Joelle Basnight

Joelle Basnight is the Deputy Head of School at the American International School Chennai. She has served as a principal, teacher, counselor, and administrator in six different international schools over the last 25 years. Ms. Basnight believes that educational institutions thrive when individuals and groups intentionally build the collective capacity for collaboration and self-directedness in their faculty, staff, parents, and students. Ms. Basnight is an Adaptive Schools Agency Trainer and a Cognitive Coaching Trainer-in-Training. She has also presented in the areas of leadership, mindfulness and empowering student voice.

Walter Basnight

Walter Basnight serves as the High School Learning Coach at the American International School of Chennai. Originally from the US, Walter has worked in international schools around the world for 23 years and is an Agency Trainer-in-Training for both Adaptive Schools and Cognitive Coaching. Walter believes strongly in supporting individuals and groups in developing their capacity for growth.

Stephen Dare

Stephen Dare is in his 10th year as the Head of School at Hong Kong Academy. He is passionate about creating opportunities to democratise learning and elevate student voice within schools. He believes that everyone in an organisation has the capacity to contribute to the co-construction of learning experiences that both elevate thinking and promote action in support of broader educational initiatives. Stephen began his career as a preschool teacher in Southeast England, and has worked as an administrator in North and South America as well as Southeast Asia. He is the treasurer of the ACAMIS Board and supports the Next Frontier: Inclusion Design Team in an advisory role. Stephen is an Agency Trainer for the Thinking Collaborative and has embedded the work of Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools into the professional learning culture of HKA, helping to implement the school’s mission and identity. He regularly presents courses on coaching and building institutional trust at international schools and conferences. Stephen initially left his home town for a two-year adventure overseas, and over thirty years later he continues to embrace the opportunities of working in a global culture.

Bridget Doogan

Bridget Doogan is an educational consultant who specializes in supporting individuals and communities to adapt and thrive through change and challenge by tuning in to resources, paths and models of responding, navigating and growing. She is an Adaptive Schools Training associate for the Thinking Collaborative and leads seminars, facilitation and coaching internationally and virtually. Bridget is the former Director of Professional Learning for the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA).

Bridget's background includes over 20 years in international schools as a curriculum coordinator, professional learning leader, and teacher at the elementary, middle and high school levels. As a consultant she has worked extensively with International Schools Services developing curriculum and professional learning programs. She served as a Danielson Group trainer, developing professional growth systems around the Framework for Teaching, and taught as an adjunct professor in Buffalo State SUNY's International Graduate Programs.

Gavin Grift

Gavin Grift is the Founder and CEO of Grift Education. Gavin’s passion, commitment, humour and highly engaging style have made him one of Australia’s most in-demand presenters. Through his keynotes, seminars, and coaching services, Gavin connects with national and international audiences on how to cultivate authentic collaboration, build success in others and genuinely commit to reflective practice. His belief in the development of defined professional autonomy for educators both challenge and connect the head and heart of his audiences.

Gavin is co-author of numerous articles and best-selling books, including Transformative Talk; Cognitive Coaches Share their Stories (2015), Collaborative Teams that Transform Schools (2016), Transformative Collaboration (2016) and Teachers as Architects of Learning (2018). Most recently, he co-authored Collaborative Teams That Work (2020) and Five Ways of Being; What Learning Leaders Think, Do and Say Everyday (2020). He led the development of PLC networks across Australian, culminating in the establishment of the Centre for Professional Learning Communities. 

Gavin has held numerous educational leadership positions including serving as a Cluster Educator, Leading Teacher, Assistant Principal, Director of Professional Learning and more recently as Executive Director and Managing Director of Hawker Brownlow Education and Solution Tree Australia.

Gavin serves as a Training Associate for Thinking Collaborative’s Cognitive Coaching® & Teacher Leadership Seminars and Professional Learning Communities at Work®. Gavin is the Co-Founder for the Centre of Learning Architects in the support of both teachers and leaders in becoming students of their own professional practice.

Doreen Miori-Merola

Doreen Miori-Merola is now a co-director for Thinking Collaborative and a private international consultant with M2 Coaching & Consulting, Doreen was an English teacher for over 38 years, and she taught everything from academic intervention to advanced placement. She has a B.S. from State University of New York at Oswego in English/secondary education, did graduate work in diagnostic and prescriptive reading, and received an M.S. in English Education Advanced Study from Syracuse University. As the English Language Arts Content Specialist/Department Chair for the Solvay Union Free School District – a teacher leadership role – she was in charge of curriculum, assessment, data analysis, professional development, facilitation, mentoring, and AIS for grades 4 through 12. Doreen is a Training Associate for Cognitive Coaching℠, Adaptive Schools, and Habits of Mind. She has presented workshops on six continents.

Ochan Kusuma-Powell

Ochan Kusuma-Powell is the Director of Education Across Frontiers, an organization dedicated to the professional learning of international school educators. She also serves on the Design Team for The Next Frontier Inclusion – a non-profit organization devoted to supporting international schools in becoming more inclusive of students with special learning needs. Ochan has presented numerous workshops and courses in the areas of differentiation, assessment, teacher emotional intelligence, coaching and collaboration. She has been a trainer for the Teacher Training Center (TTC) and is an Associate Trainer for Cognitive CoachingSM and Adaptive Schools. She holds a doctorate from Columbia University.

Ochan has authored many articles and has co-authored with her husband Bill,Count Me In! Developing Inclusive International Schools (2000), Making the Difference: Differentiation in International Schools(2008), Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Teacher (2010), How to Teach Now: Five Keys to Personalized Learning in the Global Classroom (2012), The OIQ Factor: Raising the Organizational Intelligence of your school (2013) and Teacher Self-Supervision: Why teacher evaluation is a failed system and what we can do about it (2015). 

Carol Brooks Simoneau

Carol Brooks Simoneau EdD, Co-Director, Thinking Collaborative, graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in elementary education. She earned a Master of Science Degree with a Reading Specialist endorsement and an Educational Administration and Leadership endorsement from Kansas State University. Carol earned a Doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership from Kansas State University.

Carol has over 20 years experience as a teacher and reading specialist with students of all ages. As a reading specialist, she modeled instructional strategies in the classroom and worked with students in intervention programs created to prevent reading failure. She has also chaired or served as a member on school improvement and accreditation teams designed to develop school community and facilitate achievement. Carol has received the Kansas State Department of Education Distinguished Educator Award. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Kansas Staff Development Council.

Carol provides Cognitive CoachingSM and Adaptive Schools training. She is the author of A Facilitator’s Guide to On-line Professional Development: Establishing Communities of Learning and Cultures of Thinking.

Jennifer Swinehart

Jennifer Swinehart is the Research, Development and Communications Director at Hong Kong Academy and teaches English Literature teacher in the Secondary School. As an advocate for nurturing diverse and inclusive communities, Jennifer believes that all learners should be empowered to pursue their passions as inquirers, collaborators and innovators. Whenever she is working with a group of learners, Jennifer seeks to create joyful learning environments that stimulate self-advocacy and agency. In addition to working within her own school community to construct these types of authentic learning experiences for both students and adults, Jennifer is a trainer at the Principals’ Training Center and regularly presents at educational conferences in the Asia-Pacific region. Jennifer’s love of literacy and communication led her to study Latin as her undergraduate major, and she is certified to teach both Secondary English/Language Arts and Humanities; her doctoral research explores student perspectives on how cognitive, affective and effective skills are taught in secondary schools. In her free time, Jennifer is a keen nonfiction reader, Arsenal supporter and marathon runner.

Doug Woodward

Doug Woodward is the Middle School Assistant Principal at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) and is passionate about teaching kids and helping schools get even better. His Masters in Educational Leadership and School Administration is from Indiana University. Doug is an Agency Trainer for Adaptive Schools, an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE), Google Certified, and a former technology facilitator. Doug has taught a wide variety of subjects Pre-K to 12 and has lived and taught in Kenya, Peru, Jordan, USA and now Malaysia. Doug has facilitated and presented workshops at EARCOS, NESA, AASSA, Google Summits and ADE events. Most significantly, Doug is grateful for his wonderful wife, Tracy, and his three marvelous kids.

Kendall Zoller

Kendall Zoller, EdD, is an author, educator, researcher, international presenter, and co-author of The Choreography of Presenting: The 7 Essential Abilities of Effective Presenters (Corwin Press, 2010) and president of Sierra Training Associates specializing in communicative intelligence and Hacking Leadership. He has authored over three dozen reviewed book chapters and journal articles spanning topics of communication, community, and leadership for educators and other audiences. His work on leadership and presentation skills takes him to schools, districts, universities, state agencies, and corporations across the United States, and Canada and into Europe, China, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and other points east. His lectures, presentations, and paper presentations include the campuses of Harvard, UC Berkeley, St. Anselm College, Boston University, University of Chicago, and Loyola University Maryland. Kendall has a doctorate in Educational Leadership a Masters in Educational Management. Kendall can be reached at kvzollerci@gmail.com