Berenice Pernalete is a visionary leader in bilingual education with 15+ years of experience designing and scaling high-impact learning programs. As Director of Instituto Mundo Verde, she has propelled a national model for professional development by applying user-centered design principles and continuous feedback loops. Building on the success of La Travesía (a nationally recognized bilingual Education for Sustainability curriculum), Berenice has thoughtfully expanded IMV’s flagship programs, transforming common challenges in bilingual education into pivotal opportunities for growth. Drawing on her background as a Spanish-immersion educator, she champions inclusive, culturally responsive solutions that support diverse classrooms. At home, Berenice remains devoted to her family, cherishing the energy and wonder of toddlerhood while honing the art of being truly present.

Jennifer Kouakeu is a passionate educational leader with over 12 years of experience in urban schools. She’s taught K-5, served as a Dual Language English teacher for K-4, and recently led a bilingual school as principal. Jennifer believes in effective collaboration, data-driven goals, and strong support for staff to close achievement gaps and enhance student success. She knows dual language education can open doors for multilingual learners, especially Black and Brown students. Proud boy mom, writer, cheer coach, and lover of dark chocolate and dancing, Jennifer brings energy and dedication to everything she does.

Kristin Scotchmer is the founding Executive Director of Mundo Verde PCS, where she transformed a visionary concept into D.C.'s first green charter school, scaling it from 122 to over 1,000 students. Under her leadership, the school secured local and national funding and awards for its innovative educational approaches and spaces. As a co-founder of DC International School, Kristin helped create a K-12 pathway for dual language students, now an authorized International Baccalaureate World School with high graduation rates. Kristin’s expertise in building from the ground up now supports Instituto Mundo Verde’s mission to extend its impact beyond the classroom. A proud mom and partner living in DC’s Petworth neighborhood, Kristin loves cooking and running the trails of Rock Creek Park.

Mishelle is a veteran bilingual educator from New Mexico. She is crazy about linguistic and cultural sustaining pedagogies for our communities. She is always willing to listen and support the work for multilingual students and communities. She tends to use humor and compassion as guiding anchors in her work as she knows the day to day grind of an educator is one that needs those two things. Mishelle and her colegas have recently edited and written a chapter in the new book, "Cultivating the Pedagogy for k-12 Transformative Education Approaches,, Activities, and Strategies for Students and Teachers" (Johnson-Ibarra et al., 2024). A pedagogy book, one centered in love and community, written by bilingual educators for all educators.