Ted Supalla, Ph.D, is Professor of Neurology, Linguistics, and Psychology at Georgetown University and director of the Sign Language Research Lab. He has published extensively on the structure of American Sign Language and other sign languages of the world. He served as a consultant to the World Federation of the Deaf, where he participated in publishing a white paper on the status of sign languages around the world. His lab hosts a Historical Sign Language Database (www.hsldb.georgetown.edu) as a resource tool for public use. He is a co-author of Sign Language Archaeology: Understanding Historical Roots of American Sign Language. He recently became a grandfather and looks forward to passing on ASL as a heritage language to his grandchild.

Candace Jones is an experienced educator, advocate, and change agent with over 16 years of involvement in the Deaf, Black and Brown Deaf, and Deaf with Disabilities educational communities. She currently serves as the director of Gallaudet University's newly established Heritage Sign Languages Center (HSLC), which operates under the office of the Chief Bilingual Officer. Candace's primary objective for the HSLC is to offer multicultural family and education services in diverse settings such as schools, training sessions, conferences, workshops, and community events. She firmly believes in equal rights for all individuals, regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, gender, disability, or ethnicity. Candace is also a second-year Ph.D. student at Gallaudet University, pursuing her studies in the Critical Studies in the Education of Deaf Learners program. Candace's favorite quote by Dr. Maya Angelou, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel," guides her work in uplifting and empowering the Deaf, Black and Brown Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities. The Heritage Sign Languages Center's "Together, We Thrive" tagline reflects Candace's vision for fostering a vibrant and inclusive community.