Ms. Trudi Van Wyk

Chief Director: Social Inclusion and Quality, Department of Higher Education and Training, South Africa

Trudi is responsible for Social Inclusion and Equity, the NQF, Career Development Services, ICT in education and Open Learning in Post-School institutions in SA. She worked for the Commonwealth of Learning (2009 – 2012) in Canada with governments and institutions at strategic levels to implement ODL, ICT and OER into schools, teacher education and TVET. She has 38 years of experience in education and training and published in the areas of OER; ICT in Education and ICT Competencies for Teachers.

Mr. Hussain Majid, Government of Maldives

Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, Maldives Learning Advancement and Measurement Project (LAMP)

Hussain’s role is to implement and monitor the progress of LAMP which is aimed to provide financial and technical support to schools and tertiary education institutes to improve learning for all through equitable access to quality education and ensure that all children from pre-school through grade 12 are enrolled in school, learning gaps across atolls are reduced, and overall learning outcomes are improved.

Mr. Shawn Young

Co-Founder & CEO, CLASSCRAFT

Shawn Young is a co-founder and CEO of Classcraft, the Engagement Management System for schools. Shawn taught 11th grade physics, holds a bachelor’s degree in physics, master’s in education and is also a seasoned web developer. Shawn sits on the Scientific Advisory Board for UNESCO’s MGIEP, on the corporate advisory board for Future Ready Schools New Jersey. Shawn is also vice-president of the Edteq Association, an Ambassador for the Education faculty of University of Sherbrooke, and has sat on the corporate advisory board for SETDA.

Ms. Melissa Ragan

Chief Product Officer, Patha Program LLC

Melissa is the Chief Product Officer for PATHS Program LLC. Prior to joining the educational publishing industry, she taught high school English.

Ms. Reshma Piramal

Co-Head of Operations, SEE LEARNING INDIA

Reshma co-heads operations at SEE Learning India, Emory University’s K-12 education program providing educators with skills to foster emotional, social, and ethical intelligence development for students and themselves. Through her work as a Development Speech and Language Therapist and co-founder of Conservation Wildlands Trust, Reshma is committed to the idea of immersion being crucial in bringing about praxis for any vital change and only educating and enabling communities can effect changes we wish to see.

Ms. Neha Bhatia

Co-Head of Operations, SEE LEARNING INDIA

Neha has been instrumental in the global launch of Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning (SEE Learning) Curriculum and is currently leading the North India operations for SEE Learning India. She is deeply passionate about working with Children and Youth and has worked in Training and Development and the Executive Search business in the past, with Third Sector Partners and Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership

Ms. Shiara Pillay

Programme Manager, ACTIVATE ACADEMY

Shiara is the Programme Manager at the ACTIVATE! Academy, a branch of the ACTIVATE! Change Drivers family. With a background in International Relations Studies and a deep passion for development and equality, focusing on the sustainability of the environment and its inhabitants, she is studying towards completing her honours degree in Development Studies and working towards incorporating this knowledge and experience into her offering as a programme manager, activist and member of society.

Dr. Richard Davidson

Professor & Founder, Center for Healthy Minds and Healthy Minds Innovations, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Davidson’s research broadly focuses on the neural bases of emotion and methods to promote human flourishing including meditation and related contemplative practices. He has published over 440 articles, numerous chapters and reviews and edited 14 books. He is the author (with Sharon Begley) of "The Emotional Life of Your Brain" (2012), co-author with Daniel Goleman of “Altered Traits” (2017). He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017 and appointed to the Governing Board of UNESCO’s MGIEP.

Ms. Vyjayanthi Sankar

Executive Director, Centre for Science of Student Learning (CSSL)

Vyjayanthi is the founder and executive director for Centre for Science of Student Learning. A Fulbright Humphrey fellow and an Ashoka Fellow, Vyjayanthi regularly consults at the global level for the Brookings Institution, The World Bank and UNICEF and the Learning Metric Task Force.

Mr. Srikanth Talapadi

Founder and CEO, Chimple

Srikanth is the CEO and founder of Chimple which aims to address inequity in foundational education of children. He has more than 25 years of experience in the software industry in Fortune-500 corporations such as Verizon and Oracle, and start-ups such as Viquity and Amiti. He has an MS in Computer Engineering from Rutgers University, NJ, USA and a BE from Mysore University.

Ms. Pratibha Pathak

Sr. Coordinator Campaigns and Dissemination, ComMutiny - The Youth Collective

Pratibha Pathak at ComMutiny has been working for over 5 years with/ for various social sector organisations, corporates and educational institutions including WaterAid, Pravah, American Centre, IGSSS, SanDisk, NIPCCD, Bank of America, UNDP, UNV.

Mr. Ayan Chatterjee

EdIndia Foundation

Ayan heads EdIndia and is a board member to several international non-profit organizations. He has held multiple leadership roles in large-scale, mission-driven organisations ranging from public health, microfinance, e-governance and insurance.

Ms. Maria Antonia Santos

Director of Projects, Fundacion Compaz

Maria Antonia Santos, Director of projects of Fundación Compaz, has a Bachelors degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University. She also attended the London School of Economics where she earned a Masters degree in social and cultural psychology.

Mr. Ashwath

Project Director, Firki

Ashwath joined the Teach For India Fellowship in 2012. He worked as a full time Teacher for two years in a Public-Private Partnership school in Pune. Post his Fellowship, he was part of the Pune City Operations team leading the Government Relations vertical for three years. He is currently working on Firki, our Teacher Education Platform that is providing a one-stop space for all Teacher needs in the form of courses, resources, mentors, and learning groups.

Ms. Susanna Pollack

President, Games for Change

As President of Games for Change, Susanna leads the not for profit best known for its annual Games for Change Festival. Susanna also works closely with organizations that are actively pursuing games and immersive media to further their public or CSR mission. With a commitment to learning and education, Susanna developed a portfolio of programs that advance the use of games in learning. Prior to G4C, Susanna worked as SVP of BBC Worldwide’s Children’s leading the strategy of all youth related initiatives in the US.

Mr. Dipanker Shri Gyan

Director, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti

Mr. Dipanker Shri Gyan at present is the Director, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, the national memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, an Autonomous body under Ministry of Culture, Government of India
He is M.Sc., LLB, PGDSRD and PGDTDM. He is an Officer of Jharkhand, Administrative Service in rank of Addl. District Magistrate working in GSDS on deputation. Earlier he has served CAPART for 05 year under MORD, GOI.

Ms. Jenny Foster

Project Lead, Global Goals Centre

Jenny has 12 years’ experience in international development, education and campaigning.

Dr. Vicki Zakrzewski

Education Director, Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley

Vicki Zakrzewski, Ph.D., is the founding education director of the GGSC. As an international thought leader on the science of well-being in education, Vicki writes articles, gives talks and workshops all over the world, and leads the GGSC's Summer Institute for Educators. Vicki also sits on several advisory boards and consults and collaborates with organizations on how to incorporate the science of well-being into education. Most recently, Vicki has been the creative lead for the GGSC's new online resource for educators, Greater Good in Education.

Dr. Sridhar Iyer

Professor, Department of Educational Technology; Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Dr. Iyer is the head of both the Interdisciplinary Programme on Educational Technology and the Centre for Distance Engineering Education at IIT, Bombay. In addition he is also the Principal Investigator of the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. His current research interests include: Technology-enhanced learning environments for thinking skills, Pedagogies for effective use of educational technologies, and Computer science education research. Iyer

Mr. Louka Parry

Executive Committee, KARANGA

Louka sits on the Executive of Karanga: The Global Alliance for Social Emotional Learning and Life Skills. He is also the CEO and Founder of the consulting firm, The Learning Future. As an educator, facilitator and entrepreneur he works at the global forefront to help schools and systems adapt to support their learners and employees to thrive in school, work and life. Having previously worked as an award-winning teacher, principal and policy maker, he speaks five languages, has visited 80 countries, and holds two Masters degrees.

Mr. Subbu Parmeswaran

Co-founder, Learning Curve Foundation

Subbu co-founded Learning Curve Foundation, after a career spanning 20 years in the corporate and consulting sector. His interests lie in advancing the field of SEL in India, and in building cost effective and replicable models for social impact. At Learning Curve, he leads strategy and partnerships.

Dr. Rob Scott

President, Life University

Dr. Scott holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physiology from the University of Minnesota, a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University and is also a Diplomate of Chiropractic Philosophical Standards. His master’s degrees include a Master’s of Science in Exercise Physiology and a Master’s of Education in Educational Administration. He attended the University of Guelph to earn his Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics. Dr. Scott came to Life University in 2005 as the Dean of the College of Chiropractic before moving to Vice Provost and other executive leadership roles.

Dr. Sujata Gamage

Senior Research Fellow, LIRNEAsia

Sujata is a scientist turned policy analyst focusing on education and public sector performance. Her recent publications look at teacher factors in integrating ICT in education and distance education in the time of Covid in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. She is senior research fellow at LIRNEasia and co-coordinator of the Education Forum Sri Lanka.

Mr. Sriram Ayer

Founder & CEO, NalandaWay Foundation

Sriram is a writer, storyteller and social entrepreneur. He is the founder of the award-winning NGO, Nalandaway Foundation which helps disadvantaged children realise their dreams through the power of arts. Named by the Outlook Business magazine as one of the top 50 social entrepreneurs in India, he has received numerous awards, including the World Bank’s Development Marketplace award, “Architect of the future” by Waldzell Institute, and Millennium Award by FICCI/USAID. Sriram is an Ashoka Fellow, and Member of the Sub-committee for Education at Confederation of Indian Industry.

Ms. Anna-Lisa Mackey

CEO, PATHS PROGRAM LLC

Anna-Lisa Mackey is the CEO of PATHS Program, LLC a publisher and distributor of award-winning Social and Emotional Learning programs for schools. As a teacher, Anna-Lisa has worked with children at risk of developing serious behavior problems, as well as training and implementing the PATHS® programs for over 20 years. Anna-Lisa has spoken about SEL at national and international conferences. She is also the author of Emozi, a social and emotional learning curriculum for middle school students.

Mr. Michael Kerford

CEO, URSTRONG

Michael Kerford is the CEO of URSTRONG, a social-emotional wellbeing program for kids. Prior to URSTRONG, Michael was President and CEO of an environmental organization dedicated to elevating the environmental profession through certification and training initiatives. With a genuine passion for employee wellbeing and engagement, Michael’s leadership centres on creating a positive and innovative corporate culture. Michael is a dad, a social entrepreneur at heart, and is excited to contribute to initiatives that produce substantive positive change for kids, families and communities.

Ms. Khushboo Awasthi

COO, ShikshaLokum

A management professional turned education enthusiast, Khushboo is the COO of ShikshaLokam - an education leadership platform by Shibulal Family Philanthropic Foundation. She also co-founded Mantra4Change in 2013, which is a Bengaluru based non-profit, driving and leading the narrative of systemic transformation in the education system. On a mission to enable quality learning experiences for children by developing public schools into a self-healing system, Khushboo and her team are currently working with multiple state governments on large scale educational change programs.

Ms. Sonal Chheda

National Project Officer - Policy

Sonal graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University with a degree in International Educational Development. She has previously worked as a high school teacher, programme evaluator, curriculum developer, and policy researcher with WFUNA, UNICEF and ExpandED Schools. At UNESCO MGIEP, she works on identifying strategic entry points for engaging with the UNESCO Member States and support the implementation of SDG 4.7 in India and Asia-Pacific.

Ms. Anamika Gupta

National Project Officer - Policy

Anamika graduated from the European Peace University with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies. She has more than 12 years of experience across the fields of education, journalism and development. Over the last 7 years, she has initiated and managed key international projects on education such as Games for Learning, Prevention of Violent Extremism through Education and Global Citizenship Education. In her current role, she works closely with the Head of Policy in identifying strategic entry points for engaging with the UNESCO Member States and support the implementation of SDG 4.7 in India and Asia-Pacific.