WES Ambassadors

Andrew is an energetic and enthusiastic school leader and author who has been the catalyst for a culture change at Port Jervis High School in New York. As school leader for thirteen years, Andrew has led the transformation of PJHS helping raise the graduation rate from the low 60 percent to the mid to upper 80 percent. Andrew’s first book, THE PRINCIPAL: Surviving & Thriving. 125 Points of Wisdom, Practical Tips, and Relatable Stories for all School Principals, is a direct and practical book about school leadership that will immediately impact school leaders and their schools.

Andrew IS his logo: energy, enthusiasm, extra effort, striving for excellence all with heart!

Coco is the founder and CEO of CEO Kids International, an online platform where children can learn, be inspired, and connect with other children around the world.

Coco is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in the industries of education, training, entrepreneurship, events organisation, public speaking, mentoring and media. She is the recipient of a ‘Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs in China in 2009’ award and a ‘Woman of the Decade’ award by the Women’s Economic Forum (2020), among others. She is a frequent speaker on topics surrounding education and parenting and has co-hosted radio and TV programmes in Hong Kong.

Her mission is to help children around the world find and develop their passion using a positive mindset and all the skills they will require in the 21st century.

Dawn Haywood is the CEO at the Windsor Academy Trust, and one of the UK’s foremost modern leadership experts. Backed by a long and successful career of leading for the student, Dawn has worked tirelessly to amplify student engagement, voice, and leadership in order to drive educational improvement across the globe. She works with the Department for Education on the Priority Education Investment Area Local Partnership Boards to help schools across the West Midlands.

As the founder of the Student Engagement Trust (SET) a trans-Atlantic organisation, she provided superb guidance for teachers and students in schools, multi-academy trusts and corporations. Nationally celebrated for her school’s approach to learning during COVID-19, Dawn brings all her student-focused leadership expertise to the Summit.

Director of the Academy of Women’s Leadership, Diana Osagie is one of the biggest trailblazers in educational leadership. With over 20 years of outstanding success in leading secondary education in London, Diana is nationally renowned for her promotion of resilience across whole-schools and her unparalleled ability to scrutinize and then develop successful school-wide models for enhanced teaching and learning. A best-selling author and university lecturer, she is the champion of leading schools out of difficult circumstances across the UK and the world. Who better for a post-covid world, than Diana?

Dr Debra Kidd is a rare, revolutionary sight in education. Her extensive experience at every level of the industry, from the ins-and-outs of national policy to the everyday workings of classrooms everywhere is garnered from her sterling work at every phase of schooling, in countries on every continent. From the onset of learning in nursery through to further education. Debra has a well-earned, international reputation of knowing what truly matters for learners, and champions this truth in her own passionate, empathetic and inspiring training style.

Fiona Aubrey-Smith is Director of One Life Learning, specialising in strategic education research and consultancy. She is interested in the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their use of technology. Fiona is a regular contributor to books, panels and papers about education and education technology. Her current work includes system-wide online professional learning and supporting teachers and school leaders to develop digital mindsets. An award-winning primary teacher and school leader, Fiona is a passionate champion for children and teachers, working with schools, trusts, policy-makers and industry partners to use technology to find practical solutions to everyday challenges.

An internationally renowned leadership expert, and a critically acclaimed author of multiple best-selling education works, Peter DeWitt is a stalwart champion of inclusive and collaborative policy. A multi-award-winning educator from New York, he is fiercely passionate about creating thriving and safe school environments that work for everyone with an emphasis on improving the tools and systems available for education leaders. Over the last few years Peter’s stellar reputation has spread across the globe as he has cemented himself as one of the most eminent voices at the forefront of modern education.

Dr Steffen Sommer is a passionate believer in the innate potential of all children and in how schools can use High Performance Learning (HPL) to achieve excellence for the many, not the few. A gifted linguist and Director General of Misk Schools, he has become one of the profession’s leading voices on the significance of language and communication when promoting active learning behaviours and developing leadership qualities in young people.

Gavin McCormack is the principal at Farmhouse Montessori School in Sydney, Australia and recognised globally as a change-maker. He is passionate about teaching and pedagogy and has taught for over 20 years in several countries across the world. Gavin has conducted hundreds of teacher training workshops in schools across the globe including the UK France, Australia, and Nepal, where he is the Honorary principal at Kathmandu Montessori training centre. As a published children’s author, Gavin was nominated for Australian Author of the year 2017. Gavin is also a TedX speaker, Principal of the Year finalist (2020), and Australian LinkedIn Top Voice (2020).

James Dalziel is currently the Head of School at the NIST International School in Bangkok, Thailand. He has taught in various traditional and non-traditional educational settings from outdoor education centres to open custody correctional programs. James holds a Master’s in Education from the University of Western Australia and a Masters of Business Administration from the Helsinki School of Economics. His doctoral research, also from UWA, focused on developing school culture and leading cultural change. His ongoing research and reading have expanded into how organisations can use complexity theories to analyse their effectiveness (or ineffectiveness, as the case may be).  Other professional areas of focus include teacher professional development, assessment, designing and building facilities that facilitate learning, and creating inclusive schools.

Jenitha Lewis is a world leader on science education and an expert on globalised curriculums, raising the standards of critical thinking and research work. A regular panelist and speaker, Jenitha has won numerous awards for her pioneering approach to learning , including the Award for Outstanding Leadership and Innovation from her British school in Dubai, and the Indian Woman’s award for her work on bringing change and awareness to educate HIV infected children.

Jenitha’s focus this year is on improving teachers’ ability to challenge their students with metacognitive skills. She currently works with students across the UAE, inspiring young minds to work towards research-based projects and a better, more sustainable and equitable future. We are delighted that she joins us once again as a WES ambassador.

Katrina Morley is the CEO of the Tees Valley Education Multi-Academy Trust and has one of the best success records of senior leadership in the UK. With over 15 years of experience in various leadership roles in a variety of establishments, Katrina was critical to all of these schools achieving “Good with Outstanding features” or “Outstanding”, the UK’s two highest school ratings. The Trust that she currently leads is famous for its expertise in a range of inclusive and pastoral practices. It is this expertise that Katrina brings in full force to the summit.

Leslee Udwin is an award-winning world-renowned campaigner for systematic educational change, and a critically acclaimed former filmmaker. Her ground-breaking documentary ‘India’s Daughter’ won over 32 international awards and sparked a global movement to end violence against women and girls. This searing experience led Leslee to found Think Equal, a ground-breaking global initiative calling for an end to discrimination and violence in education, a task that she champions to this day. We are honoured to have her bring the good fight to the World Education Summit.

Michael Iannini is ACAMIS’s Leadership Development Facilitator, a Search Associates Partner supporting it’s members in China to improve Recruitment, Induction and Retention of Foreign Teachers, and an affiliated Council of International School’s (CIS) consultant with the following areas of expertise Appraisal and Professional Development, Leadership Training, School Governance and Strategic Planning.

Nicholas Patel is an Executive VP and Cluster Professional Development Lead at GEMS Education, the largest K-12 private education provider in the world. With an outstanding track record in UK, Nicholas has more recently been making waves in The Middle East with his creative approaches to leadership and professional development.

During the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic when most people were still figuring out what to do next, Nicholas was establishing online communities and training conferences to support teachers and leaders throughout the remote learning period. Highly equipped in ‘systems leadership’ and extremely committed to the professional development of others, he is known for bringing about impact and innovation wherever he goes.

Andy Hargreaves was born in the small mill town of Accrington in England. He was the first in his extended family history to attend university, studying Sociology at the University of Sheffield, and then getting his PhD in the same subject from the University of Leeds. He then taught in a primary school and lectured in universities around England including the University of Oxford until 1987, when he moved to Ontario, Canada, where he founded the International Center for Educational Change.

He currently serves as the Director of Chenine (Change, Engagement, and Innovation in Education) at the University of Ottowa, and as the Research Professor at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College.

Professor Ger Graus OBE is an iconic figure in the field of education. A renowned expert on educational innovation and community engagement, he is the first Global Director of Education at the world-famous children’s entertainment-education company, KidZania. With his extensive experience at the very highest level of the learning industry, Professor Graus is a much sought-after advisor for organisations globally on the future direction of education. Driven by his famous mantra that “Children can only aspire to what they know exists” Professor Graus champions the cause of creativity, progress, equity, and innovation in children’s learning.

Sarah Philp is a Psychologist, Coach and Educator who is restless for improvement. Sarah has worked with schools and organizations across Scotland to help them better understand human behaviour, interaction and learning in order to improve.

Tina Schuster works at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education School located in San Diego, California. She is part of the Center for Love & Justice which focuses on working with schools that are hoping to redesign for deeper learning and liberation. Additionally, Tina is a proud member of the Deeper Learning Global Conference team which supports networks of educators looking to share practices and inspire each other to shift towards deeper learning practices.