About the Author

Melissa Fitzgerald is an actor, producer and social justice advocate. As an actor, Melissa is best known for her seven-year role as Carol on the award-winning television series, The West Wing. While in Hollywood, Melissa co-founded Voices in Harmony, a mentoring program that uses theatre to work with historically underserved teens. She took Voices in Harmony to war-torn northern Uganda to work with former abducted child soldiers, resulting in the award-winning documentary After Kony: Staging Hope. She is also co-executive producer of Halfway Home, a film that profiles several returning veterans as they share their struggles reintegrating after experiencing the trauma of war. In 2013, Melissa left Hollywood to champion justice system reform at All Rise where she is at the forefront of engaging the public in the expansion of treatment courts and advancing justice system responses for individuals impacted by substance use and mental health disorders. She has been published in the New York Times and the Washington Post and is a recipient of the Secretary of the Army's Public Service Medal. Melissa is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and The Neighbourhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She lives in Washington, DC.Mary McCormack is an actor, producer, and activist who played Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper on The West Wing. A Tony-nominated Broadway actress, she is known for a diversity of roles across film, television, and theatre. Mary is an outspoken advocate for a whole host of causes, from social justice and women's rights to veterans' issues and criminal justice reform. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three daughters.