Jeanne Allen pioneered the Center for Education Reform (CER) to restore excellence to education, and 30 years later CER is the nation’s leading voice for innovation and opportunity in education. In 2021, with the Covid pandemic making transparent the deficiencies of the traditional education system, CER launched the $1 million STOP Award to Transform Education – now the Yass Prize – in partnership with CER Director Janine Yass, to honor education providers who deliver outstanding education for students. A respected national thought leader, Jeanne has written and appeared extensively throughout the media, as well as published several books, most recently, An Unfinished Journey: Education & the American Dream.

Curtis Carmichael is an award-winning author who has built a strong international reputation as a dedicated advocate for ensuring all communities—especially marginalized, underserved, and underestimated communities—have the financial, entrepreneurial, STEM, and STEAM education skills to thrive in the digital and global innovation economy. Curtis believes with conviction that every person is gifted, it is just a matter of having the right platform and opportunities to unwrap and use those gifts. His guiding mission to elevate the social and economic fabric of every neighborhood he enters provides students, educators, and organizations with practical strategies to make a difference in their lives, schools, businesses, and communities.

Recognized as one of the most influential executives in the music industry, Troy Carter has helped drive the success of numerous media and entertainment companies positioned at the intersection of technology and culture. He is the founder and CEO of Q&A, a technology and media company focused on powering the business of music via distribution, services, and data analytics. Prior to Q&A, Troy was the founder and CEO of Atom Factory, a multi-dimensional branding, entertainment, and artist management company, and held the role of Global Head of Creator Services at Spotify. As a talent manager, Troy has worked with many award winning artists including Lady Gaga, John Legend, Priyanka Chopra, and Meghan Trainor.

Kevin Chavous is the President of academics, policy and schools for  Stride Inc., a technology-based education company and the nation’s leading provider of proprietary curriculum and online school programs for students in pre-K through high school. Kevin oversees all of the services that the company provides to over one million students nationwide. A noted author, attorney and national education reform leader, Kevin is also a former member of the Council of the District of Columbia.

Kevin was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated from Wabash College, where he was an NCAA District All-American in basketball. He also was inducted into the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. Kevin graduated from the Howard University School of Law, where he was president of his graduating class.

Recognized as one of the most influential executives in the music industry, Troy Carter has helped drive the success of numerous media and entertainment companies positioned at the intersection of technology and culture. He is the founder and CEO of Q&A, a technology and media company focused on powering the business of music via distribution, services, and data analytics. Prior to Q&A, Troy was the founder and CEO of Atom Factory, a multi-dimensional branding, entertainment, and artist management company, and held the role of Global Head of Creator Services at Spotify. As a talent manager, Troy has worked with many award winning artists including Lady Gaga, John Legend, Priyanka Chopra, and Meghan Trainor.

In 2005, Aaron Frumin dropped out of college to respond to Hurricane Katrina by joining the Red Cross. This unexpected path ultimately led him to think critically about what young people need to thrive immediately following high school. Aaron’s professional journey led him to discover that a construction site was its own type of classroom, and while reflecting on how to combine these experiences to drive impact for young people, he decided that he wanted to build houses with high school students and use the profits to award scholarships to these apprentices. The result of this revelation is unCommon Construction, founded in 2015, and a 2022 Yass Prize finalist.

Cris Gulacy-Worrel is driven with a passion and commitment to her work as a result of her own life experience as a non-traditional and unconventional learner who struggled throughout her adolescence. Cris is a first-generation college student, and she has dedicated her career to re-engage students who have dropped out of high school. Cris has extensive experience in charter schools and she has worked in various capacities in the education sector, both public and private, including at the Ohio Department of Education where she specialized in charter school funding, education policy, and legislation. Oakmont Education is a 2022 Yass Prize finalist.

Randall Lane is a journalist and author who created the Forbes 30 Under 30 List. Earlier in his career, Randall served as the editor-at-large for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. His memoir, The Zeroes: My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane, provides unique insight on the gilded era of Wall Street when ambition and ethical lapses were the norm.

Mike Long launched SailFuture, an innovative programs for high-risk youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, in 2013 while a student at New College of Florida. As a teenager, Mike spent 1.5 years in and out of Florida’s juvenile justice system and was placed in a multitude of intervention programs. His passion to inspire and empower young people caught in a broken system stems from his journey through ineffective and oppressive approaches to behavior reform. SailFuture is a 2022 Yass Prize finalist.

Edna Martinson stepped away from her job to support youth through learning and broaden her commitment to providing equity in education. With her co-founder, Edna developed a game-based learning platform to combat educational gaps and help improve student outcomes in elementary schools. Today, Boodle Learning has more than 5 million registered students. They plan to expand their impact beyond the classroom walls by providing parents with healthy screen time options for their children.

Michael Moe is regarded as one of the world’s preeminent authorities on growth investing. Recognized as one of the best and brightest investors on Wall Street, his honors include Institutional Investor‘s All American research team and The Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” award. Michael is the co-founder of the ASU+GSV Summit, which Forbes calls “the Davos of Education.”

Alisha Thomas Searcy is a transformational education leader, champion for students, educators and parents, and is not afraid to defy the odds. At the age of 23, Alisha made history as the first African American to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives for six terms. She coauthored the state’s Teacher and Leader Evaluation System, and authored the state intra-district transfer law, allowing parents to choose the best public school within their district for their students, regardless of zip code. Steadfast in her commitment to students, parents and educators, Alisha is now the CEO of her own education leadership consulting firm.

Taylor Shead is an innovative entrepreneur best known for making school fun by creating a 3D immersive game-based learning platform and pairing students in need with industry leading STEM companies. The Dallas Business Journal ranked Taylor one of the top 25 women in business and D Magazine put her on the cover of the most influential business leaders in Dallas Fort Worth issue. In partnership with the Dallas Education Foundation (DEF), Taylor developed a new learning management system to integrate and streamline all virtual learning, which led to being named a 2021 STOP Award finalist.

Governor Kevin Stitt is leading Oklahoma with a vision to become Top Ten in job growth, infrastructure, education and more. He is an entrepreneur who founded Gateway in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2000. Starting with only $1,000 and a computer, he grew Gateway into a nationwide mortgage company operating in 42 states and servicing more than $20 billion in residential mortgages. In 2018, he led Gateway through a merger and established Gateway First Bank, which today is one of Oklahoma’s 10 largest banks by assets with over $2 billion in assets, 166 mortgage centers across the U.S., and more than 1,600 employees.

Lisa Wang founded Almost Fun to ensure low-income students and BIPOC students have educational resources that empower their learning. Her passion for educational equity is inspired in part by students she has worked with and in part by her parents, who grew up in rural China with scarce access to quality educational resources. Prior to leading Almost Fun, she was a product manager at Google, leading development of features on Google Classroom and Google Maps.

For more than 25 years, Janine Yass has dedicated her time, intellect, and resources to creating excellent schools for parents to have meaningful choices. Her passion for education opportunities for all students sparked the creation of the Yass Prize and STOP Awards Initiative. Janine’s vision is fueling a new renaissance in education, based on the premise that every parent deserves the ability to provide their children with individualized, 21st century education opportunities offered in supportive environments alongside their peers.