DMin, MA(Theol), Grad Dip Ed (RE), BEd

David, a Marist Brother and foundation Dean of La Salle Academy at ACU, leads programs in Educational Leadership, Faith Formation, and Religious Education. With 30 years in Catholic schools and a doctorate in theology, he has led international formation programs across Africa, the UK, Europe and the Pacific. He received the Dr Paul Brock Medal for excellence in educational leadership.

Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at UCL Institute of Education.

In a varied career, Dylan has taught in inner-city schools, directed a large-scale testing programme, served a number of roles in university administration, including Dean of a School of Education, and pursued a research programme focused on supporting teachers to develop their use of assessment in support of learning.

Education Author and CPD Provider: teaching, curriculum, assessment

Tom is Founder and Director of Teaching Walkthrus International and author of the popular blog teacherhead.com, The Learning Rainforest and best-seller Rosenshine’s Principles in Action. He co-authored the popular WalkThrus book series with Oliver Caviglioli, reaching 50 countries worldwide. With 30 years' experience as a teacher and school leader, Tom delivers professional development for teachers and leadership teams globally.

Instructional Coach and Teacher Educator

Bron Ryrie Jones works with teachers, schools and systems to develop expertise in explicit and responsive teaching. With a background in classroom teaching and teacher education, Bron is able to synthesise complex research for busy practitioners. She has worked with over 30,000 teachers in Australia and abroad and has long-standing relationships with systems of education and institutes of educational leadership across sectors.

Author of Teaching One-Pagers & Head of Professional Growth at Mercedes College, WA.

A specialist in teacher professional development, Jamie is passionate about driving effective practice through instructional coaching and improving student outcomes with research-based, high-impact strategies. Jamie’s first book, Teaching One-Pagers, is a bestseller used in schools for professional development, helping teachers reflect on their practice, deepen knowledge, and explore further reading.

Literacy policy and practice implementation expert

Emina is a lecturer, researcher, coach, consultant, and former Head of English. She has partnerships with Tasmanian and Victorian state education systems, including Lifting Literacy, Phonics Plus, Year 1 Phonics Check, and Victorian Academy of Teaching & Leadership programs. Emina advises Ochre, VCAA, AERO and MACS. She also works directly with schools to develop ambitious and rigorous practices in English.

Consultant in numeracy & mathematics education and learning science, whose work has spanned the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors

Siobhan obtained her PhD in Cognitive Load Theory under Emeritus Professor John Sweller. She authored an appraisal of the Version 9.0 Australian Mathematics Curriculum and has recently published a paper, the Science of Maths and How to Apply It. Her work focuses on sequencing curricula with learning trajectories and bridging theory and practice to enhance mathematical fluency and understanding.

Consultant and Assistant Principal

Brendan Lee is a seasoned primary school leader and educational consultant based in NSW, dedicated to bridging the gap between educational research and classroom practice. Now, Brendan shares his findings offering professional learning for teachers, writing insightful articles on his blog learnwithlee.net and hosting the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast.

Learning and Development Lead for Team Teach Australia and New Zealand

Cale is the Director of Learning and Development for Teach Teach Australia and New Zealand. He is an experienced educator and leader with 20 years of experiences and a passion for supporting genuine positive engagement for diverse learners. Cale worked in the education sector for 15 years as a teacher, pastoral care provider and school principal working in schools that supported children aged 4-18 diagnosed with complex disabilities.

National Manager & Head of Headspace Schools & Communities.

Kristen Douglas has worked for three decades with organisations, executives and teams across education, health, mental health, suicide, large scale incident response, and natural disasters.

Kristen currently heads up a large multidisciplinary national team with headspace and presents nationwide on school improvement, mental health, workforce wellbeing and resilience, and other key topics.

Headspace, Vic/Tas Manager

Jen Berthold is an experienced psychologist and educator, currently serving as the Be You State Manager for Victoria and Tasmania at headspace Schools & Communities. She has dedicated her career to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people and has a proven track record of leadership in schools and mental health settings.

Power to Kids, MacKillop Institute

With an MA in Education Policy and nearing 20 years in the education and community services sector, Smeeta has worked across a variety of roles including school improvement, teacher training and child wellbeing and systems-change. She brings a deep understanding of place-based implementation within national and state contexts, and experience harnessing the voice of communities and young people.

Neurodiversity & Educational Consultant  

Christina Keeble is a Neurodiversity & Educational Consultant, Early Childhood & Primary Teacher with 23 years experience teaching neurodivergent children. Christina has a MA in SpecEd, GradDip in Primary & Early Childhood Teaching, and a BA Honours (Psych). However, Christina’s most important role is as an Autistic/ADHD mother of 2 amazing, neurodivergent, PDA humans.

Manager: Religious Education Excellence, Catholic Identity and Mission MACS

Dr Nolen brings extensive experience in Religious Education, having worked across three dioceses in leadership, curriculum development, and research. She has successfully managed RE teams, led curriculum writing projects, and contributed to national Catholic education initiatives. Her PhD research focused on empowering teachers in Scripture learning, and her expertise has been recognised internationally with an award for her theological and educational contributions. A strong collaborator and strategic leader, Dr Nolen is dedicated to fostering excellence in Religious Education.

PhD (Education), MTeach, MSpeechPath, BA (Linguistics)

Dr Nathaniel Swain is a Teacher, Instructional Coach, and Writer. He produces a blog for teachers called Dr Swain’s Cognitorium and is co-host of the Chalk Dust Podcast with Rebecca Birch. Working at La Trobe University and the Department of Education in Victoria, Nathaniel has taught a range of learners in schools and tertiary settings. Dr Swain founded a community of teachers committed to the Science of Learning: THINK FORWARD EDUCATORS, now 30,000 members and growing. Dr Swain is a sought after speaker on educational circuits, and has a best-selling book entitled “Harnessing the science of learning: Success stories to help kickstart your school improvement”.

Lead Curriculum Writer, Catholic Identity and Mission MACS

Professor Kath Engebretson has had a distinguished career in religious education, shaping pre-service and postgraduate teachers at Australian Catholic University and now guiding educators through the Sydney College of Divinity. A prolific author, she co-authored the To Know Worship and Love series and now leads the development of the new religious education curriculum for the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

Co-CEO, Ochre Education

Reid is a co-founder and co-CEO of Ochre. Reid taught and led curriculum for over two decades, and brings those experiences to his role at Ochre. Reid is a member of La Trobe University's Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab. He is experienced in developing coherent curriculum across a range of year levels and contexts, and bridging the gap between educational research and practice.

Curriculum Lead Primary English, Ochre Education

Lara is the primary English Curriculum Lead at Ochre Education, where she has led the development of Ochre’s Years 3-6 and Year F-2 curriculum and resources. Lara has previously worked as a product developer at Multilit and a classroom teacher across NSW schools, including in special schools.n

Head of Resource Development, Ochre Education

Sue has been a teacher for 20 years, working in a range of primary contexts and roles. She has been with Ochre Education since the first lesson production in January 2022 and is currently the Head of Resource Development. Sue's work has involved going on deep dives into Australian curricula, supporting an exceptional team of like-minded educators, and delivering high quality resources and professional learning to teachers, school leaders and systems.