The Call to Unite Schools towards Sustainability

Prof. A. Lin Goodwin

Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Prof. A. Lin Goodwin is a Dean and a Professor of the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Prior to joining HKU in 2017, she was Vice Dean at Teachers College, Columbia University (TCCU) in New York City, and the Evenden Foundation Chair Professor of Education. She is a past Vice President of the American Educational Research Association (AERA)—Division K: Teaching and Teacher Education (2013-2016), and the inaugural Dr. Ruth Wong Professor of Teacher Education at the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Singapore. She has been honoured for her research and scholarship with awards such as Distinguished Researcher from the AERA SIG: Research on the Education of Asian and Pacific Americans, and Distinguished Scholar from AERA’s Committee on the Role and Status of Minorities in Educational Research and Development (now Committee on Scholars of Color). She is a Senior Research Fellow of the Learning Policy Institute headed by Linda-Darling-Hammond.

Professor Goodwin’s research focuses on teacher/teacher educator beliefs, identities and development; equitable education and powerful teaching for immigrant and minoritized youth; international analyses and comparisons of teacher education practice and policy; and the experiences of Asian/Asian American teachers and students in U.S. schools. Recent publications include “Globalization, global mindsets and teacher education” in Action in Teacher Education, and “Learning to teach diverse learners: teachers and teacher preparation in the U.S.”, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Her latest book, co-authored with Ee Ling Low and Linda Darling-Hammond, is: Empowered educators in Singapore: How high-performing systems shape teaching quality. She began her career as a high school special education teacher.

Prof. Alan Singer

Director, Secondary Education Social Studies Teaching Learning Technology in Hofstra University, NY

Professor Alan Singer Alan Singer is a social studies professor and historian at the Department of Teaching Learning Technology at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. He is also the editor of Social Science Dockets and an author of several books including Education Flashpoints: Fighting for America’s Schools (Routledge, 2014). He graduated from the City College of New York and got his Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University. He taught at many secondary schools in New York City such the Franklin K. Lane High School and Edward R. Murrow High School. His interests include Social Studies and American History, particularly on the topic of Slavery in the United States.

Prof. Gregory Cajete

Emeritus Professor in the Division of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico

Prof. Gregory Cajete, Native American educator whose work is dedicated to honoring the foundations of indigenous knowledge in education. Dr. Cajete is a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. He has served as a New Mexico Humanities scholar in ethnobotany of Northern New Mexico and a member of the New Mexico Arts Commission. He is the former Director of Native American Studies and an Emeritus Professor in the Division of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Cajete is a practicing watercolor, pastel, acrylic, ceramic and metal artist. He is extensively involved with art and its application to education. He is also a scholar of herbalism and holistic health. In this capacity, he has researched Native American, Chinese and Ayurvedic healing philosophies and the cultural perspectives of health and wholeness.

Dr. Cajete has authored ten books including: “Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education”(1994), “A People’s Ecology: Explorations in Sustainable Living” (1999), and “Native Minds Rising: Exploring Transformative Indigenous Education” (2020).

Dr. Cajete retired from the University of New Mexico in June 2020 and is currently working as an independent scholar, consultant and writer.

Dr. Chew Hung Chang

Dean of Academic and Strategic Development at the National Institute of Education , Nanyang Technological University

Dr. Chang Chew Hung works in geography and environmental education. His expertise is in Climate Change misconception diagnostics and in improvement to geography curriculum and technology-enabled refutation oriented instruction. He is Dean, Academic and Strategic Development at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is also an Associate Professor of Geography Education with the Humanities and Social Studies Education Academic Group, NIE/NTU, Singapore.

Dr. Chang’s key teaching areas are in Physical Geography and Geography Education. Prof Chang was awarded the NIE excellence in teaching commendation in 2002 and continues to play a curriculum leadership role in the areas of Geography and Geography Education. His teaching areas are aligned to his research interests which include urban climates, global climate change, climate change education, technologies in geography teaching and learning, geography curriculum and assessment, and teacher professional development in Geography. Prof Chang has published widely in the areas of geography, geographical education and environmental education. Read more: http://m.chewhung.net/

Dr. Antonio Gabriel Maestrado La Viña

Director of the Energy Collaboratory of the Manila Observatory and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Forest Foundation of the Philippines

He is a leader, teacher, thinker, lawyer, and social entrepreneur. He is at present concurrently Executive Director, Energy Collaboratory Director, and Senior Fellow on climate change of Manila Observatory. He is also a professor of law, philosophy, law, and governance in several universities in Metro Manila and Mindanao. He was Dean of the Ateneo School of Government, an Undersecretary of the Department Environment and Natural Resources, a senior fellow and program director at the World Resources Institute in Washington DC, and co-founder of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (known as LRC). He obtained his Masters and Doctorate in Law from Yale University and his first degrees in philosophy and law from Ateneo de Manila University. He placed third in the 1989 bar exams.

Dr. La Viña has also been a human rights, environmental, and climate justice lawyer for more than 30 years, starting his law career as an advocate for indigenous peoples and local communities fighting development aggression by logging and mining companies and in some cases by the government pursuing environmentally destructive projects. He is also a renowed scholar, having published many books and articles, and a public intellectual writing regularly for Manila Standard, Rappler, and MindaNews. He has been a lead negotiator of the Philippines on climate change, a global leader in the 1997 Kyoto, 2009 Copenhagen, and 2015 Paris conferences. He is from Mindanao, married, and has three sons. 

Dr. La Viña will also be participating in one of the breakout sessions as a speaker.

Prof. Yong Zhao

Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and  a Professor in in Education Leadership at the Melbourne Graduate School of Australia  

Prof. Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and a professor in Education Leadership at the Melbourne Graduate School of Australia. He previously served as Presidential Chair, Associate Dean and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, where he was also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy and Leadership. Prior to Oregon, he was University Distinguished Professor at the College of Education, Michigan State University, where he also served as the founding director of the Center of Teaching and Technology, executive director of the Confucius Institute, as well as the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and a fellow of the International Academy of Education.

In addition, Professor Yong Zhao has received several awards including the Early Career of the Year Award from the American Educational Research Association, Outstanding Public Educator from Horace Mann League of USA and Distinguished Achievement Award in Professional Development from the Association of Education Publishers. He has been recognized as one of the most influential education scholars.

His works focus on the implications of globalization and technology on education. He has published over 100 articles and 30 books, including An Education Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste: How Radical Changes Can Spark Student Excitement and Success (2019), What Works May Hurt: Side Effects in Education (2018) and Reach for Greatness: Personalizable Education for All Children (2018).

Atty. Gerthie Mayo-Anda

Environmental Lawyer and Professor Founder and Executive Director of Environmental Legal Assistance Center  (ELAC)

Grizelda “Gerthie” Mayo-Anda is an environmental lawyer. Her advocacy is to protect Palawan’s forests and empower indigenous communities. She founded a non-governmental organization, the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC), which is dedicated to protect the rights of indigenous people in Palawan. Her organization’s motto is “helping communities defend the earth”. Her cause inspired communities to protect their forests by forming citizen watchdogs,  forest guardians and multi sectoral advocacy networks. Some of her greatest contributions to protecting the environment in Palawan was when she and her colleagues were able to stop a coal power plant from being built on a southern municipality which was home to both people and precious birds. They were also able to stop mining in almost 200 000 hectares of forests in Palawan, secured passage of village and municipal watershed ordinances and supported the establishment of mangrove sanctuaries.

For her contributions to the environment, the mayor of Puerto Princesa and International travel magazine Conde East Traveller honored her with environmental awards in 1998 and 200, respectively. “Bandillo ng Palawan”, Palawan’s environmental Newspaper, awarded her the Palawena of the Year award for her efforts to protect Palawan’s resources.

Paul Ladd

Director of United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNIRISD)

Paul Ladd has been the Director of UNIRISD since October 2015. Before taking up this position he had been at UNDP, where he most recently been Director of the team supporting consultations and technical inputs for the 2030 Development Agenda.

Previously, he led UNDP’s policy team on ‘inclusive globalization’ー including trade,, development finance, and migration. From 2008-2009, he provided support to the Office of the UN Secretary-General on the financial and economic crisis, and engagement with the G20.

Before moving to New York, Paul was a policy adviser on international development for the UK Treasury, including the period building up to and through the UK’s Chair of the G8 and European Union back in 2015.

Previously, he had been Chief Economist and acting Head of Policy with UK charity Christian Aid, the UK Department for International Development’s economic adviser for South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland, and a financial adviser in the Central Bank of Guyana.

Paul received his BSc in Economics and his MSc in Quantitative Development Economics from the University of Warwick. In 2016, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in law (LLD), also by thr University of Warwick.

Dr. Monica Ortiz

Research Associate at the Barlette School of Environment, Energy and Resources Faculty of Built Environment, University College London

Dr. Monica Ortiz is an interdisciplinary researcher who focuses on climate change, food security, and biodiversity. She finished her doctorate on climate and crop modeling at the University of Sheffield. She was a postdoctoral researcher at University College London investigating impacts of agricultural production and trade on global biodiversity. Dr Ortiz was most recently affiliated with UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources as a post-doctoral fellow on the BIOTA project, where she contributed to research on the interconnections between agriculture, biodiversity, climate change and international trade.

Dr. Hock Woon Chiang

Deputy Executive Officer of Sport Singapore

Dr. Hock Woon Chiang is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Sport Singapore, the national agency for the promotion and development of sport and physical activity in Singapore. He spearheads the nationwide Active Health social movement that aims to transform the way Singaporeans manage their health and physical wellbeing and also leads the organisation’s push towards digital transformation and human capital transformation efforts.

Ms. Mojgan Tosif

Founder of World of Virtues

Mojgan founded World of Virtues which is a catalyst for new beginnings, a framework for living, growing and adapting to change. She is also Master Facilitator for The Virtues ProjectTM International, a character education program that empowers teachers, parents and students to develop core ethical and performance values and live by their highest values. She has been conducting workshops for parents, teachers and schools for more than 19 years in Australia and internationally. Beyond this, she accompanies educators to create caring and high performing learning communities and helps leaders to inspire excellence in the workplace.

Dr. Liecel Trinidad- Fulgencio

Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behaviroal Medicine at UP-PGH

She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at UP-Philippine General Hospital. She is also the Section Chief of Psychiatry in Marikina Valley Medical Center. She studied Sleep Medicine Course and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia at Sleep Consultancy Limited in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2018. She took her postgraduate internship at Medical Center Manila, and earned her degree in Doctor of Medicine at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila where she was one of the Top 20 graduates of her batch. She has done multiple research studies such as the utilization pattern of psychiatric consultation services at the University of the Philippines.

Ms. Finlay O’Connell

Environmental Leader of her School Leadership Team, Australia

Finlay O’Connell is an 18-year-old Australian student, who is currently completing her last year of high school. She is the current Environmental Leader, as part of the School Leadership Team at her school in the rural town of Taree. She also works with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition writing and facilitating trainings and workshops for other high school students, as well as organizing local School Strikes for climate. Finlay has a keen interest in social justice issues and uses this passion to empower young people to take action on the things that inspire them.

Dr. Kelly Siman

Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions

She has worked in academic, governance, and non-profit institutions across the United States, Antarctic, and Asia-Pacific. She was the former Biomimicry Coastal Resiliency and Innovation Fellow working on policy and coastal resilience modeling for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Senior Research Scientist for the Cleveland Water Alliance, and Research Fellow for Project Drawdown. She is also Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Erie Open Systems, LLC – an open source technology company working to gather low-cost environmental monitoring data. Dr. Siman has published numerous works and is one of the editors of the book: 2017 Project Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.

Mr. Hock Lin Sng

Chief ActiveSG, Sport Singapore

As Chief ActiveSG, he oversees the operations arm of the National Movement, driving community engagement and programming through the Sport Centres. He enjoys sports and participates in Triathlon events. Before joining Sport Singapore in 2019, Chief SNG was a Colonel in the Singapore Armed Forces and held concurrent appointments as Commander Army Logistics Training Institute (ALTI) and Commander of Division Support Command (DISCOM). Under his leadership, his DISCOM unit regained the Best NS Unit Award in 2018 and 2019, consecutively, after a 12 years gap. He is currently a PhD candidate in Gerontology at Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and was Chairman of SUSS Gerontology Alumni. He holds Master degrees in Gerontology from SUSS, in Training & Development from Griffith University, and in Transport System Management from National University of Singapore (NUS).

Atty. Vicente Paolo B. Yu III

Senior Legal Adviser at the Third World Network (Malaysia)

Atty. Yu is currently a Senior Legal Adviser at the Third World Network (Malaysia), a Visiting Research Fellow at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (Switzerland), and an Associate Fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy (Switzerland). Just recently, he served as the Deputy Executive Director of the South Centre (from 2016-2018), and between 2002 to 2019, he coordinated the South Centre’s work on global governance, climate change, investment, South-South cooperation, and sustainable development issues. He obtained his political science (with honors) and law degrees from the University of the Philippines, and his Master of Laws degree (with distinction, specializing in international trade law and international environmental law) from Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He has also been a consultant for various United Nations agencies, other NGOs, and developing country governments, providing research and training/capacity building services on international trade, development policy, and climate change. Atty. Yu III has published papers and articles on issues relating to trade and environment, energy policy, mining policy, sustainable development, environmental policy, climate change policy, South-South cooperation, and indigenous peoples’ rights.

Mr. Chuck Baclagon

Regional Finance Campaigner, 350.org Asia 

Chuck Baclagon has been actively involved in the campaign for climate justice as part of 350.org where he currently serves as their Regional Finance Campaigner in Asia where he works on the areas of shifting financial flows from institutions away from fossil-fuel projects. Prior to joining 350 he spent a decade establishing the online campaigning capacity of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. His advocacy interests lie in the intersection of using digital tools for campaigns and organizing work beyond virtual spaces.

Ms. Frances Atima

Ministry of Education and Sports, Uganda at the level of Commissioner in the Department of Teacher Education Standards in the Directorate of Education Standards 

Frances Atima is a teacher by profession who has gone through the ranks in Education. Currently, she works at the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda at the level of Commissioner in the Department of Teacher Education Standards in the Directorate of Education Standards. She holds a master’s Degree in Education and post graduate diploma in Management. Certificate in supervision and Inspection from the University of London other International Management trainings. 

She is the Focal Point officer for Education for Sustainable Development and a member of the Education committee of Uganda National Commission for UNESCO (UNATCOM). She has spear headed the writing of several education materials such as the Inspectors Hand book,  Inspection frame work , Self-evaluation and assessment frame work for headteachers and also participated in the review of the Reformed Inspection Model, Basic Requirements and Minimum standards among others. She is a board chair for Link Education Uganda and also Chair Board of trustees Teso Education Fund. Frances too is into charity work and currently a member of Friends of Charity of good Counsel community of the Ministry of Education and Sports and other religious assignments in the area of Education, Peace, Justice and Caritas.

Ms. Sarah Salcedo-Rubin

Reiki Master-Teacher

Sarah creates positive change in the world by helping heart-centered leaders and changemakers manifest physical, emotional and spiritual well-being through Reiki, yoga, meditation and soul coaching.

As a certified Reiki Master-Teacher and Executive Coach, Sarah’s experience in energy healing, mindful living and transformational coaching empowers her clients to gently but powerfully shift from chronic stress, fatigue and lack of clarity and direction to experiencing a life of wholeness, ease and joyful abundance.

Ms. Mitzi Jonelle Tan

Full-time Climate Activist

Mitzi Jonelle Tan is a full-time climate justice activist based in Metro Manila, Philippines. She is the convener and international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), and the Fridays For Future (FFF) of the Philippines. She is also an active member of FFF International, advocating for climate justice and making sure that the voices of Most Affected Peoples and Areas (MAPA)’s strikers are heard, amplified, and given space. She first became an activist in 2017 after integrating with indigenous leaders of her country which pushed her to realize that collective action and system change is what we need for a just and green society.

Dr. Sam Sideth Dy

Deputy Director-General for Education, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia

Dr. Samsideth Dy is currently Deputy Director-General for Education, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia. He earned his Bachelor Degree in English Language Education in June 1995 at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). He graduated with his Master’s Degree in Comparative and International Education and his PhD in Education and Human Sciences from Hiroshima University in March 2002 and March 2005 respectively. Dr. Dy worked as education officer and education specialist for UNESCO (2005-2010) and ADB (2010-2012). He returned to the Royal University of Phnom Penh as Director of the M.Ed Program and Founding Dean of the Faculty of Education in 2013-2015. He published several papers in international reviewed journals, academic bulletins and chapters of edited books in the areas of education policy and development in Cambodia. During 2012-2014, he provided consultancy services to a number of reputed organizations and various education NGOs in Cambodia and Myanmar.

Teacher Kristine V. Canon

Founding Director, Creative Learning Paths School Faculty, DLSU

She is one of the founding directors of Creative Learning Paths School, a progressive preschool to grade grade 12 education institution advocating for inclusion and peace education. Under her leadership, the school has been awarded the Excellence in Educational Transformation Award by Bayan Academy in 2017 for the innovations in peace and inclusion ingrained in its curriculum and programs. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience from varying grade levels including special education. Currently, she is a faculty member of the College of Education at De La Salle University, and formerly at the Family Life and Child Development Department of UP Diliman.

Mr. James Ndlebe

Executive member of the Education Management of South Africa

Joseph James Ndlebe qualified as a teacher with a Secondary Teachers Diploma majoring in Biology from Soweto College of Education. He also holds a BA, B Ed (Education Management) and Advanced Diploma in Education Management from the University of South Africa. James was appointed at the Department of Basic Education as the Director for Education Management and Governance Development in South Africa. He has developed many policies and guidelines in the field of school management that are still used to guide school principals, governing body activities and learner admissions today. Aside from these, James contributed a chapter in the book called Leadership: Perspective from the Front Line and wrote the foreword of the book by Dr Jaco Deacon, Financial Management in Public Schools. At present, James is also an executive member of the Education Management of South Africa.

Usec. Diosdado M. San Antonio

Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction at the Department of Education, Philippines

Diosdado M. San Antonio is the Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction at the Department of Education. He holds a research PhD in Education from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He has been tasked to coordinate the ongoing review of the K to12 curriculum. He pushes for transparency, ethics and accountability in school governance. San Antonio is one of the five Presidential Gawad CES Awardees for 2019 for his role in fostering a positive organizational culture in the Department of Education – CALABARZON by advocating for Transparent, Ethical and Accountable (TEA) Governance affecting 120,000 teachers serving 3.8 million learners; for nurturing an intensive and collaborative research culture in CALABARZON, allowing basic educators to implement evidence-based best practices; and for building the competencies of regional officials through its PRINCE (Proactive, Results-oriented, Intelligent, Network-building, Credible and Empowering) Model.

Banaue Miclat-Janssen, MFA

Artistic Director of Dulaang UP, Assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts, College of Arts and Letters

Banaue is a pure Filipino born in Beijing, China. The high sense of cultural awareness in China, with its history that goes back thousands of years, opened her senses to the ancient world of the arts. Enriching this is her claim to the Filipino culture—molded and shaped by years of colonialism, of cultural diversity, of political ruptures, and a resilience and steadfastness of spirit. As a professional actress and singer, Banaue has done plays in various languages—English, Filipino, Spanish, Japanese, and some Filipino dialects. She has performed in different countries including Germany, Japan, China, and, Taiwan. In the United States, she has done performances off-Broadway and was a regular acting chorus (supernumerary) at the acclaimed Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center in New York from 2006 to 2009.

Mia Kami

Climate Activist

Mia Kami is a 21 year old student from the island of Tonga. She is currently studying law and politics at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. She is passionate about the importance of indigenous knowledge, decolonizing the mind and climate activism. She incorporates her passions into her music and uses her music as a platform to advocate for issues she feels are relevant to her Pacific brothers and sisters. With her music, she hopes to bring light to the issues affecting the Pacific in a way only music can.

Dr. Joyce Franseca C. Miranda

Fellow, Philippine Orthopaedic Association

She is a graduate of Ateneo De Manila University and Pamantasan ng lungsod ng Maynila College of Medicine, and finished residency in Orthopaedic surgery and Traumatology in the Philippine Orthopaedic center. For 14 years she has also been a medical specialist in orthopaedic surgery in the Orthopaedic Surgery of the Rizal Provincial Hospital System. She became the associate professor IV in the College of Medicine of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and a medical director at Metro Antipolo Hospital and Medical Center. Miranda is the President of the up and coming Rizal Doctors Hospital and Medical Center and the head of the “Oplan Korona Task Force” (Corona Task Force)