Dr. Deak has more than twenty years experience as an educator and psychologist. Her doctoral work at Kent State University focused on assessment of environmental, school, and family patterns that lead to healthy child development and, conversely, those patterns that cause issues, problems, and disabilities. Dr. Deak has been an advisor to Outward Bound, a past chair of the National Committee for Girls and Women in Independent Schools, and a member of numerous advisory boards. She consults with organizations and schools around the world and was awarded the 2003 Woman of Achievement Award by the National Coalition of Girl's Schools and the first Female Educator of the Year Award by Orchard House School in 2002. Her first book, How Girls Thrive, was published by the National Association of Independent Schools in 1998. Her second, Girls Will Be Girls: Raising Confident and Courageous Daughters, was published by Hyperion in 2002. You can learn more about Dr. Deak and her work at www.deakgroup.com.

Renee Hobbs is one of the nation's leading authorities on media education. She directs the Media Education Lab at Temple University and is a co-founder of the Alliance for a Media Literate America (AMLA). She co-directed the Ph.D. program in Mass Media and Communication at Temple University in 2004-2005 and currently hosts the Media Smart Seminars, a free professional development program for Philadelphia educators, media professionals and community leaders. Currently, Renee is co-principal investigator of a project, funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health, which explores the conditions under which Latinos in North Philadelphia critically analyze print tobacco advertising, TV public service announcements and tobacco product placement in movies. Renee is also developing an online multimedia learning environment to introduce media literacy to adolescent girls, ages 9 - 14, in a project funded by the Office on Women's Health (HHS). Learn more about Renee's work at www.mediaeducationlab.com.

Dianne Neumark-Sztainer has a Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences and Nutrition and a M.P.H. in Health Behavior from Hebrew University-Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel and a B.A. in Biology and Nutrition from Cornell University. She currently is a professor at the University of Minnesota in the Epidemiology and General Pediatrics divisions. Learn more about Dianne's work at http://www.epi.umn.edu/people/people.asp?ID=40.

Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D., is Professor of Education and Human Development at Colby College in Maine. She writes extensively on the relational life of girls; the influences of race, class and gender on girls' lives; the impact of media, and girls' feelings of anger, self-knowledge, loss, hope, and desire. Dr. Brown's acclaimed work on girls' social and psychological development has consistently broken new ground and challenged old perceptions. She is the co-author, with Carol Gilligan, of Meeting at the Crossroads: Women's Psychology and Girls' Development (Harvard University Press, 1992), a New York Times Notable Book of the Year that helped spark an international debate about the lives of girls and redefine our understanding of female development. Learn more about Lyn's work at http://www.colby.edu/directory_cs/lmbrown/.

Cheryl Dellasega is the author of several books dealing with issues related to adolescent girls. She is a full Professor of Humanities and Women's Studies at Penn State University where she is involved in teaching and research. Dr. Dellasega is known internationally for her scholarly work on psychosocial issues related to families. She is also the founder of Camp Ophelia and Club Ophelia, two programs for adolescent girls. Learn more about Cheryl's work at www.cheryldellasega.com.

Dr. Harriet S. Mosatche is the President of The Mosatche Group, a consulting company specializing in the development and evaluation of educational programs. Where Should I Sit at Lunch? The Ultimate 24/7 Guide to Surviving the High School Years, McGraw-Hill, 2006, is Dr. Mosatche's most recent book for teens. With her teenage daughter, she wrote two books: Getting to Know the Real You: 50 Fun Quizzes Just for Girls, Three Rivers Press, 2002, and What's So Bad About Being Good?, Three Rivers Press, 2001.

Dr. Mosatche received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her previous positions include Vice-President of Program Collaborations and Initiatives at Girl Scouts of the USA as well as Chairperson of the Psychology Department at the College of Mount St. Vincent in New York City.

Marcia Brumit Kropf is the Chief Operating Officer of Girls Incorporated. Previously, Dr. Kropf spent 12 years at Catalyst, the premier nonprofit research and advisory organization working to advance women in business, as Vice President of Research & Information Services. Prior to her work at Catalyst, Dr. Kropf spent over 20 years working in public education in a variety of positions, from classroom teaching to software design, focusing primarily on curriculum design and evaluation. Dr. Kropf earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, her Master of Arts in Teaching from Oberlin College, her Certificate of Advanced Studies in Research Education from Syracuse University, and her Ph.D. in Educational Communication and Technology from New York University. Learn more about Marcia's work at www.girlsinc.org.

Deborah Tolman is Professor of Human Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University and former Director of the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality. Dr. Tolman is a developmental psychologist whose research has focused on adolescent sexuality, gender development, gender equity and research methods. Her book on adolescent girls' sexuality, Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk about Sexuality, published by Harvard University Press in 2002, was awarded the 2003 Distinguished Book Award from the Association for Women in Psychology. Dr. Tolman is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and has received wide recognition for her contributions to female adolescent development. Learn more about Deborah's work at http://crgs.sfsu.edu/about/tolman.htm.