Valerie brings 23 years of experience in education and libraries to her work with innovative organizations. As a successful grant writer & published author, she lent her skills to secure funding for school and public library programs. Valerie has held leadership positions in various professional organizations. She has served as President & Vice President of the Dallas Association of School Librarians. She served a five year term as a member of the Texas Library Association's Legislative Committee. In the American Library Association, Valerie has served as a cohort 3 member of the American Library Association Policy Corps, advocating for school & public libraries at the national level. Valerie also served as the Organization and Bylaws Chair of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and later served on the YALSA Board of Directors. Valerie has also been a member of ALA Council, the governing body of the American Library Association. Currently, Valerie is the 23-24, 24-25 editor of the Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults. In the Summer of 2022, the book Liven Up Your Library written by Valerie Tagoe and co-author Julia Torres was released. The title is currently available for purchase in the ISTE Store, BN.com & Amazon.

Julia E. Torres is a nationally recognized veteran language arts teacher, librarian, and teen programs administrator in Denver, Colorado. Julia facilitates teacher development workshops rooted in the areas of anti-racist education, equity and access in literacy and librarianship, and education as a practice of liberation. Julia's work has been featured on NPR, AlJazeera’s The Stream, PBS Education, KQED’s MindShift, Rethinking Schools, Learning for Justice Magazine, School Library Journal, American Libraries Magazine, and many more. She is a Book Love Foundation board member, Educolor Working Group member, a Book Ambassador for The Educator Collaborative, and a co-founder of #DisruptTexts. Her co-authored title Liven Up Your Library: Design Engaging and Inclusive Programs for Teens and Tweens is just the first of many forthcoming publications for librarians and educators.