Masami Izumida Tyson was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, and has lived in the United States since the age of 18. She received her B.A. and M.A. in the Writing Seminars at the Johns Hopkins
University, where she was a recipient of the Sudler Prize in the Arts. After teaching creative writing at Johns Hopkins and then in high schools in Tennessee, she received her law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. Thereafter she worked as a federal law clerk, a litigator at law firm, and in various in-house positions at global companies such as Nissan North America.
Masami left her work as an attorney in 2018 to pursue work in public service, and she currently serves as the Global Director of Foreign Direct Investment and Trade for the State of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Masami works to create jobs forTennesseans by managing a team of directors in worldwide locations and by recruiting and supporting foreign businesses to and in the State. She interfaces with international delegations
as well as various diplomatic offices and organizations located domestically and abroad in order to promote economic development in the State of Tennessee. Masami is also the state’s trade director.
Masami serves on boards and committees of several organizations, including the International Business Council and Tennessee District Export Council, and she is the chairperson of the board of the Japan-America Society of Tennessee. She is also a member and council leader of the national organization, U.S.-Japan Council. Masami lives in Nashville with her husband and three children.

Alexander Jun is an educational researcher and equity scholar who speaks and teaches on issues of postsecondary education and the evangelical church in America. His most recent book published last summer is entitled, White Evolution: The Constant Struggle for Racial Consciousness. Two of his other books are From Here to University: Access, Mobility and Resilience Among Latino Youth, and White Out: Understanding White Privilege and Dominance in the Modern Age. He has also authored numerous book chapters and scholarly articles. Dr. Jun holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of Southern California. He is currently Professor of Higher Education at Azusa Pacific University, where he teaches qualitative research methods and diversity and social justice courses to Ph.D. students. Alex is married to Jeany, and together they have three teenagers.

Katy Gash is a S.E.E.D. Fellow - STEM Educators for Equity and Diversity - in the Henderson County Public Schools. She is an 8th grade math teacher and is licensed in grades 6-9 (mathematics, science and social studies). She has a B.A. in Finance and an M.B.A. in International Business. She has been an educator for 9 years. She is eager to learn all that she can to help "right the lopsided ship" that is our education system, and in particular to affect change within STEM education for our marginalized students. She wants to validate their brilliance, fan their curiosity, and help nurture more equitable opportunities within their learning communities.

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Join me as Katy and I discuss what equity truly means, and how it can be achieved in our educational system.