McCuen-Metherell, Jo Ray: - Born in Belgium, the daughter of an American minister, Jo Ray McCuen-Metherell had moved from Brussels to Paris to Bern, Switzerland, by the time she was seven years old. In Bern, she attended the Freies Gymnasium and spoke not only fluent French and German but also English, which was the language spoken to her by her American parents. After World War II, Dr. McCuen-Metherell's parents sent her and her brother to Pacific Union College (in California's Napa Valley), where she received a B. A. in English. She taught English and French in high school for several years and then took night classes at the University of Southern California, where she earned an M.A. and Ph.D. While working on her doctorate, she was hired to teach English at Glendale Community College and later to serve as Dean of the Evening College. A chance meeting in 1973 with Anthony C. Winkler, a successful novelist, led to a literary partnership that has produced 15 co-authored textbooks used at colleges and universities across the United States.

Watts, Kate: - Kate Watts was born and raised in a small, rural farming community in southern Idaho. Her father was a millwright and cattle rancher, and her mother was a fruit sorter and homemaker. Cattle ranching is hard work, and Kate learned to care for animals, to mend fences and to grow and preserve a wide variety of vegetables. Kate attended the University of Idaho for both her BA (2004) and MA (2011), and while earning those degrees, she worked as a restaurant manager (2001-2008). While earning her MA, Kate also worked towards a secondary teaching certification. In 2011, Kate began teaching first-year composition at WSU, and in subsequent years taught composition at the 100, 200, 300 and 400 levels. In 2018, Kate became Assistant Director of Composition, and in 2023, she became Director of Composition. Kate regularly teaches Composition courses, Composition Pedagogy Seminars and English Education courses and she serves on several department, college and university committees and subcommittees connected to writing and writing pedagogy.