Ephraim is the Founder of CogWell which was incorporated as a non-profit in 2018 at the University of Pennsylvania. He began to address the mental health crisis on college campuses in 2008 along with a Healthy Living Advisory Board of Penn-affiliated professionals. Ephraim is an Associate Chaplain under the Chaplain's Office at Penn and has served as Co-Director of the Chabad at Penn with his wife since 1990. He is also a chaplain at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. He has been on the Board of Tikvah/Advocates for the Jewish Mentally Ill since 1992. Ephraim has a BS in Psychology from Georgetown University and a Rabbinical Degree from the Lubavitcher Yeshiva.

Barbra has a consulting practice that supports organizations and individuals that seek to enhance emotional well-being and interpersonal skills. She received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Humanistic and Behavioral Studies from Boston University. She has worked as a therapist, facilitator and administrator in programs serving a variety of populations with the common goal of cultivating life skills that foster a positive relationship with self and others. Barbra champions the practice of authentic conversations that support and heal. Her work is grounded in the conviction that listening -- actively listening with compassion and curiosity -- is an underutilized superpower that creates an opening for understanding, connection and growth.

Melissa Rice is a professor at Immaculata University, a professional public speaker, and author of The Worry Shark and The People You Meet in Real Life. She is the co-founder of the first Suicide Prevention First Responders and Military Personnel Symposium in Philadelphia, which was co-sponsored by the Philadelphia 76ers, the National Fraternal Order of Police, the Philadelphia Police and Fire Departments, the National Alliance on Mental Health, among other non-profit organizations. Melissa was the keynote speaker at the Tactical Pause Day for over 400 Airmen at Joint Base McGuire. She has also appeared on several radio and television programs including CBS, KYW, the CW, NBC, 9.25 XTU, and Q102.

Matthew Lee applies his background as a nurse-researcher and his experience in community management to improving the way people live, work, and study in the post-pandemic world. While many PhD-trained nurses work in academia, Matthew turns his research experience, coupled with his background as a designer and his experience on cross-disciplinary teams, towards grassroots efforts to address societal issues like mental health. At CogWell, he set up quality improvement efforts to monitor and analyze outcomes from its training programs, as well as building the evidence base that has allowed it to expand its presence to universities nationwide. As a designer, he lends his expertise to NVIDIA, where he is working on the latest AI tools to improve health and well-being. And as a community leader, he works with others seeking to develop the latest generation of augmented reality games meant to encourage physical activity (à la Pokémon GO) and one which seeks to turn gamers into citizen scientists by seamlessly integrating research tasks into the story, mechanics, and visuals of larger gaming experiences. He was awarded a Fulbright Award in 2016 to study the impact of augmented reality games on mental and physical health, was selected by the International Game Developers Association as one of its "Next Generation Leaders" in 2018, and was awarded the President's & Provost's Honor for Developing New Initiatives in Graduate & Professional Student Life by the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 for his efforts developing new programs to address the growing mental health crisis.

Isabella is a Temple University alumna with a degree in Marketing. During her college years, she discovered the vital role mental wellness and communication play in navigating the challenges of campus life. Now, as a public speaker and advocate for active listening at CogWell, Isabella is dedicated to supporting students by creating compassionate spaces where they feel heard. She’s passionate about being the person she wished she had access to during her own college experience.