John Gray, president and CEO of School Services of California, Inc., serves clients by conducting fiscal health analyses, providing collective bargaining assistance, preparing multiyear financial projections, performing school district efficiency studies, conducting internal control reviews, administering district office organizational reviews, and directing executive search services. He is an instructor at the University of Southern California Rossier School Business Management Certificate program, the CSBA Masters in Governance program, and the CASBO Chief Business Official Certification courses.

Dr. Rick Rigsby is an internationally acclaimed speaker and author who inspires audiences to live better lives and reach their full potential. More than 300 million people globally have viewed his speech in the viral video “Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout.” His book of the same name, which has become a Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon best-seller, illustrates how living out the simple lessons of “the wisest person he ever met” — his father — will transform individuals to be better people and greater leaders. A former award-winning professor and journalist, Rigsby brings a combined four decades of experience and expertise to his “How Ya’ Livin’?” podcast.

Dave Dravecky is a motivational speaker and former left-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants known for his heroic comeback to baseball after a cancer diagnosis in his pitching arm. In 1988, Dravecky was at the top of his game, playing professional baseball for the division champion Giants. That fall, doctors discovered cancer and told Dravecky, “Short of a miracle, you’ll never pitch again.” One year later, he returned to pitching with a 4-3 win for the Giants. However, his comeback was short-lived: In his next starting game, he suffered a horrendous injury on the mound that split his arm in two. Cancer returned and in 1991, his arm was amputated to save his life. Today, Dravecky and his wife, Jan, operate Endurance with Jan and Dave Dravecky, a nonprofit organization located in Colorado that helps others dealing with cancer, depression and loss.

Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed., has been an educator for over 30 years, teaching both at the elementary school level and the university level. She is a consultant and trainer on diversity as it relates to disability and is the author of several articles and books including “Beyond Awareness: Bringing Disability into Diversity Work in K-12 Schools & Communities.” She currently serves as a board member of Disability Voices United. Although Pastora Carson experiences disability herself, she credits her brother, Joaquin Carson, for her passion for inclusion, disability advocacy, and activism. Joaquin endured years of segregated schooling and subsequent institutionalization. Pastora Carson takes the most pride in knowing that after many years of fighting for his release, Joaquin now lives a life of inclusion and quality.

Jacob “Ten20” Thompson is an acclaimed inspirational communicator, award-winning recording artist, and author of “From Diagnosis to Destiny: Your Trials Aren’t Meant to Break You; They’re Meant to Make You.” A devastating diagnosis of Friedreich’s Ataxia at age 24 provided Thompson with an opportunity to give up on his dream of being a professional athlete. Instead, he has allowed his difficult circumstance to guide him into his destiny.