Education for Sustainability and Human Rights Program

Ion Vlad is the director of the San Francisco-based Miner Anderson Family Foundation. He is a co-founder of the Peace Leadership Collaborative in California. He is also an adjunct professor of human rights at the University of Arizona.

Theresa (Tracey) is a Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Kennesaw State University. Her scholarship examines citizenship education in culturally diverse societies from decolonial, global, and comparative perspectives. Prior to joining academia, Tracey worked for 13 years as an upper elementary teacher in international schools in Bangkok and Hong Kong, and as an ESOL teacher in a refugee camp in the Philippines. She is an editorial board member of Theory and Research in Social Education, a recipient of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) exemplary dissertation award, and author of several peer reviewed articles and book chapters. Her recent book (edited with Dr. Mark Baildon), Research on Global Citizenship Education in Asia brought together scholars from seven Asian societies. Along with Dr. Sohyun An, Tracey is a founding member and co-director of education for Asian American Voices for Education (AAVEd), a collective advocating for ethnic studies in the GA K-12 curriculum. Their edited volume, Grassroots Organizing for K-12 Asian American Studies: Stories from Field (Palgrave) chronicles AAVEd members’ stories of curriculum reform in the aftermath of the Atlanta Spa shootings.

Nefertari Yancie is an Assistant Professor of History Education at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Yancie’s research interests include developing students’ historical empathy skills utilizing counternarratives, first-person perspective writing, and historical dialogues. Her research especially focuses on how historical empathy may be utilized in the classroom to explore how enduring issues such as racism and social injustice have their roots in the past and continue to impact the present.

Erin Adams is an Associate Professor of Elementary Social Studies in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Kennesaw State University. Her scholarship examines social studies teacher education, specifically economic education and discourse. In that area, she investigates the history of neoclassical economic theory (the theories used in K-12) and the relationship between economics and civic education. Relatedly, she investigates the economic and environmental impact of metals, mining, and extraction. Her work has been published in a variety of journals and books. She is also interested in scholarly reading, writing, and theorizing practices. She is the co-editor of the Theory-Story Reader for Social Studies as well as two forthcoming volumes.

Dale Hawkins Long is a survivor of the September 15, 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where four of his friends were tragically killed and twenty-seven injured. He and his late brother, Kenneth escaped unscathed. Mr. Long’s experience in Birmingham led him to dedicate his life to volunteering. He has received numerous awards for volunteer service including recognition by both President George H. W. Bush and President George W. Bush.

His professional career includes the NASA Space Shuttle Program, Texas Instruments, the City of Garland, the City of Dallas, and consultant to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Now retired, Mr. Long is a public speaker, cinematic realist, and a primary source storyteller about Jim Crow, 60’s era Birmingham. He has shared his story in academia, corporate, and faith-based settings, as well as in numerous public and community forums. Most recently he lectured to students at Western Carolina University in North Carolina and at Texas Instruments.

Jonathan Peraza Campos is a middle school teacher, teacher educator, and community organizer. He provides professional development, does outreach, and creates resources to support the teaching of Central American studies in K-12 with the Teaching Central America program at Teaching for Change. He merges his knowledge of ethnic studies and Central American Studies (CAS) education and community organizing to amplify the ongoing work for liberatory education in the South through his sixth grade classroom, the Vos del Sur Program at Migrant Roots Media, Escuelitas on Buford Highway, and the Atlanta chapter of the Association of Raza Educators.

Peraza Campos received his undergraduate degree in Sociology and English in 2018 from Emory University. He holds master’s degrees in Social Foundations of Education and in Secondary English Education from Georgia State University along with a graduate certificate in Latin American Studies from Georgia State and an ethnic studies K-12 teacher specialization certificate from University of California, Los Angeles. He is currently completing a Master of Arts in History from Georgia State University. His educational and historical work examine the links between racism, imperialism, immigration, militarism, incarceration, policing, and education, especially in the Latinx South and pertaining to Central Americans.  

Lily Pabian has served as Executive Director of We Love Buford Highway since 2019. She has more than 30 years of experience across the nonprofit, consulting, and corporate sectors. Her work focuses on community-centered leadership, cultural preservation, strategic communications, fundraising, and coalition building. She is known for bridging long-term vision with grassroots engagement, ensuring that organizational strategies remain grounded in the lived experiences of the communities they serve.

Pabian's connection to Buford Highway is deeply personal. Her early experiences growing up here continue to shape her commitment to preserving the corridor's cultural heritage and ensuring that immigrant communities remain visible, valued, and connected. Today, Pabian views Buford Highway not simply as a place, but as a living example of how diverse communities create belonging through shared experiences, cultural exchange, and collective investment in one another. Her leadership at We Love Buford Highway reflects a lifelong dedication to advancing opportunities for immigrant families while celebrating the stories, businesses, and traditions that define Atlanta's most multicultural corridor.

Her contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including Georgia Asian Times' 25 Most Influential Asian Americans, the Atlanta Business Chronicle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award, Atlanta Business Chronicle Power 100: Atlanta's Most Influential Advocates, Dekalb County Board of Commissioners, and Atlanta Magazine's 500 Most Powerful Leaders.