) is the Founder and Executive Consultant of RPS Educational Impact (https://rpsimpact.com) and an internationally recognized leader in educational equity. She previously served as the Associate Director of the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP Center). With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Payno-Simmons has led successful initiatives to address academic and disciplinary disparities for minoritized students, including the Michigan PBIS Equity Pilot, in partnership with the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS; www.pbis.org). Dr. Payno-Simmons collaborates nationally with technical assistance centers and education agencies to develop equity-focused policies and build sustainable educational support systems through continuous improvement. Additionally, she contributes to national workgroups, including the PBIS Equity and Belonging Workgroup and, more recently, the PBIS Classroom and Disability Workgroup, where she helps create evidence-based tools to support educators in implementing culturally sustaining practices.