Thought Leaders

Jan Robertson’s expertise focuses on professional learning and leadership development. In particular, her work in  leadership coaching and boundary breaking leadership development has highlighted the importance of self-awareness and knowledge of others in leadership.

Developing deep learning relationships is at the heart of effective leadership. Jan's model of coaching is built on the principles of partnership and reciprocity, thus enabling the lateral sharing of innovation in the workplace. Jan believes it is her role as a leadership educator, to “... challenge, provoke, affirm, present ideas, and seek commitment to thinking about change and innovation in places of learning, for meeting the needs of tomorrow’s leaders.” Jan’s work includes action learning in the corporate sector, developing learning organizations and action research for education development, and leading and understanding change in personal, professional and organizational development.

Jan brings more than 30 years experience to her work internationally. Previous positions include Director Educational Leadership Centre and Associate Professor at the University of Waikato; and more recently the Director of the London Centre for Leadership in Learning at the Institute of Education, where she is currently a Visiting Fellow. Jan was a Fulbright scholar in 1992, travelling throughout the USA studying leadership development in the education and business sectors. She is committed to innovation in education and harnessing the potential of Information Communication Technology to personalize learning and transform learning spaces.

Dr Cathy Wylie has held her present position of chief researcher at NZCER since 2001, and has published and presented extensively on New Zealand educational policy and its impacts, particularly the country’s experience with school self-management since 1989. Studies she has undertaken cover changes in school roles, relations between central government and schools, school accountability, school financial decision-making, and school improvement and development. She also leads the Competent Children study, which has followed around 500 participants from age 5 to age 20, looking at the roles of education, home, and leisure interests in children’s educational engagement and performance.

Please click here for Cathy Wylie's Tomorrow's Schools Publication

 

Harvey McQueen, who retired from formal involvement with education in 2002, was born in Little River in 1934, and taught secondary school English and History in the Waikato to before becoming an inspector. In 1977 he moved to Wellington to work in the Department of Education, then became an independent education consultant and commentator, writing two books on current issues. In 1987 he was appointed education aide to the Rt Hon David Lange. For six years he was Director of the New Zealand Council for Teacher Education.

Wyatt Creech was born in California, USA, in 1946. He moved to New Zealand in early 1947 and spent his time growing up on the family farm in the South Wairarapa. Entering Parliament in 1988, he was MP for Wairarapa for 14 years, nine of them as a Minister. His roles included serving in a wide variety of portfolios, including Education, Health, Deputy Finance, and Revenue, and finally as Deputy Prime Minister. Following retirement from politics, Wyatt returned to the commercial sector and still retains an interest in education. He is an occasional political commentator on education issues and has previously been a member of the Cognition Education Research Trust. 

Please click here for Wyatt Creech' Tomorrow's Schools publication.