Guest Presenters

Formerly a high school English teacher and a new teacher coach, Jennifer Abrams is currently a communications consultant and author. Among many, her publications include Having Hard Conversations and Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work. Jennifer has been featured columnist on growth and change for The Learning Professional as well as The International Educator and she keynotes, facilitates and coaches at schools worldwide.  She was honored to be named one of the “18 Women All K-12 Educators Should Know,” by Education Week’s ‘Finding Common Ground’’ blog. www.jenniferabrams.com @jenniferabrams

Biography:

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Paul Andersen is an educational consultant based in Bozeman, MT, with over 20 years of experience teaching science in Montana. He was named 2011 Montana Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for the 2011 National Teacher of the Year. His work centers on 3-dimensional learning and inquiry-based education. Paul is the creator of Bozeman Science, a YouTube channel featuring hundreds of tutorials that have amassed millions of views and become a go-to resource for students and educators alike. Over the past decade, he has delivered professional development training to thousands of teachers and administrators around the world, emphasizing strategies that are practical and immediately applicable in the classroom. He also curates The Wonder of Science, a platform that aggregates NGSS-aligned videos, assessments, and mini-lessons. Outside of his professional work, Paul enjoys traveling and exploring nature with his wife, Laura.

Dr. Anderson is a Director of Restorative Community Counselling based in Singapore. Suzanne first worked with schools after Hurricane Andrew hit Dade County, Florida, in 1992. Since then, she has provided support to the Jakarta Intercultural School since 2014 and to other schools in the aftermath of crises, such as student suicide. Throughout this time, Dr. Anderson has worked with international schools in Southeast Asia, developing, delivering, and refining training tailored to the needs of schools serving expatriate and local populations, recognizing the special concerns of Third Culture Kids and Families. Dr. Anderson is a certified trainer and responder with the National Organization for Victim Advocacy (US) and is the project manager, writer, and editor for their Community Crisis Response: Theory & Practice Manual. Over a 35-year career, Dr. Anderson has responded to natural, industrial, and man-made crises in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.

Kelly Armitage is passionate about building capacity in others so they can deepen their impact on student learning and wellbeing. With more than 35 years of experience working in schools, she specializes in supporting aspiring and current leaders as they clarify their goals, grow their expertise, and expand their influence.

She currently works as a Leadership Consultant and Coach drawing on a career that spans a wide range of roles. She served as Elementary School Principal at International School Bangkok and Curriculum Coordinator at Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, Venezuela. Her background also includes experience as an Instructional Coach, Staff Developer, Homeroom Teacher, EAL Teacher, Literacy Specialist and Learning Support Teacher across diverse school communities.

Kelly is an Adaptive Schools Training Associate and an Instructor for The Principals’ Training Center (PTC). When not collaborating with schools, she loves to be outside hiking and skiing with her family. Kelly can be reached at: leadforimpactLLC@gmail.com

Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., is well known throughout the EARCOS region as a dynamic speaker, motivating workshop leader, and inspiring consultant. Her school visits engage administrators, educators, students, parents, and community members in meaningful and memorable learning experiences. An author of books on writing and environmental stewardship, Cathryn is best known for her award-winning The Complete Guide to Service Learning just released in its third edition bringing a wealth of fresh ideas, applications, and practical strategies to strengthen and amplify a culture of service throughout a school community. As someone recently remarked following a school visit, “Cathy brings the joy!” Cathryn is thrilled to return once again to her EARCOS family to celebrate, acknowledge, and enrich all we do to “teach from the heart.”

Biography:

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Michael Busbee has been leading and teaching internationally for the past 21 years. Michael has served in a variety of teaching and leadership roles including Instructional Coach, Co-IB and EE Coordinator, DP Global Politics and History teacher, MYP INS Teacher in years MYP 2, MYP 3 and MYP 5, and TOK Teacher. Michael is passionate about helping schools strengthen teaching and learning through data-informed decision-making, curriculum alignment, differentiation, and the thoughtful integration of AI into education. He has presented workshops at IB Global Conferences on MYP assessment optimization and supporting student growth through data-driven differentiation and skills tracking. 

Ian Ketcham has spent 12 years teaching internationally, working across both the MYP and DP. His teaching experience spans MYP Individuals & Societies and DP Economics, History, Business Management, Psychology, Global Politics, and Theory of Knowledge, giving him a firsthand view of where the two programmes align. Ian is committed to helping students grow into active, critical global citizens, and much of his work has focused on strengthening curriculum coherence to make learning more engaging, rigorous, and issue driven across the MYP-DP continuum. He brings both varied classroom experience and a practitioner's perspective to today's session. 

Jennifer D. Klein is a product of experiential project-based education herself, and she lives and breathes the student-centered pedagogies used to educate her. She became a teacher during graduate school in 1990, quickly finding the intersection between her passion for writing and her fascination with educational transformation and its potential impact on social change. A former head of school with extensive international experience and over 35 years in education—including 19 in the classroom—Jennifer strives to amplify student voice, to provide the tools for high-quality project-based learning in all cultural and socio-economic contexts, and to shift school culture to support such practices. Motivated by her belief that all children deserve a meaningful, relevant education like the one she experienced herself, and that giving them such an education will catalyze positive change in their communities and beyond, Jennifer strives to inspire educators to shift their practices in schools worldwide.

Jennifer’s books include Taming the Turbulence in Educational Leadership: Doing Right by Learners Without Losing Your Job (2026), The Landscape Model of Learning: Designing Student-Centered Experiences for Cognitive and Cultural Inclusion (2022, coauthored with Kapono Ciotti), and The Global Education Guidebook: Humanizing K-12 Classrooms Worldwide through Equitable Partnerships (2017).

Fabenson Frisch is the Associate Director of International Programs at Facing History and Ourselves, a position he took on with great enthusiasm 10 months ago. In this role, he has been instrumental in conducting seminars with valued partners in France, Mexico, and El Salvador, fostering meaningful relationships and strengthening partnerships with various organizations. Notably, he spearheaded the initiation of the Global Partners network initiative, collaborating with partners from Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, El Salvador, and Colombia.

Prior to joining Facing History and Ourselves, Fabenson dedicated his efforts to making a positive impact with No Means No Worldwide (NMNW), an organization committed to promoting personal safety and self-defense skills to combat sexual assault, harassment, and violence against women and children. During his time with NMNW, Fabenson played a vital role in launching their programs in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Namibia and Uganda, furthering their mission to empower individuals and create safer communities.

In addition to his impactful work, Fabenson is a Returned Ukraine Peace Corps Volunteer, having spent 27 months living in Ukraine, where he actively engaged in youth and community development projects, fostering a sense of unity and growth.

Fabenson brings a diverse and impressive academic background to his work, holding a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science and Spanish from the University of Toledo, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Lourdes University. Fabenson is originally from Haiti, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 17, carrying with him a rich cultural heritage that has become a driving force behind his commitment to making a positive impact in the world. Fabenson enjoys traveling, cooking, learning languages, dancing and playing futbol. He resides in Mexico City. 

Leslie W. Grant, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Education at the William & Mary School of Education where she teaches courses in curriculum development and evaluation, K12 assessment systems, and strategic planning. She regularly publishes and works with schools in the U.S. and internationally in aligning and gaining greater coherence among curriculum, instruction, and assessment at all levels of the system. In addition, Leslie is involved in several evaluation and research projects to include programs aimed at developing teacher leadership capacity and international comparisons of teaching.

James H. Stronge is the Heritage Professor of Education, a distinguished professorship, in the School of Education at William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Additionally, he is the President and CEO of Stronge & Associates Educational Consulting, LLC, an educational consulting company that focuses on teacher and leader effectiveness with projects internationally and in many U.S. states. He teaches doctoral courses at William & Mary within the Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership Department, with a particular focus on teacher and leader effectiveness, legal issues in education, and research design. Externally funded projects at William & Mary for which he has served as primary investigator or co-primary investigation have generated $54 million in funding support.

Dr. Stronge’s research interests include policy and practice related to teacher quality and effectiveness, teacher and leader evaluation, and teacher selection. He has worked with numerous U.S. state departments of education, school districts, and national and international educational organizations to design and implement evaluation and hiring systems for educators. He has developed teacher and principal evaluation systems for American international schools supported by the U.S. Department of State.

Stronge has made more than 400 presentations at regional, national, and international conferences, and has conducted workshops for educational organizations extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally. Among his current research projects are: 1) international comparative studies of effective teachers in the United States, China, and independent international schools; and 2) factors that relate to world class schools.

Stronge has authored, co-authored, or edited 35 books and more than 200 articles, chapters, and technical reports. His most recent books include What Makes a World-Class School and How We Can Get There (ASCD, 2017), Qualities of Effective Teachers, 3rd Ed. (ASCD, 2018), Qualities of Effective Principals, 2nd Ed. (ASCD, 2021), International Beliefs and Practices that Characterize Teacher Effectiveness (co-editor) (IGI Global, 2021), and Smart from the Start: 150 Tools for Teaching with Confidence (ASCD, 2023).  

Meghan Hargrave has over a decade of experience working as an education coach and consultant.  Her work has taken her into K-12 classrooms across the globe to support teachers, coaches, administrators, schools and districts in practical methods and practices that move teaching and learning forward. Her expertise is in orchestrating educational initiatives, teaching goals, student data and beyond, to deliver customized professional development that meets the needs of all stakeholders.  

Shelley Hawkes is an international education and behavior consultant passionate about fostering inclusion for students with differences in school settings. Shelley has over 30 years of experience in education including working as learning support teacher and EAL teacher in the United States, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Malaysia, and Chile. Shelley has served as a leader of student support services departments in Venezuela and Chile. While working at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), she co-created the Life Centered Education (LCE) program, which earned the International School Award for Initiative to Support Inclusion. A frequent presenter and keynote speaker, Shelley has shared her expertise at conferences across the Middle East, Asia, Central America, and South America. Additionally, Shelley co-authored the Next Frontier Inclusion (NFI) publication, Challenge Accepted: Reframing Our Approaches to Behavior Management in International Schools, and volunteered as Director of Growth and Development for the SENIA Organization. Learn more at: shelleyhawkes.com

Joy Marchese is an internationally recognized educator, speaker, author, and founder of Positive Discipline UK, known for transforming school cultures through practical, relationship-centered strategies that inspire lasting change. As a Lead Trainer with the Positive Discipline Association, she certifies educators worldwide in Positive Discipline in the Classroom® and is also a certified facilitator in Teaching  from the BACK of the Room!® and Bridge® Relational Styles. 

Joy has partnered with hundreds of international schools across six continents, helping educators strengthen student engagement, build resilient learning communities, and create classrooms where every child feels they belong. Her sessions are highly interactive, research-informed, and packed with immediately applicable strategies that participants can implement the very next day. Whether working with teachers, school leaders, or parents, Joy's energetic and authentic style empowers educators to move beyond managing behavior to creating environments where both students and adults can truly thrive.

A Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver, Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on P-12 school leadership, deeper learning, technology, and innovation. He is on a mission to make students’ day-to-day learning less boring and more meaningful and relevant. Scott is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the only university center in the U.S. dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and is the co-creator of both the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens), and the 4 Shifts Protocol for lesson and unit redesign.

Scott has worked with hundreds of schools, districts, universities, and other organizations and has received numerous awards for his technology leadership work, including the 2016 Award for Outstanding Leadership from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Scott blogs about leadership and innovation at Dangerously Irrelevant and is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at regional, state, national, and international conferences. Scott also hosts two podcasts, LeaderTalk and Redesigning for Deeper Learning.

Scott currently serves as a Senior Fellow for Getting Smart, a Fellow for the NAESP Center for Innovative Leadership, an ISTE Community Leader, InnEdCO Ambassador, and on NAESP’s Professional Learning Advisory Council. He has written or edited 4 books and 170 articles and other publications, and is one of the most visible education professors in the United States. His most recent work focuses on what deeper learning looks like in elementary and middle schools.

Aaron Moniz is the CEO, Co-Founder, and Director of Inspire Citizens, a global organization that partners with schools to empower young people through service learning and community engagement, sustainability, student leadership, and active global citizenship. A Third Culture individual who grew up internationally, Aaron’s experiences across cultures shaped his deep belief in empathy, belonging, and the power of education to create meaningful change.

Before founding Inspire Citizens, Aaron was an international school educator whose work was also deeply influenced by his background as a punk rock musician, where ideas of community, authenticity, activism, and collective responsibility became central to his personal and professional values. Today, Aaron works internationally as an author, keynote speaker, workshop leader, professional learning partner, whole school strategic planning advisor, and facilitator of youth empowerment conferences, helping schools connect learning to authentic real-world impact through the Empathy to Impact framework and whole school systems for global citizenship education.

Aaron cares deeply about the world and believes strongly in the power of educators and schools to shape both the present and the future for the better. His work focuses on helping school communities align purpose, learning, and action in ways that empower young people to become thoughtful, engaged, and compassionate changemakers.

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Heather Rich is the Lower School PYP Coordinator/Instructional Coach at TISA in Azerbaijan. Her current focus is using standards to structure conceptually-based units that promote action and international-mindedness. She is an advocate for equitable science learning at all grade levels, and believes science is where students can show the learning that transfers. 

Heather has taught internationally in her home city of New York, for over 20 years. She has been a K-12 instructional coach for Science, an Elementary homeroom teacher, and an English language acquisition specialist for MLLs. Educational passions include student-centered coaching, curriculum development, UdL, and language acquisition theory.

Heather teamed up with Britta McCarthy during the pandemic to found NGSS Partnership. From 2020 to 2023, NGSS Partnership put on six multi-day, virtual conferences, in-person workshops, and developed an online asynchronous course. NGSS Partnership’s purpose was to bring science teachers together throughout Latin America, deepen collective understanding of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and learn from each other’s practices. This is NGSS Partnership’s first time presenting in the EARCOS region.

Lisa Sachs is the Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI). She is a globally recognized expert and leading voice on climate finance, sustainable investment, and natural resource governance, and a leading voice on how laws, policies, and financial architecture shape global investment flows in support of development and climate objectives. She is also an Associate Professor and Director of the M.S. in Climate Finance program at Columbia Climate School.

Since joining CCSI in 2008, she has built the Center  into a leading hub for research, analysis, thought leadership, and policy engagement. Her work spans climate finance and reform of the international financial architecture, energy transition financing, sustainable industrial policy, corporate climate action, and the governance of critical minerals and extractive industries. She advises governments around the world along with multilateral development banks, UN agencies, and intergovernmental organizations, and works closely with companies, investors, and civil society to translate research into practical policy and investment reforms.

She received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University, a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School, where she was a James Kent Scholar and recipient of the Parker School Certificate in International and Comparative Law.

John Tapper is the founder and CEO of the All Learners Network and has spent more than forty years in mathematics education. He has taught in public schools, served as a district math coordinator, and held a professorship, including work with the Vermont Mathematics Initiative. He holds a PhD in Teaching and Learning from New York University. John is the author of Solving for Why, an award-winning book on understanding and supporting students who struggle in mathematics, and is co-authoring Everyone Counts, a book on teaching mathematics to neurodivergent learners. His work rests on a simple idea: that every student can learn rigorous mathematics when instruction is built to include them. He founded the All Learners Network to put that idea into practice in classrooms around the world.