Dr. Lauren Bridges is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia, faculty co-lead of the Digital Technology for Democracy Lab at the University of Virginia, and faculty affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. She researches the sociotechnical, political, economic, and environmental politics of digital infrastructures. Dr. Bridges has published in peer-reviewed journals, public news outlets such as The Guardian, and she is regularly interviewed in media regarding the social and environmental impacts of big data infrastructures. She is currently writing a book on the local land use politics of digital industrial expansion in Southern California and Northern Virginia.

Josh Kurtz is a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and conservationist, passionate about the beauty of Maryland and all the resources it has to offer.​

Under the Moore/Miller administration, Secretary Kurtz leads teams across the state of Maryland, working to improve water quality and bay resilience, restore and conserve forested land, expand access to our state parks, monitor and slow the spread of invasive species, and ensure the state maintains sustainable fisheries.

Kurtz previously served as the Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and has also served as policy and government relations director for The Nature Conservancy in Maryland where he created and led advocacy campaigns leveraging strong relationships with partners and industry leaders to build support for policies regarding conservation and climate change in both the Maryland General Assembly and the DC City Council.

Kurtz lives in Crownsville, Maryland with his wife, Samantha, and their ​son. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware.

Brandon Jones is the President of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the world’s largest professional society for Earth and space scientists. His responsibilities include chairing the AGU Board and providing leadership for activities and efforts that promote AGU’s strategic plan. Brandon is a former Federal scientist who oversaw programs that focused on impacts of ecological services in a changing climate, talent development, and broadening participation efforts to optimize human capacity in the Earth system sciences.

Brandon holds a BA in biology from The Lincoln University (PA) and graduate degrees in Marine Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE). He continues to be a mentor and advocate for early-career STEM scholars who are members of historically excluded communities.