Keynote speakers confirmed for GESS Education Global Leadership Summit

The two day virtual conference, running from 23 - 24 March 2021, is free to attend and exclusive for members of GESS Leaders in Education who directly influence purchasing, owners of schools and those who direct school strategy and training. There will be a nominal fee of USD $95 for other registrants.

Prof. Emory Craig - Co-founder and CEO of Digital Bodies

Emory Craig brings decades of experience in K-12, higher education, and the creative industries to foster innovation and organizational change. In his most recent position as Director of eLearning and Interim CIO at the College of New Rochelle, he was responsible for the implementation of leading-edge technologies in the curriculum, faculty development, and new online programs for both traditional and non-traditional students. He has worked with organizations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia to reinvent learning and spark creative transformation. In 2017-2018, he co-authored the EDUCAUSE-ELI series:“ VR and AR: Stepping into the New Frontier of Learning.” He is the Co founder and CEO at Digital Bodies, a consulting group and a popular website for news and analysis of immersive technologies. As a futurist and writer, he is fascinated by the ways VR and AI will transform human experience and concerned by the potential ethical challenges. He focuses on the personal and organizational strategies we will need to learn and live in the future where experiences are available on demand, and the boundary between the real and the virtual disappear. A leader in immersive technology developments, his background spans business, education and the visual arts.

Gavin McCormack - Teacher Trainer, Children's Author, Philanthropist and Principal of Farmhouse Montessori School, Australia

The leaders of tomorrow lay dormant in the children of today. Academic excellence is important, but essential skills such as love, empathy, resilience and acceptance cannot be overlooked. In this heartfelt talk, Gavin McCormack adjusts our perspective of what the word ‘education’ truly means. Gavin McCormack is a trained Montessori teacher, children’s author, teacher trainer, philanthropist and school principal.

While working in the teaching profession for over twenty years, he has used his experience and training to understand what it means to truly educate with true intention. Initially trained as a mainstream primary school teacher, Gavin re-trained as a Montessori teacher where he found the understanding and experience that has inspired him to build several schools and teacher training centres in the Himalayan regions of Nepal.

Gavin has trained teachers, parents and educational leaders across the world. His passion for educational reform, with a strong emphasis on Montessori within the home, has driven him to attempt to put these thoughts into words. He believes that for a child to reach their full potential, the school and home environment must work in harmony.

Dr. Michele Borba - Educational Psychologist and Best-Selling Author of Thrivers

Michele Borba, Ed.D. is an internationally-recognized educator who has spoken to over one million parents and educators on five continents. She is recognized for her solution-based strategies on raising caring, resilient kids, and has appeared over 150 times on the TODAY show and featured in outlets including New York Times, Washington Post, Time, and Dateline. Her 24 books, including UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World, are translated in 20 languages; her latest (March 2021) is Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine.  Web: micheleborba.com. Twitter @micheleborba.  Instagram @drmicheleborba.

Dr. Scott Bolland - Executive Coach, Futurist and International Speaker

Dr Scott Bolland is an AI researcher, entrepreneur, international speaker, facilitator and futurist. His PhD and background (of 25 years) are in the area of Cognitive Science - the scientific study of how the mind works, spanning areas such as psychology, neuroscience, philosophy and artificial intelligence. His passion is playing in the intersection between these areas, in particular how to best prepare individuals, teams, schools and organisations to flourish in the digital age.

Scott's main interest in technology is the application of Artificial Intelligence for the betterment of society. His company, New Dawn Technologies, utilises AI to help personalise education, to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.  His TEDx talk entitled "Neuroscience, AI, and the Future of Education" has been seen by close to 100,000 viewers and has led to him consulting for Ministries of Education across the globe and running strategy workshops for the Education policy makers of the European Commission.

Over the years he has also brought the latest research backed insights from Positive Psychology, leadership, and high-performance teamwork to a wide range of clients including business schools, the military, police services, resource companies, and financial institutions and has delivered large scale Positive Psychology based events to 1000s of school and corporate staff.

His company, The Agile Life, specialises in using agile and design thinking methodologies to help individuals and organisations flourish in these complex and uncertain times.

For more information on GESS Education Global Leadership Summit

If you are not sure if you are a member of GESS Leaders in Education, please view the criteria. 

For further updates on the event or if have any questions, please do not hesitate to visit the event's page or contact us and we will be happy to respond to all your queries.