Speaker Profiles
We are delighted to share the first announcement of speakers for ReimaginED24 in Melbourne. Scroll down to read more about their backgrounds, expertise, interests and current work. We look forward to them sharing their knowledge and expertise, and challenging us to think critically about the future of education.
Speakers
Professor Emeritus Michael Fullan
Professor Emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto, and Co-Director of New Pedagogies for Deep Learning
Michael Fullan, Order of Canada, is the former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and Professor Emeritus of the University of Toronto. He is co-leader of the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning global initiative.
Fullan served as Premier Dalton’s Special Policy Adviser in Ontario from 2003-2013. He received the Order of Canada (OC) in December 2012 and holds five honorary doctorates from universities around the world. His ‘interim autobiography’, Surreal Change, covers his pre-COVID period to 2018. Michael and his colleagues are now working diligently on field-based comprehensive system change in several countries. The goal of this work focuses on the ‘humanity paradigm’ — a deep care and commitment to all living things including equity and equality in the service of helping all humans cope and thrive in the complex societies of the 21st century.
Michael Fullan’s latest books are: Spirit Work and the Science of Collaboration (with Mark Edwards, 2022), The Principal 2.0 (2023), and The Drivers (with Joanne Quinn, 2023).
Michael will be joining the conference live from Canada.
Dr Mette Miriam Boell
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Centre for Systems Awareness, and Co-Founder and Research Director, Systems Awareness Lab, MIT
Mette Miriam Boell (Böll) is a biologist specialized in the evolution of complex social systems, mammalian play behavior and philosophy of nature. Mette Miriam has a Ph.D. in organizational ethology from the Center for Semiotics, Aarhus University, and holds additional degrees in contemplative leadership and the philosophy and history of science. She uses her training in these diverse areas to research how emotions and feelings are transmitted in social relations and how the resulting relational fields in turn shape the larger systems human beings are parts of, with a particular focus on education.
In 2014, Mette Miriam joined Peter Senge and Daniel Goleman to form the Triple Focus Initiative, which then merged into the Garrison Global Collaboration for Integrative Learning. This became a community of researchers and educational practitioners focused on exploring the impact of integrating contemplative social-emotional learning (SEL) and systems thinking in education. This Initiative merged in 2019 into The Center for Systems Awareness, a global collaboration of master educators, leaders, students and researchers, which Mette Miriam co-founded with Peter Senge. The work of the center is grounded in the core belief that education today must help students recognize, navigate and shape a world of profound interconnectedness: self (understood as the “mind-body-heart system”), other (families friends, teams, groups) and the larger social, economic and natural systems around us. Main projects include partnerships with States, universities, Counties and districts, schools and community-based organisations focused on building capacity for compassionate systems leaders in education, and studying generative social fields at the classroom, school, community, state and global systems level.
In 2022, Mette Miriam co-founded The MIT Systems Awareness Lab with Peter Senge, where she currently holds the position of Research Director. The focus of the Lab is to study the impact of compassionate systems change in education as well as developing the Systems Awareness methodology. A primary focus of the scientific endeavors at the Lab is the continuous, rigorous exploration and understanding of how we may more consistently shape generative social fields. In addition, the Lab convenes an eclectic community of scientists and practitioners in conversation and exploration of shifting the trajectory of the future through compassionate systems change.
Hayley McQuire
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition, and Co-Chair, Learning Creates Australia
Hayley McQuire is a Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman born and raised in Rockhampton, Central Queensland. Her work is centered on community, relationality and convening new collectives to rethink education. She is the co-founder and CEO of The National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition, Co-Chair of Learning Creates Australia and board director for a number of non-profit organisations. She brings over 10 years of experience working across Indigenous policy and training, and has worked on advocacy campaigns and capacity building initiatives with education coalitions and young people around the world.
Professor Sandra Milligan
Executive Director and Enterprise Professor, Melbourne Assessment, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne.
Enterprise Professor Sandra Milligan is Director of Melbourne Assessment at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne. Sandra has an unusually wide engagement with the education industry and in educational research. Originally a teacher of science and mathematics, she is also a former Director of Curriculum in an Australian state education department and has held senior research, management and governance positions in a range of educational organisations, including government agencies, not-for-profits, small start-up businesses and large, listed, international corporations.
Sandra’s current research interests focus on assessment, recognition and warranting of hard-to-assess learning. She directs several research partnerships with school networks and organisations working to develop Learner Profiles for their students.
She is lead author of Future Proofing Australian Students with New Credentials report, outlining methods to reliably assess and recognise the level of attainment of general capabilities, and of Recognition of Learning Success for All: Ensuring Trust and Utility in a New approach to Recognition of Learning in Senior Secondary Education in Australia.
Chris Higgins
National Program Director, Development and Innovation, The MacKillop Institute
Chris is a passionate advocate for inclusive and equitable education. With a career spanning leadership roles in schools, not-for-profits, consultancy, and the ed-tech sector, Chris has devoted his career to empowering educators and young people both in Australia and on a global scale. He firmly believes in the capacity of educators and schools to drive positive change and is deeply committed to collaborative efforts with educators and broader communities to foster a more harmonious and inclusive education system.
Chris has held several leadership roles including as Director at a 30-year-old not-for-profit, where he lead a team in the design and delivery of educator and student programs across 23 countries. Prior to this, he played a pivotal role in propelling one of Australia's ed-tech unicorns to a user base exceeding 2 million and was responsible for the creation of over 1000 digital K-12 student learning resources. Chris's contributions to education have earned him recognition as a 'Most Influential Educator' by The Educator Magazine Australia. He is also a member of the Institute of Community Directors Australia and maintains his status as a fully registered teacher. Currently, he is actively pursuing a Ph.D. focused on digital technologies in Australian schools.
Smeeta Singh
National Program Director, Power to Kids
With an MA in Education Policy, Smeeta is passionate about social justice in education and the impact of intergenerational outcomes on student transitions, engagement and achievement. Nearing 20 years in the education sector, Smeeta has worked across a variety of roles that focus on empowering young people through education, including school improvement, teacher training and child wellbeing.
Through senior leadership roles in the community and government sector, Smeeta has led the rollout of trauma-informed practice and systems-based change across schools, family violence and community services sectors. She brings a deep understanding of place-based implementation within national and state contexts, and experience harnessing the voice of communities and young people to inform meaningful change.
Professor Peter Twining
Director, Belief2Practice, and Honorary Professor, University of Newcastle
Peter Twining is the Director of Belief2Practice, an educational consultancy that aims to support effective education professionals. Peter is co-author of ‘EdTech to PedTech: Changing the way we think about digital technology’. He is an Honorary Professor of Education at the University of Newcastle (Australia), having formerly been Professor of Education (Innovation in Schooling & Educational Technology) at the University of Newcastle, and Professor of Education (Futures) at the Open University (UK). He has also been a primary school teacher, initial teacher educator, the Head of the Department of Education at the Open University, the Co-Director of the Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology, and Co-Editor in Chief of Computers & Education. He has brought in over £10 million of external funding, most of which was focussed on issues to do with the purposes of education, the management of educational change and enhancing education systems, informed by understandings of learning, pedagogy and the potentials of digital technology.
Dr Lydia Cao
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Lydia is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. She earned her PhD from the University of Cambridge in England and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University. Her research is situated at the intersection of design, learning, and emerging technologies. She is currently working on the design of collective AI systems that facilitate sustained knowledge building across communities, with the aim of advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Lydia maintains active collaboration with the Next Level Lab at Harvard as a Visiting Scholar, focusing on two key projects from her postdoctoral work: firstly, earth-centered design (ECD) that challenges the anthropocentrism in human-centered design (HCD); and secondly, the concept of ‘regenerative hope,’ which she formulated by synthesising literature from psychology, philosophy, and education as a potential driver for sustained actions and a safeguard for mental health in the face of the climate crisis.
Lydia will be joining the conference live from the USA and co-facilitating a hybrid breakout session with Isabella Capeci and Hamish Curry
Isabella Capeci
Graduate Research Assistant, Next Level Lab, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University
Isabella is a graduate research assistant at the Next Level Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she earned her Master’s in Education (Ed.M.) in 2023. Her research focuses on adult learning sciences and workplace education.
Isabella is currently conducting research on the role of hope in sustaining mission-driven work to support workers who are tackling climate change. She is interested in leveraging the learning sciences to educate about sustainability by addressing cognitive barriers to making sense of the climate crisis.
Isabella will be joining the conference live from the USA and co-facilitating a hybrid breakout session with Lydia Cao and Hamish Curry
Daniel Christian Wahl
Writer, Educator, Consultant
Daniel Christian Wahl holds degrees in Biology (BSc. Hons., Univ. of Edinburgh, 1996), HolisticScience (MSc.,Schumacher College, 2002) and a PhD in Design (Univ. of Dundee 2006) on 'Design for Human and Planetary Health’. Daniel lives on Majorca where he helped to set up SMART UIS and works locally and internationally as a consultant, educator and activist. Among his clients have been Ecover, Forum for the Future, Camper, Balears.t, Save the Med, Lush, UNITAR, UK Foresight, Cloudburst Foundation and many universities and NGOs.
His 2016 book Designing Regenerative Cultures has helped to define the field of regenerative design and has been translated into eight languages so far. In 2021 the Royal Society for Arts, Manufacture and Commerce - founded in 1754 - awarded Daniel with the Bicentenary Medal for “an outstanding and demonstrable contribution through design practice, towards an equitable and regenerative world.” He has been awarded a Volans Fellowship for 2022 and 2023 by John Elkington in support of past and ongoing work.
He has been on the academic working group of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and has been linked to GEN for almost 20 years. Daniel has worked closely with Gaia Education since 2007 and contributed to the development of their Design for Sustainability online course and co-authored the current versions of all four dimensions of the curriculum. He was the director of Findhorn College from 2007 to 2010, is a member of the International Futures Forum and H3Uni, an advocation partner of r3.0, and on the advisory councils of Ecosystems Restoration Camps, Commonland, the Ojai Foundation, Future Planet Europe, the Centre for the Future and the Overview Institute of Australia, as well as a Findhorn Foundation Fellow.
Daniel teaches regularly on the MA in Ecological Design Thinking at Schumacher College. Daniel's 2016 book Designing Regenerative Cultures has quickly gained international acclaim, his Blog on Medium is followed by over 20,000 people and his social media advocacy has a combined audience of over 450,000 people around the world.
Daniel will be joining the conference live from Spain.
Dr Richard Owens FRSA
Director, Woodleigh Institute, Co-Founder and Convenor, ReimaginED, and National Coordinator, Compassionate Systems Collective
Dr Richard Owens is the Director of the Woodleigh Institute, a global innovation lab dedicated to understanding and enhancing transformative approaches to learning and leadership. He has over 25 years of global experience in teaching, senior leadership, and innovation roles. He has previously served as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, university lecturer, Deputy Head, and Head of School, and was the founding director of an international centre for leadership and learning in Singapore. Richard has worked with teachers, school administrators, system leaders, regional executives, and academics from Australia, Asia, North and South America, and Europe.
Richard has a particular interest in systems leadership, professional learning, curriculum development, complex competencies, futures thinking, and school effectiveness, improvement, and innovation. His current work explores regenerative education and the role it can play in enabling people, places, and the planet to thrive. He is the Co-Founder and Convenor of ReimaginED and the National Coordinator for the Compassionate Systems Collective. Richard is also a member of the Capabilities for Life faculty at The RSA (Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce), working on the development of a ground-breaking life-centric curriculum and capabilities framework
Dave Secomb
Principal, Tokyo International School
For the past 18 years, Dave has worked in schools in Australia, England, Singapore, Korea, Switzerland and Japan. He is currently the Whole School Principal at Tokyo International School, a K-10 IB school in Japan. He is a workshop leader, site visitor and consultant for the IB, a Compassionate Systems Master Practitioner, and serves on the advisory board of HundrED organisation in the area of Social Emotional Learning.
Dave is, first and foremost, a practitioner, and is passionate about helping every learner find and nurture what is most important to them. He is passionate about Australian Football, enjoys tinkering on the piano and, despite growing up in Australia, has an irrational fear of spiders.
Tara Merks
Director, Serve Learn
Tara brings passion and over 25 years educational leadership experience to her role as Director of Serve Learn Educational Consultants. Tara has a Masters in Ed Leadership (LeHigh, USA) and PTC Principals Training Certificate (USA), she is an Instructional Coach (Madison Wisconsin, USA) and has led schools around the world in developing sustainable service learning and global citizenship programs. She has presented at international conferences for teachers, leaders and students, ran PD workshops and webinars and supports teaching and learning with in-school consulting. The Serve Learn Conceptual Curriculum Framework is available online with academy courses for students, teachers and leaders.
Tara is a collaborative author of Enacting Equitable Global Citizenship Education in School by Routledge. She repatriated to Melbourne Australia with her two boys Eddie aged 14 and Tom aged 11 after 18 years leading international education in the Middle East (ASK), Asia (ISM) and Africa (AISJ).
David Baker
Principal, Woodleigh School
David Baker is the Principal at Woodleigh School. He has over 30 years of education experience. He has previously served at Gippsland Grammar as Principal, Mentone Grammar as Deputy Principal, Peninsula Grammar as Head of Senior School and Head of Middle School, and Wesley College as a VCE/IB Physics teacher.
David is deeply committed to coeducation, is an impressive strategic thinker and has a strong understanding of personalised, student centred approaches to learning. He believes students and staff thrive in a school where they have a sense of belonging and connectedness.
Fiona Zinn
Deputy Head, The Friends’ School
Fiona Zinn is an accomplished education consultant, leader, and researcher in the field of early childhood and primary education. She has worked with educators in Australia and internationally to develop a "shared pedagogy" that emphasizes agency, creativity, and inquiry-based learning in response to contemporary research. Fiona is a National Committee member of the Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange, a former sessional lecturer at Melbourne University's Graduate School of Education and has served as the principal early years consultant to the Tasmanian Department of Education.
Currently undertaking the role of Deputy Head (Early Learning - Year 1) at The Friends’ School in Hobart, Fiona is enjoying leading and being part of a connected team of early childhood educators within a local school context. The Friends' School is an E-12 Quaker School, that drives with the values of Peace, Simplicity, Integrity, Community, Equity and Earthcare at the heart of teaching and learning practice. Fiona's academic research upholds a rhizomatic concept-as-method approach, creating innovative thinking tools for teachers to further their spatial literacy skills and re-cognise their learning environments as the ‘third teacher’.
Frank Burridge
Architect, McIlldowie Partners, and Teaching Associate, Monash University
Frank is on a mission to transform our homes, schools and cities into thriving biodiversity hubs and closed-loop ecosystems. Frank is driven by an inquisitive curiosity and a deep love for the natural world that makes life shimmer.
Frank has designed and delivered buildings and masterplans for leading schools in Australia including masterplans for the Woodleigh School and Trinity Grammar, a learning building at Geelong Grammar's remote Timbertop Campus, Victoria's largest modular school building, and a farm-based Year-4 building for an innovative agricultural program in NSW. When working with schools Frank focuses on translating the values and beliefs of the school community into learning spaces that empower learners and teachers. Frank designs future-focused buildings that help prepare students to thrive in a changing world. He has collaborated with Joost Bakker on the design for the new Regenerative Futures Studio at Woodleigh.
As a Teaching Associate at Monash University, Frank tutors aspiring architects to design buildings as extensions of ecosystems through close observation of plants, animals and landscapes, and to create buildings that close the loop on wasted materials in our economy.
Stephanie McConnell
Principal, Lindfield Learning Village
Stephanie has shaped her vision for the future of education in NSW as a teacher and leader in a variety of school contexts over 30 years. Her passion is to shift the “default position” of education from a 19th century model to one which not only meets but excels in meeting the needs of the young people of today as they stride into a future which requires them to be agile, flexible and adaptable learners.
As the founding Principal of Lindfield Learning Village on Sydney’s North Shore, she is currently leading a school with a unique learning model reflective of current global educational research. Lindfield Learning Village is considered a flagship school for NSW Public education and Stephanie supports educators to stretch their thinking, sit with discomfort and to question everything. A passionate collaborator, her mission as an educator is in the relentless pursuit of the individual. Stephanie aims to support every learner in navigating their own pathway towards true success – one which allows them to thrive and become a positive change in our world.
Justin Roberts
National Program Director, ReLATE
Justin’s experiences as a teacher and leader in mainstream education fostered a passion for aspirational education that meets the needs of all students. In 2014, he was one of the foundational MacKillop Education leaders entrusted with the development of a new, trauma-informed school program for students who were disengaged from mainstream education. The school’s success, and its positive impact on student outcomes, would see the opening of new campuses and the development of the Reframing Learning and Teaching Environments (ReLATE) model. As a key contributor to this whole-school evidence-based model, now implemented in many schools, as well as in his roles as Principal and Deputy Executive Principal, Justin has provided professional learning to educators across Australia. His knowledge and experience in working with children and young people, informs his passion for the development and implementation of inclusive education, collaborative leadership and enhanced learning and teaching.
Lottie Dowling
Manager, Going Global
Lottie Dowling has worked in education and schools for over 20 years as an educator and professional learning leader on a global, national and regional levels. She has run networks of schools with educators working on pedagogical change and whole school improvement, facilitated PL in a range of topics linked to Global Competence; intercultural understanding, student action projects, as well as developed student programs and materials. She has facilitated one year student action projects nationally with school cohorts and designed and delivered Design Sprints for Cultural Diversity and Inclusion and Tech For Good.
Hamish Curry
General Manager, Cool Australia
Hamish has a 25-year background in leading education across schools, libraries, and education companies using design thinking and intercultural learning. He brings tenacity and creativity to his work, with a wealth of knowledge and experience in making education better. Through Cool Australia, he leads the development of new initiatives and refining existing processes to ensure education gets the resources they need to help people and the planet. Hamish would rather do all this while snowboarding.
Hamish has been a school teacher with stints in London, UK and Toyama, Japan. He also led the development of the Eltham College City Campus (Year 9 program). He grew significant school and public programs while Education Manager at the State Library of Victoria. As a Senior Consultant with NoTosh he travelled the world for 4 years helping schools and major companies design better learning. Hamish’s last role was as Executive Director of Asia Education Foundation with University of Melbourne, where he shaped intercultural learning across Australia and 23 other nations in school partnerships and programs. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.
Jessamy Gee
Founder and Director, Think in Color
As one of Australia’s leading Graphic Recorders, Melbourne-based Jessamy Gee has developed a unique skill set in listening, synthesising, capturing and communicating information visually. She is the Founder and Director of Think in Colour, Founder and President of Graphic Recorders Australia, author of GR's Best Mate and co-author of The World of Visual Practice. In 2018, Jessamy was the keynote speaker at the inaugural VizConf in Melbourne. In 2020, she became the first Australian Director to serve on the Board of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners (IFVP). In 2021, Jessamy took over the role of Chapter Host for Creative Mornings Melbourne.
Since launching Think in Colour in 2011, Jessamy has become internationally renowned for her work, and has serviced a diverse range of clients all around Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe across the corporate, community, education and government sectors.
Jessamy has captured talks by some of Australia’s leading minds including former President of the Human Rights Commission Gillian Triggs, former Greens leader Bob Brown, advertising personality Todd Sampson, actor Madga Szubanski, academic and presenter Waleed Aly, Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel and former Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, as well as revered international thinkers such as futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil, and originator of lateral thinking, Edward de Bono.
In 2019, Jessamy was invited to Strasbourg by the Council of Europe to graphically record their annual Octopus Conference on Cybercrime - an international event hosting close to 500 delegates from around the world, translated in three languages - showcasing Graphic Recording on the world stage.
Cameron Paterson
Director of Learning, Wesley College
Cameron is Director of Learning at Wesley College, Melbourne and was previously Director of Learning and Teaching at Shore School, Sydney. His academic background includes master’s degrees in history, educational philosophy, educational administration, and a Master in Learning and Teaching from Harvard University.
Cameron has been profoundly influenced by his involvement with Harvard’s Project Zero and he also works for PZ in several capacities. His accomplishments have been recognised with the Paul Brock medal from the Australian College of Educators, the 21st Century Learning International Global Innovation Award for Teaching, a Churchill Fellowship, and he has been a top 50 nominee for the one-million-dollar Global Teacher Prize. He is the co-editor of Flip the System Australia: What Matters in Education (Routledge, 2018).
Matthew Esterman
Director of Innovation and Partnerships, Our Lady of Mercy College
Matthew Esterman is a History teacher and Director of Innovation and Partnerships at Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta. He holds Masters degrees from Macquarie University and the University of Sydney, and is the recipient of several awards, most recently the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Fellowship for 2023. His role involves establishing and maintaining valuable partnerships with external organisations such as universities, industry partners and charitable organisations, as well as seeking out and adopting innovative approaches to the school experience.
Matthew recently launched the Multicredential initiative at OLMC, which allows students to curate a portfolio of evidence from across their school experience towards a nationally recognised, formal credential. He is a keen lifelong learner who believes we can bend the future using creativity, critical thinking and compassion.
Lou Deibe
Deputy Principal, Lindfield Learning Village
Lou is a learning artist, constantly exploring ways for people and culture to be reflected and enhanced. A fearless provocateur, a genuine collaborator, and a champion of every student, she has a passion for growth and fresh thinking in every element of the school experience.
Since entering the teaching profession as a Kindergarten teacher 31 years ago, she has strategically led others to reimagine the possibilities for school and learning. She pursues collaborative practice at every level, with all stakeholders and seeks to unleash the creativity of every individual through investment in authentic relationships.
Cindy Barnsley
Principal, Korowal School
Cindy’s career in education is extensive and internationally diverse, reflecting a deep commitment to progressive education. As Principal of Korowal School in the Blue Mountains, NSW, she is an advocate of educational approaches that emphasise learner voice and agency. Her belief in amplifying student voice as a means to cultivate independence, autonomy, and resilience underpins practices that value students as capable decision-makers and advocates for their own learning and wellbeing.
Her experience spans over 20 years across multiple countries including Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China. This has contributed to a broad understanding of educational systems and practices, enriching her leadership of a learning community that supports its youngest members in ways that are both empowering and inclusive. Her postgraduate qualifications in History, Education, and International Educational Leadership further underscore her dedication to both her own continuous learning and to preparing students for fulfilling lives.
Cindy supports dialogic practice and collaborative approaches that bring educators, parents, and healthcare professionals together in a social network around a child or young person, actively engaging learners in shaping their educational journey.
Sarah Farrell-Whelan
Wellbeing Coordinator and Social Worker, Korowal School
Sarah Farrell-Whelan is a mental health accredited Social Worker who has spent 20 years working with children and young people in the context of their family and community systems in response to mental health. Sarah has worked for a number of non-government organisations, for local council, government mental health services and is now based in a co-educational independent school in the Blue Mountains Australia. Sarah has been committed to supporting young people to express their lived experience through systemic therapy, community groups and social action throughout her working life. Since completing postgraduate studies in Open Dialogue, a social network approach developed in Finland, Sarah is committed to using dialogical and relational practices to change the ways that schools support young people.
Christina Luzi
Head of School of Pathways, St John XXIII Catholic College
Christina Luzi is the Head of School of Pathways at St John XXIII Catholic College in NSW. Christina has a Masters in Creative Intelligence and Strategic Innovation and has used her learnings to develop a genuine ecosystem of learning within her school community. Christina is a passionate advocate for educational reformation and believes there is a collective responsibility for those schools and organisations at the frontier to build the bridges to enable others to rapidly move in their paradigm shift.
She is the co-host of the Kaleidoscope Movement Podcast which seeks to change the system by becoming the system by lifting up the voices of the disruptors making a difference. Recently appointed to the Advisory Board of the Transdisciplinary School of UTS, Christina believes that society’s wicked problems cannot be solved without collaborative, cross-industry approaches that consider all stakeholders and lead to sustainable, iterative solutions.
David Drumond
K-12 Strategic Leaders: Learning and Growth, St John XXIII Catholic College
David Drumond has been in education for sixteen years across a variety of leadership positions including pastoral leader, curriculum leader and K-12 Strategic Leader of Learning and Growth. David has a passion for STEM and innovation, and has led numerous initiatives at a local level including the development of a National F1 in schools team, a STEM academy of staff, and the facilitation of an eSports program. David has been key in the development and implementation of learning inquiries across K-12 contexts, working with executive and middle leaders to diagnose the tensions in the present through creative practices and methods, and co-creating solutions to move forward. This has resulted in increasing academic performance in NAPLAN and HSC results. He has developed and run professional learning for the Lutheran Schools, Edmund Rice Education, and Brisbane Catholic Schools.
David is the co-host of the Kaleidoscope Movement podcast which seeks to change the system by becoming the system and aims to rethink the future state of the Education system. He has a proven track record of developing learner and educator agency in a large and complex school and has co-authored two papers set to be published in 2024. David has presented at a variety of conferences including Edutech and The Future of Education Summit.
Mignon Weckert
Director - Educational Leadership, Lutheran Education South Australia, Northern Territory and West Australia, and Learning Associate, Woodleigh Institute
Mignon Weckert is the Educational Leadership Director for Lutheran Education South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia. Her current focus in the organisation is equipping leaders for the emerging future, with a focus on awareness-based practices, systems thinking and systems sensing, nurturing collective and individual leadership practice to enable collective creativity for innovation and improvement in learning communities. Her work also includes cultivating compassionate, collaborative, and supportive networks of leaders and learning communities using compassionate systems tools and thinking.
Mignon had developed a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise as a teacher and executive leader in schools and learning organisations in Australia, Singapore and throughout Asia Pacific. She has been the regional manager for the IB Primary Year Program for Asia Pacific supporting the significant growth and development of IB schools through-out the region.
Mignon is a member of the Advisory Committee and a Network Coordinator and Learning Associate for the Compassionate Systems Collective and Woodleigh Institute. She is also a Master Practitioner in Training at The Center for Systems Awareness.
Leah English
Head of Academics, Seymour College, Adelaide
Leah English is a senior English teacher and experienced educational leader with 17 years experience leading teams in independent schools in both NSW and SA. She holds a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and is currently completing her Masters Degree in Leadership, specializing in innovation and change management.
Leah has led effective academic and pastoral teams and managed school-wide innovation initiatives in a number of different contexts. She has a passion for capabilities-based education and is committed to reimagining teaching and learning in middle and senior school. She is currently Head of Academics at Seymour College in Adelaide.
Natalie Paelchen
Deputy Principal - Academics and Professional Practice, Seymour College, Adelaide
Natalie Paelchen is a senior leader and humanities teacher who is passionate about innovative curriculum design and building capacity for teaching excellence through collaborative learning communities.
Natalie is currently the Deputy Principal of Academics and Professional Practice at Seymour College, an independent girls’ school in South Australia, where she has recently led the redesign of the College’s Learning Framework and actively participated in capabilities-focused pilot programs across the Middle Years.
Natalie has contributed to a range of professional networks across Australia in her work as an experienced secondary educator, subject expert and leader of staff professional development programs.
Justin Magsino
Secondary English Teacher/Growth Coach/Culture Coordinator, St John XXIII Catholic College
Justin Magsino is currently in his eighth year of teaching, driven by a profound inspiration that stems from his high school music teacher. Her dedication and passion were infectious, shaping his journey and instilling in him the belief in the transformative power of education. "She taught me the value of the 'ripple effects' of one's actions, igniting my desire to make a positive impact on every student I encounter."
Justin started his career in regional NSW, choosing to teach where the demand for quality educators was necessary, especially in his formative years. After four years in regional NSW, he moved back to Sydney to work at St John XXIII Catholic College. Currently pursuing a Masters of Creative Intelligence and Strategic Innovation, Justin is passionate about finding innovative ways to contribute to the essential paradigm shift that education systems in Australia need.
Storytelling and celebrating the individual are at the forefront of his educational philosophy. Through teaching English, mentoring, and creating positive environments, he guides young minds to appreciate themselves and the world around them using personal stories and literature.
"One of my standout moments in teaching is the creation of 'The PathPod,' a school-based student-focused podcast. In 12 months, with over 100 episodes and 16,200+ downloads, it has become one of the most listened to school-based podcasts in the country, reaching audiences in 45+ countries. 'The PathPod' celebrates individual identities and voices, embodying my belief in valuing each person's unique narrative. Every day, I strive to emulate the care and investment my music teacher showed me, making each interaction with students an opportunity to inspire and empower them to become the best versions of themselves."
Adriano Di Prato
Academic Operations Manager, LCI Melbourne
Adriano Di Prato is a globally recognised influencer in education, shaping the future of learning as the Academic Operations Manager at LCI Melbourne since 2023. His pioneering work includes the implementation of a Student Success Strategy framework, emphasising student voice, agency, and advocacy. Adriano co-hosts the Game Changers podcast, reaching 650,000 listeners in 2023, and is the co-author of the bestselling book 'Game Changers: Leading Today’s Learning for Tomorrow’s World.' Through these platforms, he champions innovative education practices worldwide.
Adriano's collaboration on the 'Limitless Possibilities' initiative with Catholic Education South Australia earned acclaim from ACER Teacher Magazine in 2023, highlighting his commitment to progressive education. This initiative empowers students to drive positive change using Explicit Instruction, Problem-Based Learning, and Design Thinking.
Formerly President of the Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools Deputy Principals Association, Adriano's visionary leadership at Marcellin College positioned it as a top Independent Catholic boys’ school. His dedication to student success extends to Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, where he served as Deputy Principal. Adriano's recognition as one of The Educator's Most Influential Educators and by ISC Research UK underscores his global impact on education transformation.
Kelly Ilich
Sessional academic, PhD Candidate, Curtin University
Kelly is an experienced educator, having begun teaching secondary school Humanities and Social Sciences in 2006. She has taught across the public, independent and Catholic sectors in Western Australia, and has worked for the Schools Curriculum and Standards Authority, as well as overseas. She also has experience in providing online professional development, mentoring and coaching to teachers across Australia. She has been a sessional academic for the School of Education at Curtin University since 2022.
Kelly is currently completing a PhD at Curtin University on the topic of teaching algorithmic literacy.
Trish Hansen
Principal, Urban Mind Studio
Described as an ‘evolutionary’, Trish is a systems strategist who has worked in the fields of paediatric health, wellbeing, urban life, arts and culture.
As a Regenerative Practitioner Trish enables young people, diverse leaders and organisations to transition to being regenerative, in myriad enchanting yet practical ways.
Trish is passionate about finding life-centric ways of living and being that catalyse ecological and cultural flourishing in everything we do including how we learn; where learning is in service to place and place is in service to learning.
Trish loves swimming and hiking in wild places, writing and being immersed in the arts, and nurturing her local place and community.
Currently, Principal of Urban Mind Studio, Chair of Brink Productions, a Good Design Australia Ambassador, Fellow of the Centre for Conscious Design and Founding CEO of Kindred Australia; a charity that exists to enrich the lives of young people through the arts.
Mariel Lombard
PhD Candidate, Western Sydney University, Acting Deputy Head of Upper School, Pymble Ladies' College
Mariel is a PhD student in the final stages of her thesis at Western Sydney University (submission in September 2024). Her research explores the prevalence and factors of compassion fatigue amongst secondary school wellbeing staff. For her research, Mariel was awarded The Research Award from the Teachers’ Guild of NSW. Mariel has presented her research to a range of audiences including teachers, wellbeing teams, Boarding staff and school counsellors. She was also interviewed on the School of Wellbeing education podcast with Meg Durham. Mariel has been a secondary school teacher at Pymble Ladies' College for 12 years, and has worked in the student wellbeing team for the large part of her teaching career.