Lande Ajose is the Managing Director at the Waverley Street Foundation, a start-up philanthropic effort that invests at the intersection of climate solutions and community priorities. Previously, she was vice president and Walter and Esther Hewlett Chair in Understanding California’s Future and a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. Her career has focused on improving the lives of Californians by working in state government, private philanthropy, and research institutions. Her research interests include addressing issues of inequality through education and employment. She formerly served as senior policy advisor for higher education for the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. Before joining the Newsom administration, she was executive director of California Competes, chaired the California Student Aid Commission, and served on the governance bodies of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, the Institute for College Access and Success, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. She currently sits on the PPIC Higher Education Center Advisory Council and on the Board of Trustees at Occidental College. She holds a PhD in urban and regional studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Tamara Keith is a White House correspondent for National Public Radio and co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast. She has covered the White House since 2014 and was assigned to cover Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. She has also covered congress, business, the environment, California politics, and numerous natural disasters. In July 2022, she was named president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. She earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism.

Christine Mai-Duc covers state politics, housing, and the economy for the Wall Street Journal and is based in Los Angeles. She previously covered California politics for the Los Angeles Times, where she helped lead coverage of the 2018 midterms. She holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and an MA from the UC Berkeley School of Journalism.

Jennifer Medina is a national politics reporter with the New York Times, covering political attitudes and power, with a focus on the West. A Southern California native, she spent several years reporting on the region for the National desk. During her time in California, her reporting focused on immigration, education, and poverty. Since joining the Times in 2002, she has also covered politics in New York and Connecticut, and spent several years writing about New York City public schools. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in print journalism and political science.

Terry Tang is editorial page editor at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing the editorial board and the Op-Ed and Sunday Opinion sections. Previously she worked at the American Civil Liberties Union as director of publications and editorial. She also worked for 20 years at the New York Times in many capacities, including deputy editorial page editor, op-ed editor, editorial writer, and as an editor in technology, health, and metro news. She graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in economics, received a JD from New York University School of Law, and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard.