Diane Latiker Author

Diane Latiker was a CNN Top Ten Hero of the Year in 2011 for her tireless work with at-risk Chicago teens. Recipient of the 2013 BET Shine a Light Award, she is an in-demand speaker and has been featured by national media outlets, such as NBC News, CBS News, NPR's Weekend Edition, Ebony magazine, Time magazine, the Huffington Post, USA Today, and more. In 2019, she spoke at the US House Judiciary Committee's first hearing on gun violence in years, and she has just graduated from the Goldin Institute as a 2019 Chicago Peace Fellow. Latiker lives in Chicago with her husband and their eight children.


Bethany Mauger is the coauthor of Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System, as well as an award-winning journalist who has spent more than a decade writing about everything from the Great Recession to inspiring stories of people making a difference. Recognized by the Hoosier State Press Association for her local coverage of various issues ranging from the economy to community service, Mauger lives in Lansing, Michigan, with her husband and two young sons.