Overview

Summer Howarth

Summer Howarth is a learning experience designer and facilitator with expertise in educational innovation, policy & practice across Australia, focusing on systemic reform and student empowerment from schools to systems.

Her collaborative efforts span all Australian education jurisdictions, notably contributing to key projects with the NT, NSW, and SA Education Departments. In her role as Director of The Eventful Learning Co, she plays a crucial role in designing student perspectives into decision-making processes, significantly through her facilitation work with the National Student Voice Council and conversations with Education Ministers and Department Leads.

Internationally, Summer represents Australia on the Global Education Leaders Partnership, works with international school networks and organisations such as Google for Education & Centre for Strategic Education (CSE).

Summer’s work has been recognised with Premier’s/Chief Minister’s awards in NSW & the NT and she holds a Paul Harris Fellowship for services to Girls Education. When she’s not working on education endeavours, Summer enjoys life between watching a sunset in Darwin and pickling veggies with the CWA at her home in the Adelaide Hills.

Aimee Presnall

Having spent over 14 years in education, as both a school leader and teacher, Aimee saw first-hand how staff wellbeing easily becomes a low-level priority when other pressing matters demand attention. Drawing from these experiences, she integrated her expertise including a Masters of Educational Leadership, a Health and Wellness Coaching Professional Certificate, an Accredited Practitioner Certification for Work on Wellbeing and insights from hosting The Wonders of Wellbeing Podcast to establish Well-Nest.

A sought-after speaker on both national and international stages, Aimee’s voice resonates across continents, advocating for the prioritisation of staff wellbeing in educational institutions worldwide. Through meticulously crafted workshops, personalised coaching sessions and strategic consulting endeavours, she empowers schools to nurture the wellbeing of staff. Aimee has established an online community, The Leaders Nest, dedicated to bolstering the leadership, wellbeing and career progression of middle leaders in schools.

Aimee’s vision is to plant wellbeing at the heart of who schools are and what they do.

Adam Voigt

Adam Voigt’s presentations are filled with stories, messages, tools and hope developed from years of successful School Leadership as a Principal in some of Australia’s most challenging locations.

The author of the acclaimed ‘Restoring Teaching’, Adam has taken to print his ambitions for exemplary practice in our classrooms as a vehicle for restoring teachers to a mantle of authentic community respect.

Further, Adam takes critical messages about schools, learning, culture and leadership and elevates action in the education system through is groundbreaking education business, Real Schools.

Adam’s speaking and programs have taken him across Australia and internationally. Just some of his achievements include:

• presenting a TED Talk at the inaugural TEDx Darwin event
• winning his first Principal position at only 35 years of age.
• opening a brand-new Northern Territory school as its inaugural Principal.
• representing educators prolifically in the Australian print, radio and television media.

Adam has a passion for empowering as many dedicated leaders and educators as possible with the tools, skills and attitudes necessary to build meaningful, productive relationships in Australia’s schools … and for these relationships to be leveraged for a new level of learner performance and leadership potential.

Helen Connolly

Helen Connolly is the inaugural Commissioner for Children and Young People for South Australia.

Helen advocates at a systemic level to improve the development and wellbeing of South Australian children and young people, directly engaging with them to seek their views on how to promote and protect their rights and interests and support their participation in decision making.

The Honourable Blair Boyer MP

Blair lives in the North Eastern suburbs of Adelaide with his wife and three daughters.  He grew up on the family farm in rural South West Victoria, not far from Mount Gambier.

He was elected to represent the State electorate of Wright in 2018 and was appointed Minister for Education Training and Skills in March 2022.

Blair is passionate about education and believes that a strong, affordable and accessible public education system is the key to equality.

Garry Costello

Garry has worked for the past two Education Ministers as their Senior Adviser.

His career has been in education; as a secondary teacher and in a range of leadership positions including the Head of English Faculty, Assistant Principal, Deputy Principal and 12 years as a   Secondary Principal. He worked as a Regional Director and was Head of Schools, Chief Education Officer and Deputy CE for the SA Education Department.

He was awarded Best Achievement of an Australian Principal in recognition of his leadership in a poorly performing school. The school was acknowledged by ACER and The Australian newspaper as being in the top 10 in Australia following its dramatic and sustained improvement.

He was made a fellow of the Australian College of Educational Leaders and a fellow of the Australian College of Educators.

He is an advocate for our public-schools and their educators whose work he admires greatly.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg is one of Australia’s highest profile child, adolescent and family psychologists.

He wrote his PhD at the University of NSW, was the inaugural Director of the New Zealand Drug Foundation and worked as an Associate Professor at the Centre for Adolescent Health and Managing Director of the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre. He has held positions on the Board of CanTeen, the Australian Psychological Society, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation and is currently the Federal Government’s representative on the Board of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.

He is the Patron of Read the Play, author of 14 books and for the last 14 years has been the psychologist on Channel 7’s Sunrise, as well as a social commentator on the Morning Show with Neil Mitchell on Radio 3AW.

Jane Caro

Jane Caro AM (Member of the Order of Australia) is a Walkley Award winning columnist, author, novelist, broadcaster, documentary maker, feminist and social commentator. She spent 35 years as an award-winning copywriter and 7 years teaching Advertising Creative in the School of Communication Arts at Western Sydney University. These days she is a full-time writer, social commentator, speaker and broadcaster. In August 2023 she won the B&T Women in Media Lifetime Achievement Award.

She has published thirteen books, including a trilogy of YA novels about Elizabeth Tudor Just a Girl, Just a Queen and Just Flesh & Blood, a memoir Plain Speaking Jane, and Accidental Feminists the life story of women over 50. Her first novel for adults, The Mother, is a bestseller.

She appears frequently on The Drum & Today Extra. She created and presented 5 documentary series for ABC Compass, airing in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. She is in demand as a speaker, panel facilitator and MC. She writes a regular column in Nine Media and her opinion pieces and articles appear frequently in The Saturday Paper, The Guardian and The Big Smoke. She is currently developing a TV series about education and is writing her second novel for adults.

She is on the boards of The Public Education Foundation and Every Age Counts. She is an Ambassador for The Older Women’s Network.