Ronald Yates is Dean of College of Media and Professor of Journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Yates is a former editor of the Chicago Tribune.

Dr. D. Fairchild Ruggles is Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, Dr. Ruggles co-directs the Collaborative for Cultural Heritage and Museum Practices (CHAMP) at Illinois.

Dr. Robert Rich is Director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, Dr. Rich is Professor in the College of Law.

Dr. Fazal Rizvi is Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Director of the Global Studies in Education online program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Peter Nadulli is Professor of Political Science and Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also Director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Governance.

Dr. Frederick Lamb is Fortner Endowed Chair in Theoretical Astrophysics, and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, Dr. Lamb is Director of the Center for Theoretical Astrophysics.

Dr. Susan Kieffer is Walgreen Endowed Chair and Center for Advanced Study Professor of Geology and Physics at the University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign.

Paula Kaufman is University Librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also Professor of Library Administration at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Hadi Salehi Esfahani is a Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, he currently serves as the Editor of the Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, the President of Middle East Economic Association, and the Director of Global Studies Initiative at the University of Illinois. He has also worked for the World Bank as a visiting staff economist and a consultant. He has received his B.Sc. in engineering from Tehran University and Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. His theoretical and empirical research is in the field of political economy of development, focusing in particular on the Middle East and North Africa region. He has published numerous articles on the role of politics and governance in fiscal, trade, and regulatory policy formation. His articles have appeared in journals The Economic Journal, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Development Economics, International Economic Review, Oxford Economic Review, and World Development, among others.

Dr. Paul Diehl is Henning Larsen Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Diehl is also affiliated with Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security (ACDIS), a unit within the International Programs and Studies at UIUC.