Don Boesch is a Professor of Marine Science and President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). He is a biological oceanographer who has conducted research in coastal and continental shelf environments along the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, eastern Australia and the East China Sea. He has published two books and more than 90 papers on marine and environmental science and policy. Presently his research focuses on the use of science in ecosystem management and in climate change adaptation. Dr Boesch is active in extending knowledge to environmental and resource management at regional, national and international levels. He led the team producing a comprehensive assessment of climate change impacts in Maryland, was a contributing author to Climate Change Impacts in the United States, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences committee that produced the report, America's Climate Choices.

Dr. Shapiro is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University System of Maryland, overseeing 13 institutions two-year colleges and K-12 schools to foster critical partnerships and learning communities to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Maryland. After completing her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland, she became the founding director of the College Park Scholars Program at the University of Maryland. She has served on the NCATE Board of Examiners, the Fielding Graduate Institute Board, the editorial board of Liberal Education, Communication Education, and National Learning Communities Project as a Fellow.