Dianne Blackburn
Pre-conference workshop: Creating inclusive classrooms through Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Dianne Blackburn is an independent educational consultant working with international schools worldwide. She has many years of consultancy experience in pedagogical leadership, change management and educator training solutions. In addition to her consultancy, Dianne works for the IB as a lead educator facilitating Middle Years Programme (MYP) school communities, a field representative, programme leader, programme development support consultant, and an IB educator network (IBEN) workshop leader. Dianne has worked extensively with large groups of schools worldwide, supporting their development of inclusive practice through universal design for learning (UDL). This approach has resulted in outstanding results.
Lyn Coote
Pre-conference workshop: Thinking about my thinking and acting: Do I really make a difference to learners and learning?
Lyn Coote works with educators across Asia-Pacific to embed evidence-based practices at a school and system level, including evaluation, action planning, and high impact strategies in teaching and learning. Lyn has extensive leadership experience at both school and system levels, and one of her strengths as an educator is her ability to shift theory to action. As a teacher and leader, she has experience in remote, rural, regional, urban and international schools and she brings these experiences to her work. Lyn’s experiences include Early Years, primary and middle school, Primary Years Programme (PYP) coordinator, IB workshop leader and mathematics consultant.
David Whitehead
Pre-conference workshop: Thinking about my thinking and acting: Do I really make a difference to learners and learning?
David Whitehead supports educators across Asia-Pacific as a consultant, presenter, workshop leader and evaluation team leader. He has been in education for more than 20 years, most of those working as an IB teacher and Coordinator in Australia and Europe. David has experience in teaching, leading and consulting in public, private and international schools of varying sizes and contexts, from Early Years to Senior College. Nearly a decade after becoming an IBEN, David continues to develop teacher and leader capacity through translating research in best practice.  He is currently supporting the development of Student Engagement for Learning with Dr Amy Berry.
Bianca Starck
Pre-conference workshop: Approaches to learning and sustainable entrepreneurship: From Early Years to the Diploma Programme
Bianca Starck is a passionate IB educator. In the IB educator network (IBEN) since 2015, Bianca has served as a workshop leader, site visitor, and now programme leader, in more than 10 countries. Bianca has been teaching internationally for 20 years, from Early Years to upper primary. She is currently the ATL (approaches to learning) Coordinator and kindergarten teacher at a continuum school in Surabaya, Indonesia, and collaborates with the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) coordinators to ensure consistency across programmes. Bianca is also in charge of the approaches to learning professional learning community in her school and, together with her team, strives to inspire and empower students to become sustainable entrepreneurs.
Stuart Ratcliffe
Pre-conference workshop: Approaches to learning and sustainable entrepreneurship: From Early Years to the Diploma Programme
Stuart Ratcliffe is currently the Middle Years Programme (MYP) Coordinator at an IB continuum school in Surabaya, Indonesia. He teaches MYP individuals and societies, Diploma Programme (DP) global politics, and is also an IB extended essay examiner for English A: language and literature. His roles include close collaboration with the other curriculum coordinators and ensuring a smooth transition across programmes. Having taught internationally for 11 years, Stuart strives to foster authentic inquiry in the learning community. Sustainability in education has always been a passion of his, and he won the 2021 Trust for Sustainable Living Sustainability Challenge.
Sean Rankin
Pre-conference workshop: Transformative programme implementation through the 2020 Programme standards and practices
Sean Rankin leads the global teams responsible for implementing the authorization process and for supporting every candidate school to effectively develop an authentic IB education for their community. Sean has held other curriculum and assessment, global school service and professional service roles within the IB. Prior to joining the IB, Sean held Head of Middle School, Assistant Principal and IB Coordinator positions in Australian public schools. Sean was active in the IB educator network (IBEN), performing a wide variety of school service and professional development roles. He has also been a university-based academic staff member lecturing in post-graduate certificate and master of education courses.
Monita Sen
Pre-conference workshop: Transformative programme implementation through the 2020 Programme standards and practices
Monita Sen has over 20 years’ experience in education in a variety of roles, including both teaching and leadership positions. She currently works with the IB as the Primary Years Programme (PYP) Senior Authorization Manager, providing support to schools implementing the PYP as they work towards becoming an IB World School. Monita has also designed and led workshops for teachers and heads both within and outside IB frameworks. Monita holds a master’s degree in education and English literature and is currently undertaking an educational doctorate (EdD) with the University of Bath. Her areas of interest and research include early childhood, creativity, transdisciplinary learning and agency.
Avi Nanda
Pre-conference workshop: Transformative programme implementation through the 2020 Programme standards and practices
Avi Nanda joined the IB in 2012 and is strongly committed to access for all in education. Avi currently holds responsibilities for supporting Middle Years Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP) schools through to authorization, as well as supporting group level and ministry of education programme implementation projects. With 14 years of teaching and leadership experience in an IB three-programme school, Avi has also been part of the IB educator network (IBEN) since 2004. Prior to that, she was a university lecturer in sociology. Avi holds master’s degrees in sociology, and educational leadership and change, as well as IB certificates in leadership practice and research.
Angela Meikle
Pre-conference workshop: IB World Schools as evolving learning organizations
Angela Meikle is an IB World Schools Senior Manager based at the IB Global Centre in Singapore. She has over two decades of experience in education and has been based in the Asia-Pacific region for 16 years working in IB continuum schools. Angela is an experienced administrator and most recently was Head of Elementary in Vietnam prior to joining the IB. She has been widely involved with the IB Educator Network (IBEN) in multiple roles for over a decade. Angela is currently pursuing an educational doctorate (EdD) and has a passion for supporting school innovation and improvement specifically through a systems-thinking and appreciative inquiry approach.
Florian Ciprian Baciu
Pre-conference workshop: IB World Schools as evolving learning organizations
Florian Ciprian Baciu is an IB World Schools Senior Manager based at the IB Global Centre in Singapore. He engages with schools to provide partnership, guidance and support so that they achieve their optimum teaching, learning and assessment objectives. Florian is focused on advocating for school priorities while promoting increased depth and breadth of programme development, and also serving as a catalyst for school success through IB evaluation. He holds a master’s degree in international education and a doctorate in educational administration from universities in the USA.
Suman Sethi
Pre-conference workshop: IB World Schools as evolving learning organizations
Suman Sethi is an IB World Schools Senior Manager based at the IB Global Centre in Singapore. Her role is to provide schools with specialized support and respond to their needs for implementing IB programmes and interpreting IB principles into practice. She gives guidance as schools progress to their first IB assessments, programme evaluation and beyond.