Dr Jana is an internationally acclaimed, US-based paediatrician, early educator, and award-winning author of 30+ children/parenting books who first gained international recognition working with world-renowned paediatrician, Dr. Benjamin Spock. In addition to having served as Director of Innovation at both Penn State University and the University of Nebraska School of Public Health, she has 30+ years experience working with parents, educators, health care providers, media, academia, government organisations, non-profits and corporations alike. From early literacy advocate and 9-year owner of a 200-student educational childcare centre to spokesperson for the American Academy of Paediatrics, strategic consultant to a premier U.S. based child care company and advisor to both tech startups and one of the world’s largest toy companies, Dr Jana is a social entrepreneur at heart, dedicated to empowering minds and enhancing lives. Her most recent books, QI Skills for the Early Childhood Classroom and QI Skills for Parents & Caregivers – The Early Years, are the first two in her QI Skills series. They join The Toddler Brain and Jumping Into Kindergarten as books all focused on the valuable social-emotional and other human skills needed to thrive in an AI powered world and their foundational development during the first 5 years. Dr. Jana has given three TED talks and 100+ talks/keynotes on early childhood, 21st C Skill development and the future of work to cross-sector audiences – from the World Forum on Early Childhood, Delhi Public Schools, and Early Childhood Australia to the US Chamber of Commerce, the World Bank, the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center, and the British Parliament.

Stacy Benge is an early childhood speaker who approaches learning in the early years with practicality and common sense. Standing firm on the truth that children learn best through simple, authentic experiences, she advocates for child-led play to build solid foundations for child development. In addition to a Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies, Stacy spent 10 years in the early childhood classroom teaching children ages birth to five. As she has for the past 20 years, Stacy shares her enthusiasm for child development with fellow early learning professionals through enlightening and informative presentations. Stacy is the author of The Whole Child Alphabet: How Young Children Actually Develop Literacy published by Exchange Press. She is available for keynote presentations. Located in Texas, she presents virtually, locally, nationally, and internationally.

Ron Ritchhart is a world- renowned and award-winning educator, researcher, and author. For over 25 years, Ron was one of the leading researchers and Principal Investigators at Project Zero at the Harvard where his research focused on understanding how to develop, nurture, and sustain “cultures of thinking” for both students and teachers. Ron continues his classroom and school-based research and writing today and continues to designs and instruct courses for Harvard. Ron’s ability to seamlessly merge theory, research, practice, and application together in a highly accessible and engaging manner has made him a best-selling author and sought after speaker.

Lynnette Brock – Co-Founder & Director of SchemaPlay Lynnette Brock is an early years specialist, researcher, and passionate advocate for play-based learning. She is the co-founder and director of SchemaPlay Community Interest Company, an organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for children through the power of free-flow play and schema-informed practice. Her career began in nursery and primary schools in London, where she developed a deep appreciation for the ways in which children learn best – through exploration, curiosity, and self-directed activity. Over the years, Lynnette has combined hands-on teaching experience with academic research, focusing on how children’s repeated patterns of behaviour (schemes) can be harnessed to support cognitive, social, and emotional development. Through SchemaPlay, Lynnette has worked with educators, settings, and local authorities to embed approaches that respect children’s agency, opening up a breadth of curriculum engagement and joy of learning. She has developed training programmes, resources, and research projects that bridge theory and practice, empowering practitioners to observe, interpret, nurture and nourish children’s thinking and learning in meaningful ways. Lynnette’s work is underpinned by a belief that play is not a break from learning – it is learning. Her contributions continue to influence early years pedagogy in the UK and beyond, inspiring educators to create environments where every child’s unique learning journey is respected, nurtured and nourished.”

Nathan Wallis is a father of three, Poua (Grandad) of five and a foster parent with a professional background in child trauma counselling, teaching and Human Development. He lectured in Human Development at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand for many e a r s and was also a board member and the senior trainer for the national body in Aotearoa/New Zealand charged with the responsibility of disseminating Neuroscientific research to professionals and community. He has developed a reputation as a lively and engaging speaker who uses humour and plain language to make this complex topic absolutely come to life. In addition to being a regular on New Zealand Television screens and news media shows as an expert advisor on topics related to the human brain, child development or trauma informed practice, he now also has a show of his on on Maori TV in which his expertise in these topics is explored, understood and delivered within an indigenous knowledge base and worldview as it relates to parenting called “KIds Dont Come With a Manual”

Jessica Vance is an author and education consultant with a background in teaching and leadership across private and public international schools. Passionate about studentcentered learning, collaboration, and coaching, she draws inspiration from students’ natural curiosity as they engage in meaningful learning experiences. Jessica leads with a lens of inquiry, designing professional learning and coaching experiences that help educators re!ect, collaborate, and grow as inquiry practitioners. Author of Leading with a Lens of Inquiry and Evidence of Inquiry, she explores how leaders can model curiosity and use documentation to deepen re!ection and assessment. Her experience in IB and place-based education fuels her work supporting schools worldwide in cultivating authentic, inquiry-driven learning.

Vince has a long and distinguished background in Mathematics Education, as a teacher, professional development facilitator, project director, University academic, teacher, and researcher. Vince has strong mathematical discipline knowledge. In 2011 he completed his PhD in Proportional Reasoning and Multiplicative Thinking. His Masters’ Thesis was on students’ growth in algebraic thinking. Both theses demonstrate Vince’s strong interest in pedagogy and learning trajectories in Mathematics, across a broad range of topics. His most recent academic publications have been about spatial reasoning, comparative education, and the teaching of reading. Vince also has very strong understanding of the Mathematics and Statistics learning area in The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) through being the lead writer of that Curriculum and co-ordinator of three writing teams comprised of experienced mathematics educators. He also wrote the National Standards for Numeracy in 2009 and last year co-wrote the Mathematics and Statistics Curriculum for Tokelau, a small Pacific nation. Vince works now as a private consultant and combines writing for nzmaths website, tutoring secondary students in mathematics, facilitating the Ministry of Education mathematics professional development in schools, offering consultancy to NZCER, The Ministry of Education (NZ), NZQA (Qualifications Authority), and as a consultant to NCEC, CEWA and CEDB in Australia.

Alison Clark is Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) and an internationally recognised early childhood author, speaker and consultant. Together with Professor Peter Moss, she developed the Mosaic approach (Clark and Moss, 2001; Clark, 2017), a methodology for listening to and engaging with young children’s views and experiences and now widely developed and adapted by researchers and educators. Alison’s recent study ‘Slow knowledge and the unhurried child’ funded by the Froebel Trust, led to the award winning book published by Routledge (Clark, 2023) and is currently being translated into several languages. Alison has been engaged in collaborative research around ‘slow practices’ with young children and educators in Scotland, Norway, Japan and Iceland.
Slow Knowledge Blog | Google scholar profile

Dr. Deborah MacNamara is a clinical counsellor, educator and author of Rest, Play, Grow, and Nourished. She makes sense of kids through developmental science for the adults who care for them. Deborah is based in Vancouver, Canada, speaks internationally, and is on faculty at the Neufeld Institute.

Dr Leanne Gibbs is a respected leader, educator, and advocate in early childhood education. In her role as Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at Charles Sturt University, she teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programs, bringing real-world insight and academic rigour to her students. An experienced Honours and doctoral supervisor, Leanne has guided numerous research students to completion and publication, fostering emerging scholars and advancing educational knowledge. Her career spans teaching, leadership, public policy, and sector reform, underpinned by a commitment to children’s rights and effective leadership. Before joining CSU in 2022, Leanne held roles as teacher and director, senior advisor across all levels of government, CEO of a peak sector body, and leader of national professional development initiatives. An accomplished author, podcaster, and not-for-profit board member, Leanne is widely recognised for her voice on leadership, equity, and systems thinking, driving change and mentoring the next generation of educators.

Dr Noella Mackenzie is an Associate Professor (adjunct) at Charles Sturt University. She is an experienced literacy educator and researcher. Her writing research has focused on: (1) the learning and teaching of multimodal texts; (2) the creative relationship between drawing, talking and writing; and (3) the transition from drawing to writing. In addition to working in NSW, Victoria and the ACT, Noella has worked in both California and Canada, been on study trips to Finland, Scotland and New Zealand, and has presented countless workshops for teachers across the country and overseas. Noella has also presented keynotes at conferences as far afield as Iceland. She has co-edited three books, written numerous invited chapters and published many papers in professional and research journals. Noella continues to work with teachers, often playing a mentoring role in classrooms that are utilising her Draw, Talk, Write and Share pedagogical approach and/or Interactive Writing.

Michael is a very passionate person; whose strengths lie in working with people. He is especially passionate about children and young people and helping them reach their full potential in life. He sees each individual as a unique and wonderful part of the human story. Michael travels around Australia facilitating practical and engaging professional development sessions for educators and other professionals in topics including emotion coaching, trauma-informed practice, child development, self-care and wellbeing, community development, and Kimochis®. He has significant experience in supporting children and young people from birth all the way through to adulthood. Michael has held various senior leadership roles, where he has been responsible for pioneering and developing sustainable new models, to enable schools and communities to best support their children and young people. He was the lead developer of The Wellbeing Classroom framework for developing community-based wellbeing in classrooms, which was assessed as a promising program by Child Family Community Australia through the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Kirsty Liljegren is a highly regarded education consultant, author, content creator, and keynote speaker working across early childhood and primary education in Australia and internationally. With a rich background as a teacher and educational leader, Kirsty is known for her thoughtful advocacy for learning and her deep curiosity about how children and adults come to know, create, and flourish together. Her work is shaped by a researchoriented disposition and a strong belief that meaningful change occurs when we intentionally cultivate the conditions that support learning, belonging, and collective growth. Kirsty’s practice is grounded in a commitment to educators’ rights to be intellectually and emotionally engaged in their work. She works alongside teachers and leaders to strengthen professional identity, collegiality, and pedagogical confidence, inviting educators to see themselves as researchers, thinkers, and active contributors to educational change. A long-standing Board member of Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE), Kirsty proudly volunteers her time to support this not-forprofit organisation and its vision to reimagine education through rights-based, relational, and creative approaches.

Author, creator of Baby Bear’s Chair, and founder of IRIS — Inspiring Reading in Settings — lives on Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Country in Cairns, Australia. An early year’s educator with more than 35 years’ experience, grandmother, and facilitator of Rainforest Retreats, she is an emerging leader in integral ecology. Inspired by The Universe Story, Alison connects children, educators, and families to nature and story, inviting rediscovery of wonder, nurturing belonging, and deepening care for our shared Earth.

Taylor Dee Hawkins is a passionate entrepreneur focused on future-driven leadership, policy innovation, and social impact. A singular purpose drives Taylor’s work: to help leaders move beyond short-term gains and embrace their
responsibility to the future.

Her work demonstrates that embedding sustainability and foresight into business practices is an ethical responsibility and essential for long-term competitive advantage and enduring success. She is the Managing Director of Foundations for Tomorrow, a non-pro.t dedicated to advancing the protection of future generations’ interests in Australia, which recently launched the Australian Parliamentary Group for Future Generations and the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition. Taylor was the only young person invited to speak at the Global Parliamentary Congress due to her signi.cant work in this area. She has also served as an Advisor to the Our Future Agenda initiative of the United Nations Foundation.

An accomplished speaker, Taylor has spoken at international events such as the United Nations COP26 Climate Conference, Stockholm, and the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Additionally, she is the only young person on the World Economic Forum’s Global Foresight Network Advisory Board and the Executive Leadership Team for the Global Network of Institutions for Future Generations. Taylor’s professional background is rooted in years of leadership development experience. She has designed and facilitated enterprise leadership programs to foster future-driven leadership for organisations like CSIRO, Google, Adidas, and Salesforce, for which her work has been nominated for several industry awards. This includes her ongoing collaboration with Leading Initiatives Worldwide and developing programs for the O9ce of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, such as the Future Generations Leadership Accelerator and the Policy Leader Toolkit.

Taylor’s efforts have earned her recognition through various accolades, including Smart Company’s 30 Under 30, the NSW Young Achiever Awards (finalist), YAIIA’s Young Women to Watch in International A:airs, the MBAus Social Impact Awards, and the NSW Young Australian of the Year Award (finalist). In 2023, she was selected as one of the 12 Ko. Annan Changemakers.

Robyn Monro Miller AM As a beneficiary of a happy, healthy childhood, Robyn has made her life’s work advocating the same for all children. Her career has spanned 35 years, encompassing senior leadership roles in education, local government, children’s services, and the not-for-profit sector. Her advocacy and leadership have been recognised with a number of awards, including the Australian Commonwealth Centenary medal and an AM in the Australian Honours List for “Significant service to the community through children’s organisations.” Robyn is passionate about achieving reform that enhances policy and planning for Australia’s children. Robyn served on successive Ministerial Advisory Councils and played a significant role in the reform of the school age care sector in Australia between 1996 and 2018. Her advocacy work, undertaken with the National peak body, included securing the first Quality Assurance system and qualifications for the sector, followed by the development of the first Australian school age care framework “My Time, Our Place.” She is currently CEO of Play Australia, the national advocacy organisation for play and since 2017, President of the International Play Association (IPA World). Robyn has represented IPA World on the UN working group for the development of the General Comment on Article 31, and the global working group for the International Day of Play campaign. Active in the media, she speaks regularly at international and national events on the importance of play as a biological imperative, critical for healthy development and essential to build social cohesion. In 2025, Robyn undertook a Churchill Fellowship to examine Governments with recognised play initiatives that support children’s health and wellbeing. She is currently facilitating an ambitious agenda of Australian cross sectoral collaboration to deliver a national play strategy. that will shape the national agenda for play in Australia.