New confirmed speakers for GESS Education Global Leadership Summit

The two day virtual conference, running on 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.

Further announcements on confirmed speakers will be made in the coming days.

Adetola Salau – Senior Special Assistant for Education to the Governor, Lagos State, Nigeria

Ms Adetola Salau is a social innovative entrepreneur, global educator, author and transformation agent. She is currently the Senior Special Assistant on STEM Education to the Governor in Lagos State. She is also an Engineer and the author of more than ten books, one of which is a roadmap for transforming mindsets of African children; “Re-engineering minds for innovation”

Previously she founded Carisma4U Educational Foundation, which is a social innovation enterprise in 2015 with a focus on breaking the poverty cycle in Nigeria and Africa at large by equipping African children with highly competitive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills essential for the 4th industrial revolution. Her purpose is to transform learning in Africa especially STEM Education for the economic prosperity and future readiness for over 2 million children in Africa by the year 2030.

She is working on engaging children, teachers and parents to boost 21st century skills that prepare African children for the future of work. She was selected to be a part of the 2018 Spring Cohort of the MIT innovation and Entrepreneurship bootcamp at Brisbane, Australia. She has a B. Sc (Hons) in Chemistry from Fordham University, New York, with a medal as the best student in Chemistry. She later went on to get a M.Sc in Chemical Engineering and another in Engineering Management from Syracuse University in New York. She is currently working on a PhD in Curriculum, Instruction and the Science of Learning from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. She worked for the City of New York Board of Education; has a permanent Math educator license for the State of New York. Also taught in California, South Carolina and North Carolina respectively. Is a STEM Certified Expert in STEM pedagogy. She has taught students from the 6th grade to teaching at Fordham University, College of New Rochelle, as well as several Polytechnics in New York and North Carolina as an Adjunct Lecturer. She is passionate about education and advocates for education reform in Africa.

She is driven by the desire to help students in Africa become future ready and innovate for their own economic prosperity (using STEM Education. She has since consulted widely with stakeholders and participated in symposiums and conferences all over the world.

Alex McGrath – Founder, Castlegate Education

Alex has spent the past 25 years in private Education, and the past 5 years helping school groups and education providers to access key markets in Asia, Europe. After leading two independent schools in the UK, Alex then lived in China and Malaysia leading the British Council’s global bilingual schools initiative. Alex returned to the UK in 2020 and founded Castlegate Education. He is the author of two books, one on school leadership and one on blended learning. He is engaged in multiple projects focused on private education and Edtech.

He holds an MA in Educational Leadership from the University of Nottingham, UK, a PGCE from the University of York, and a BA in History from the University of Durham.

Clint Carlson - Program Director of Digital Education and Academic Technology, University of Colorado

As a leader in education technology and holistic communication management, Clint Carlson's focus on capacity building is rooted in a passion for learning, teaching, and enabling others. His enthusiasm is deeply rooted in a belief that education is the source of improving humanity. Clint's role in Educational Technology fosters learning cultures with self-efficacy, community & collaboration which elevate the learning of entire generations.

Clint blends his leadership vision with design technology toward fostering education communities where teachers are partners with their students in learning endeavors, and students are taught not only technological skills, but also transferring those progressive qualities into critical thinking, world empathy, communication, and sustainable use of technology required in our current world.

While certainly technical, Clint's style is also a departure from the common path of treating technology as “computer problems”. His focus on the power of technical education capacity-building reflects on students exponentially and is amplified by his digital humanitarianism – helping those who help others to provide exponential, lasting good.

Dr. Blake Spahn - Vice Chancellor, The Dwight Schools, Global Campuses

As Vice Chancellor since 2014, Blake Spahn has oversight of all Dwight School operations both in New York City and for the Dwight Schools globally (London, Dubai, Seoul, Shanghai, Dwight Global Online School). His strategic oversight ensures the efficient and effective management of all facilities, systems, and staff in support of Dwight's innovative world-class programs.

Dr. Spahn received his BA and MBA degrees from Columbia University, where he was Captain of their undefeated Men’s Tennis Ivy League championship team. He then went on to obtain Masters and Doctorate degrees in Comparative International Education from Oxford. Author of America and the International Baccalaureate, Dr. Spahn has taught English and philosophy in classrooms in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. In addition to founding Dwight’s Preschool & Kindergarten in New York in 2004, he has had oversight of the London campus for over 20 years.

In 2000, Dr. Spahn co-founded BOOST (Building Opportunities on Student Talent), a non-profit designed to advance prospects for university students in Southern Africa, enabling them to contribute to their own countries’ development. Dr. Spahn was also able to enhance his global vision as a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, to which he was elected in 2005.

Dr. Helen Wright - Board Chair, International Education Advisor & Executive Leadership Coach

Dr Helen Wright is a highly experienced International Education Advisor who challenges and coaches leaders and schools around the world to think and act ambitiously about the future of schools, education and young people. Her main areas of expertise lie in the development of global competence, diversity of thought and authentic leadership. She is a former Vice-Chair of the UK Independent Schools Council and a school inspector who led top independent schools in the UK and Australia for 13 years. As an Associate of LSC Education, she recruits leadership candidates for roles in international schools across the world and she coaches several school leaders internationally, helping them to raise their game at whichever stage of their career they find themselves. She holds several Board Director roles in the UK and overseas, and currently works with schools and leaders in Hong Kong, Australia, China, the UAE, the Netherlands and the UK, amongst other countries.

Kevin Fullbrook – Deputy Director, Al-Bayan Bilingual School Kuwait

Kevin Fullbrook is currently Deputy Director at Al-Bayan Bilingual School, Kuwait. Having started his career as a Math and Physical Education teacher in a remote Australian school, he then worked at a range of schools across the country, before serving in leadership positions in the Middle East, China and Australia. Having participated in the Think Tank on Global Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2016, Kevin then went on to be named one of 'The Educator' magazines Rising Stars of Education under 40 years old. He is also a HundrED global innovation ambassador for the HundrED project out of Finland, a not for profit organization that seeks out and shares outstanding educational innovation around the globe. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Education and an MBA, and is a fully qualified Justice of the Peace.

Richard Sidharta – Chairperson, Association of National and Private Schools, Indonesia

Richard Sidharta is a qualified and experienced educator completing his Grad Dip.Ed and M.Ed in Australia. As the Director of Beacon Academy and the Chairperson for the Association of National and Private Schools (Indonesia), Richard plans and organises workshops, conferences and institutes across Indonesia. He has also facilitated numerous sessions on leadership and more recently in the area of social and emotional learning and wellness.

As a facilitator of The Virtues Project, Richard understands the ‘heart’ of education, and finds his purpose by speaking to teachers and parents about positive language, and the influence this can have on a child’s moral and spiritual development. Richard also hosts a podcast series called ‘Family of Virtues’, in which he reflects on different virtues and interviews various personalities from around the world on positive parenting and education.

Tracy Moxley - Director of Education and Innovation, VIE Education Switzerland

Tracy Moxley is an educational leader who has experience, leading in UK, US and international education. She has extensive experience in educational innovation, new pedagogies, teacher professional development and school improvement. As a curriculum developer, Tracy is committed to interdisciplinary, innovative global citizenship education and service learning.  She has recently been developing student and teacher global exchange experiences to enhance student learning.

Tracy has also been involved in research with Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero in the implementation of innovative pedagogy through teacher action research, exploring the creation of innovative communities within educational institutions. She has also been committed to student wellbeing and the correlation between wellbeing and academic performance.

Tracy is a published author on the IB Middle Years programme and was a Co-Founder of The Kindred Project; a unique NGO set up and led by students, supporting peers in developing schools in India, Morocco and Uganda.

As a CIS inspector, she has also completed international accreditation visits at prestigious schools in Moscow and Prague. Tracy has a Master’s degree  in Media Education and Professional Diploma in International Education from the Institute of Education, University College London. Tracy has recently taken up the position as Director of Education and Innovation in Switzerland.

For more information on GESS Education Global Leadership Summit

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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.