Speaking little English, Ji-Wu Jia came to the United States with his wife and son in 1989 from Beijing, China, a society that is much more open to the world now than years ago. Home to the 2008 Olympics, Beijing is also where Jia received a bachelor’s degree in computer programming from Beijing College of Economics.
Gilbert E. Pryor Jr., a native of Washington, D.C., holds a master's degree from Bowie State University in organizational communication and a bachelor's degree in music education with a minor in trumpet from Howard University.