Brian Caldwell

Brian Caldwell is Principal Consultant at Educational Transformations and Professor Emeritus at the University of Melbourne where he is a former Dean of Education. He was the first person to be appointed to a Personal Chair in Education at this university. Previous academic appointments include Dean of Education at the University of Tasmania. He has held teaching and leadership appointments in schools in Victoria, Australia and Alberta, Canada. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy (1977) from the University of Alberta and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Education honoris causa by the Education University of Hong Kong in 2012. International work includes more than 600 presentations, projects and other professional assignments in or for 42 countries or jurisdictions on six continents, with several assignments for the Asia Development Bank, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), OECD, UNESCO, UNICEF and World Bank.

He has authored, co-authored or co-edited 19 books, the most recent being The Autonomy Premium (2016) and The Alignment Premium (2018). He has served as the President of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) and as Deputy Chair of the boards of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

Tanya Vaughan

Tanya is Associate Director (Education), Evidence for Learning and is responsible for the marketing, product development, community leadership and strategy for the Teaching & Learning Toolkit. Tanya has worked in education in policy design and implementation in AITSL, ACARA and PAI. She has consulted on international and national projects in leadership in education and evaluation with Learning First and Educational Transformations.

She was lead consultant in investigating the impact of programs in the arts on outcomes for students in highly disadvantaged settings. A summary of the research entitled Bridging the Gap in School Achievement through the Arts (Vaughan, Harris & Caldwell, 2011) was launched at Parliament House Canberra in March 2011 by Peter Garrett, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. Tanya has co-authored one international book, three chapters, six journal articles, eight media items and facilitated 70 conference presentations/workshops in educational research. She is co-author of Transforming Education through The Arts (Caldwell & Vaughan, 2012). Tanya was the Chief Investigator for evaluation of Creative Arts Indigenous Parent Engagement (Vaughan & Caldwell 2017). She is also co-author of two chapters in Changing Schools in an Era of Globalization (Caldwell & Vaughan, 2011) and one chapter in Improving Literacy through the Arts (Vaughan & Caldwell, 2014).

Tanya taught at the senior secondary level in science and coordinated Biology. Tanya became an Honorary Fellow at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) at the University of Melbourne in 2011. Tanya holds a Bachelor of Science (Monash University), Bachelor of Education (Queensland University of Technology), Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership (MGSE) and Doctor of Philosophy (Griffith University).

Fiona Longmuir

Fiona is a Lecturer in Educational Leadership at Monash University. Her doctoral research was completed at the University of Melbourne in 2017 and investigated principal leadership in improving schools. Fiona worked for over 15 years in Victorian government primary schools and held leadership positions for much of this time. For the past nine years she has also worked as Senior Consulting Researcher – Director of Research in Innovative Professional Practice at Educational Transformations in Melbourne, Victoria. This role saw her lead and contribute to research projects that have investigated education systems, school effectiveness and school leadership across Australia and around the world. An investigation of system and community responses for students who have disengaged from schools was a particular area of interest.

Fiona is currently teaching leadership units in the Master of Education and Master of Leadership at Monash, and the Graduate Certificate in Principal Preparation (in partnership with Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership). She has previously taught educational leadership subjects at The University of Melbourne. Her research interests include: school and system leadership; school evaluation and improvement structures; school contextual influences (particularly concerning advantage differences and equity); schools supporting community cohesion; evidence-informed leadership; leadership development; and innovative approaches to student engagement. She presents regularly at Australian and international conferences and writes for academic journals in on topics of educational leadership. Fiona also holds a Bachelor of Education (Hons), Graduate Certificate (Science Teaching) and Master of Education (Education Management).

Kirk Zwangobani

Dr Kirk Zwangobani is a school leader at Dickson College in Canberra and early career researcher.

Kirk's teaching career has spanned both college and high school sectors in the ACT. His areas of school leadership include leading wellbeing /social and emotional learning, system and school curriculum development, and teaching and learning. He has also held significant roles in policy and project development in the ACT Education Directorate with a particular focus on student engagement and voice (K-12).

Kirk's doctorate research addressed how complex socio-cultural and political issues, such as multiculture, migration and race, play out in young people's experience of education and their sense of belonging. As a school leader and researcher, Kirk's ongoing inquiry also explores how education research, theory and social policy influence teaching, learning and young people's lived experience; his research activities include presenting conference papers/seminars, facilitating workshops, and publishing papers. Kirk has also consulted and researched with not-for-profit research companies, government, and cultural and community organisations on education and youth policy concerns.

Kirk was a 2016 recipient of an Australian Council of Education Leadership New Voice Scholarship for Research in Educational Leadership. He is a member of the ACT ACEL Branch Executive and the AEL Editorial Board.

Michelle Guerrero

Michelle Guerrero is the Head of Health and Physical Education at Radford College and an ACEL 2018 New Voice Scholar. She takes an avid interest in all matters of wellbeing, including student and teacher wellbeing. Michelle devotes herself to developing learning programs that promote and enhance the development of wellbeing while conducting further research on Health and Physical Education as a PhD student through Western Sydney University.

Jessica Nelson

Jessica Nelson is a Canberra HPE teacher and certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and Assessor with Six Seconds. She has a strong passion for health and wellbeing, and has had a variety of leadership roles in education in the pastoral care field. Further to Jessica's UC Bachelor of Secondary Education, she has completed a Graduate Certificate in Youth Mental Health through the University of Melbourne, online courses through University of Pennsylvania in Positive Psychology, and is currently completing her Masters of Education specialising in Student Wellbeing through Southern Cross University. When she is not studying, Jessica loves the outdoors, travelling the world and spending time with her cavoodle Oakley.

Rob Sieben

Rob Sieben has held a number of administrative positions in a career spanning over thirty years in education. He has also worked as a consultant in matters of curriculum delivery, school administration and school network infrastructure. He has contributed both nationally and internationally to the understanding of digital learning technologies and on the current research that is shaping paradigm reform. He is currently investigating the use of Cognitive Load Theory to enhance learning in minimally-guided STEM-rich activities. He is a current member of the SA Branch Executive of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders.

Jenny Stanley

Jenny is an education consultant and casual academic at Adelaide University School of Education. Her previous roles have included those of preschool director, lecturer in TAFE early childhood programs (including out of School Hours Care) and a program manager and adviser in the South Australian education system.

Her areas of interest and specialisation include early childhood pedagogy, parental engagement, quality improvement, governance and educational management. Her professional qualifications include a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, Master of Educational Management and Doctor of Education.

Karthika Viknarasah

Karthika Viknarasah is an early childhood teacher and director of two long day care and OOSH centres in Western Sydney and is also an Accreditation Supervisor for ECTs with NESA. Karthika is an active member of many early childhood organisations and currently serves as the Vice President of the Australian Childcare Alliance NSW. Karthika is a proud recipient of the ACEL 2018 “New Voice” in Early Childhood Education Scholarship.