Anne K. Horak, Ph.D taught middle school and served as a K-12 administrator supervising advanced programs prior to serving as a Principal Investigator and Project Director for Project ExCEL and ExCEL-Ignite. She has written multiple book chapters and articles and contributed to the development of award-winning PBL curriculum units.

Kimberley Daly, Ph.D. serves as Coordinator for Project ExCEL-Ignite, a federally-funded grant at George Mason University seeking to identify culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students for gifted programs through problem-based learning (PBL). Dr. Daly has 30 years of educational experience. Her research focuses on PBL, advanced academics, and global citizenship.

Shannon King, Ph.D. has worked in education for 30 years as a classroom teacher, gifted education teacher, an instructional coach, and as an administrator. She also works as an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, teaching courses in curriculum and instruction, assessment and differentiation, gifted education, and educational research