Michael Sullivan, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Chicago State University, received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Before retiring, Mike taught at Chicago State for 35 years, where he honed an approach to teaching and writing that forms the foundation for his textbooks. His publications include Finite Mathematics, College Algebra, Algebra and Trigonometry, Precalculus, Business Calculus, Engineering Calculus, and AP Calculus. Mike is a member of the American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges, the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Textbook and Academic Authors Association. Mike serves on the governing board of TAA and represents TAA on the board of the Authors Coalition of America, a consortium of 22 author/creator organizations in the United States. Several of his texts have received TAA's McGuffey Longevity Award.

In 2007, he was awarded the TAA Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2023 the Alumni Award for Excellence from St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. His influence in the field of mathematics extends to his four children: Kathleen, who teaches college mathematics; Michael III, who also teaches college mathematics, and who is his coauthor on two precalculus series; Dan, who is a sales director for a college textbook publishing company; and Colleen, who teaches middle-school and secondary school mathematics. Twelve grandchildren round out the family. Mike would like to dedicate this text to his four children, 12 grandchildren, and future generations. Kathleen Miranda, Ed.D from St. John's University, is an Emeritus Associate Professor of the State University of New York (SUNY), where she taught for 25 years.

Kathleen is a recipient of the prestigious New York State Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. She particularly enjoys teaching mathematics to underprepared and fearful students. Kathleen has served as director of Curriculum and Assessment Development at SUNY at Old Westbury. In addition to her extensive classroom experience, Kathleen has worked as accuracy reviewer and solutions author on several mathematics textbooks, including Michael Sullivan's Brief Calculus and Finite Mathematics. Kathleen's goal is to help students unlock the complexities of calculus and appreciate its many applications. Kathleen has four children, all of whom took AP Calculus. Each used the concepts and skills learned in AP Calculus both in college and graduate school. AP Calculus continues to have an impact in their chosen professions: medicine, engineering, strategic planning, and business development.

Kathleen would like to dedicate this text to her children and grandchildren.