Karen Simmons has taught every grade except kindergarten during her 28-year career. She holds a gifted certification and has also taught inclusion SLD classes in Palm Beach County, where she now teaches a second grade gifted class. Karen has been nominated for the Dwyer Award and the Florida Teacher of the Year twice, and she has received the "I Make a Difference" award in teaching sponsored by Channel 12 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the Palm Beach Post (1998-99).

An educator in Palm Beach County for 18 years, Cindy Guinn has taught all elementary grades, as well as serving as primary resource specialist for three years. Cindy has been nominated for the Dwyer Award for Excellence in Education, the Florida League of Teachers in 1999, and was recently nominated and featured as the Palm Beach Post's "Teacher of the Week." Cindy and Karen Simmons started the Bag Ladies in 1993. Both believe in the value of keeping teachers excited and full of creative ideas. Since then, they have created 13 thematic units and presented make-n-take manipulative workshops in schools and at conferences in Florida. Their easy and inexpensive make-n-takes give teachers inexpensive and fun tools to create integrated thematic units.