Ambassadors — National Check-in Week

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Nikki Bonus

CEO & Founder of Life Skills GO

Nikki Bonus is an Australian founder, educator, keynote speaker and wellbeing innovator who has spent more than two decades building purpose-driven work that helps people thrive. As the Founder and CEO of Life Skills GO, she is helping redefine how schools understand, measure and respond to student wellbeing — shifting education from outdated, reactive models to real-time, evidence-based support. Nikki brings over 20 years of personal and professional experience in the research, co-design, development and delivery of social-emotional literacy programs for students, schools and organisations. Through Life Skills GO, the EdTech SaaS platform she founded for K–12 education, she has dedicated her career to equipping schools with real-time student wellbeing data, metrics, insights and reports that enable earlier identification, more precise intervention, and stronger wellbeing and academic outcomes. At the heart of her work is a clear belief: no child should fall through the cracks because of the circumstances they were born into. Grounded in evidence, neuroscience and lived experience, Nikki's approach is built on the conviction that every child can thrive when they are met with the right environment, the right skills, the right support and the right tools at the right time.

Sally Webster

Chief Operations, Strategy & Growth Officer at Life Skills GO

Sally Webster is a senior education, technology and policy leader, and Chief Operations, Strategy & Growth Officer at Life Skills GO. She leads enterprise strategy, operational maturity, strategic growth, partnerships, policy engagement and AI-enabled transformation to help scale Life Skills GO’s impact across schools, systems and global education markets. Sally is known as a connector and translator between educators, technologists, policymakers and sector leaders. Her career has focused on turning complex education, wellbeing and technology challenges into practical, high-value solutions that improve learning, equity, access and student outcomes. Across senior roles with the NSW Department of Education and Amazon Web Services, Sally has contributed to major education reform, digital learning strategy, EdTech procurement, international education, system transformation and national policy conversations. At the NSW Department of Education, her work included selective education reform, the COVID-19 Learning from Home response, digital assurance through the Online Learning Tools Panel, major incident management, and emergency-response initiatives supporting continuity of learning across bushfires, floods and the pandemic. Sally has held a range of governance, advisory and sector leadership roles, including Ex-Officio Director on the Public Education Foundation Board, StudyNSW Board Delegate, member of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Digital Technologies Working Group, and Chair of the NSW Cross-Border Community – Education portfolio. More recently, she served on the EdTech New Zealand Council and represented AWS as Chair of Project 5 within the NSW Digital Skills and Workforce Compact, supporting K–12 digital skilling programs for teachers and students. Her contribution extends to national and international education forums, including work with the Global Partnership for Education, the World Bank, and global roundtable discussions connected to the United Nations Transforming Education Summit. At AWS, Sally set the K–12 strategy for Australia and New Zealand, led AWS’s submission to the Australian Parliament’s inquiry into generative AI in education, appeared as a witness before the inquiry, and contributed to national work informing the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools. Sally is a passionate advocate for using technology with purpose — not for technology’s sake, but to create meaningful and measurable impact for students, teachers, schools and communities. Through National Check-In Week, she is committed to elevating student voice, strengthening wellbeing insight, and supporting educators and leaders with the data, tools and evidence they need to meet every child where they are.

Ben Sacco

Managing Director at Education Economy

Ben Sacco is the Managing Director of Education Economy and has over 20 years of experience in education, working with schools and systems to create the conditions for high-quality teaching, engaged learning and whole-school wellbeing. He is an education specialist and the author of “Disruption in Schools: Understand Me Before You Mark Me!" Ben is also a children’s author of three books: “There’s a Spider in My Tummy”, “There’s a Buzzing Bee in My Head” and “Hey Dad, the Story of Curious Scarlett.” Ben is a former school leader and Senior staffer for the Department of Education. He is passionate about listening to people’s stories and advocating for meaningful, practical change in education. Ben brings both systems-level perspective and frontline experience, working alongside schools to strengthen leadership, culture, behaviour, systems and processes. His work has been featured across the Herald Sun, ABC Radio and 9 News, reflecting a growing focus on practical, evidence-informed approaches to improving education systems and outcomes.

Jo Rouse

Director & Senior Occupational Therapist at The Social Confidence Collective

Jo Rouse is a Senior Occupational Therapist and one of the founding Directors of The Social Confidence Collective - an independent Occupational Therapy practice located in Melbourne. The Social Confidence Collective works with young people to support them with their social goals, including both group based and 1:1 intervention settings. Jo is an OT with over 20 years experience working in youth mental health. She has worked in both private and public mental health settings, previously working at Orygen Youth Health, a world leading youth mental health organisation. Jo has experience working with young people with a range of serious mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and psychosis. Jo also has an interest in supporting young people who are neurodivergent, previously coordinating the Autism team at Orygen.

Dr. Mark Williams

Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Author of “The Connected Species”

Mark is an internationally recognised neuroscience professor with over 25 years’ experience conducting behavioural and brain imaging research focusing on our social skills and how we learn. He has received numerous awards for teaching and research, taught the fundamentals of neuroscience to everyone from kindy kids to adults, published more than 70 scientific articles, and worked at MIT (USA) and multiple universities in Australia. Mark draws on his extensive scientific background to work with schools and organisations to develop evidence-based practices using neuroscience to improve learning, productivity, innovation and mental health. Mark’s new book “The Connected Species” is a #1 Best Seller and his work has been highlighted in the media including, The New York Times, Forbes, The Economist, and New Scientist.

Darryl Thompson

Principal

Darryl is a passionate advocate for public education. He has been a teacher and principal for almost 40 years with the Department of Education in western New South Wales. A love of the dust versus a sea breeze has seen him dedicate his career to building an understanding of the unique nature of education in a rural context and the need to ensure that ALL STUDENTS achieve to their own potential despite their postcode. He has led, in his own schools, an integrated approach to rural education which brings all levels of government and private philanthropy together, supported by local communities as a catalyst to achieve quality learning, cultural and social outcomes. In complex communities this integrated approach has seen school attendance of 90% achieved for a diverse student demographic. With students at school taking advantage of their great programs Wellington Public School is currently one of the Top 50 NSW Schools Making a Difference as measured by learning growth. The use of the Life Skills Go program is a centerpiece in supporting the development of young people in the school and across the local community. This methodology has been crucial to this success. A wide range of evidence is showing that programs, such as this, are making a significant difference to attendance and learning outcomes. I am looking forward to being involved in National Check-In Week as I really like to promote the notion that someone else is always there to you support you. As a school leader you should never see yourself as being the only driving force. The power of WE rather than just ME! Let's continue to build the movement of quality approaches to student wellbeing.

Carmen Colbeck

Head of Welfare at Indie School

I have chosen to be involved in National Check-In Week because connection sits at the heart of what we do at Indie. Our students often arrive having felt unseen or unheard in more traditional settings. Taking the time to check in can be the moment that helps rebuild trust in education. National Check-In Week aligns with our belief that learning cannot happen without wellbeing. A simple, genuine conversation can open the door to engagement, confidence and growth. For us, checking in is not an event or a campaign, it is an everyday practice. Being part of this week is a chance to reinforce that message and to model to our young people that their voice, their feelings and their experiences genuinely matter.

Dr Corrie Ackland

Clinical Psychologist

Corrie is a clinical psychologist and the director of Sydney Phobia Clinic. She holds a bachelor of psychology with 1st class honours, and a masters in clinical psychology from Western Sydney University, and a PhD in Aviation psychology from UNSW. Corrie has over 13 years experience treating all fears and phobias, including OCD, and with founding Sydney Phobia Clinic has become a thought leader in phobias and a pioneer in the development and application of virtual reality in psychological treatment, providing expert comment regularly across tv, radio, podcast, and print media. She is a board-endorsed supervisor providing supervision to peers and early career psychologists, a guest lecturer for major Sydney universities, and sessional lecturer at New York University Sydney.

Geoff Masters

Director of World-Class Learning Systems

Geoff Masters AO is an international adviser on curriculum and assessment redesign. He was previously long-term head of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). He has conducted a number of reviews for governments, including a review of the NSW school curriculum. He led an international study of five high-performing jurisdictions for the US National Center on Education and the Economy (published as Building a World-Class Learning System) and is author of The Children We Leave Behind (Routledge, 2026).

Gayle Walters

Executive Director Strategy and Communications at PeakCare QLD

Gayle Walters brings over twenty-five years’ experience in public policy, strategic leadership and corporate governance roles across from across state government and two decades of experience in the Not-for-Profit human services sector. Having worked in Ministerial Offices and in senior government roles across many agencies, Gayle brings a strong passion for education, child protection and supporting families and children to make our communities stronger and safer. Having been Chief of Staff to the Minister for Education and Minister for Youth Justice, Gayle brings experience and knowledge of the critical issues facing the youth justice and child protection system and the critical intersect with education in this space. Having also led P&Cs Qld for four years as President and eight years as a Board director, Gayle knows first-hand the importance education is for our community. Leading the Strategic Vision for P&Cs Qld to provide Every Child Every Chance was introduced under Gayle’s leadership. Having Chaired the K-10 Curriculum Committee for the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority as well for four years, Gayle knows how important the impact of access to early education is for every family. Gayle’s personal motto is “education is the pathway from poverty to prosperity”. As the Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister for Child Safety Youth and Women and the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence in 2020, Gayle led the first ever national virtual summit on Domestic and Family Violence.

Claudia Bou-melhem

Director of Wellbeing and Engagement K-12

I am an experienced leader with a background across curriculum, wellbeing and whole‑school improvement in multiple school settings. I am currently completing a Master of Educational Leadership, which continues to shape and strengthen my practice. Recently, I have led the development of a strategic Engagement Framework for students, staff, and parents, and co‑created a comprehensive Student Wellbeing Framework for our College. My work is centred on building consistent, relational systems that enhance belonging, emotional safety, and engagement across the whole school community.

Dianne Giblin

CEO of Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO)

Dianne has worked in education in both paid and unpaid capacity for the past 32 years. Di has a passion for education, in particular public education, and the opportunities it affords young people. She has led the ACSSO secretariat since 2011 but has been a significant player in parent activism since 1984 when her eldest child commenced school. She is proud of her four children’s achievements – all successes of public education. She has held various volunteer roles in the parent movement finishing her P&C career as President of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW. Di was a founding Director of Public Education Foundation whose board position she held for six years; a founding Director of Primary Ethics Board and also a founding Director of The Parenthood board. She worked in a paid capacity for the NSW education department in a number of roles across a large area of Sydney. Her roles were all in the area of parent engagement and home-school partnerships including school based community officer, across district Community Development Officer and regional Partnership Officer – all through the Priority Schools Program. Recognition of her work saw her commended for Meritorious Service to Public Education and Training in 2010. In 2012 Dianne was admitted as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia for her service to public education and the community.

Dan Hart

CEO / Founder of CurricuLLM

Dan is the Founder of CurricuLLM, an AI-powered personalised learning platform built around the Australian and New Zealand curricula. Before CurricuLLM, he les the team that built NSWEduChat at the NSW Department of Education, one of the world's largest implementations of AI in a government education setting. His work sits at the intersection of AI, education, and student safety. He is focused on ensuring that as AI enters classrooms, it is purpose-built for curriculum, aligned to how teachers actually work, and designed with student wellbeing at its core. Dan writes and speaks publicly on AI in education, AI governance, and the broader implications of AI for young people and the workforce.

Andrew Pearn

Deputy Principal Wellbeing

Educator who has worked in both Government and Catholic education during the past 20 years, leading whole school improvement initiatives. Passionate about improving the wellbeing and learning outcomes of students and staff alike, by creating safe and supportive educational environments, that focus on the interconnection between Academia, Faith, Wellbeing and Extracurricular opportunities.

Simon Torok

Client Engagement Manager - Sentral

Simon Torok is a passionate technologist, focusing on improving education through technology. This has spanned his over 15 years in the education industry, working at Apple, Google, Instructure and now at Sentral.

Richard Crawshaw

CEO / Founder of Can't Face School

Richard Crawshaw is the founder of Can’t Face School, an organisation dedicated to supporting young people who experience school avoidance and disengagement. With extensive experience as a leader in contemporary education, youth wellbeing, and disability inclusion, Richard works at the intersection of schools, families, and communities to create safe, supportive environments that prioritise connection, regulation, and belonging. He is committed to transforming how adults, schools, and systems understand and respond to children who struggle to engage, turning behaviour signals into opportunities for understanding and sustainable re-engagement.

Karen Robertson

CEO of Life Education Australia

Karen Robertson is CEO of Life Ed Australia and Vice President of the Australian Parents Council, with more than three decades of experience in education leadership, policy and program innovation. She is a recognised voice in children’s health, wellbeing and digital safety, contributing to national policy discussions, Senate inquiries and global education networks. Karen is passionate about translating evidence into action and building partnerships that create meaningful, lasting impact for children and young people.

Matthew Esterman

Founder of The Next Word

Matt Esterman has over 20 years working in schools and beyond as a leading voice in the thoughtful adoption of technology. He is a trained History teacher with two masters degrees, who has made a significant contribution to educational thinking in Australia and overseas. He has written articles, book chapters, presented at local, state, national and international conferences on history, technology, and, of course, AI in education. Matt has been recognised with several awards, most recently a Commonwealth Bank national Teaching Fellow award, and a NSW Teacher’s Guild fellowship. Matt has founded The Next Word, a consultancy that seeks to leverage AI and other technologies to help shape a better future. He works with schools, universities and other organisations to increase awareness and capability in using AI. He has co-authored two books with Dr Nick Jackson, “The Next Word: AI & Teachers” (2024) and also “The Next Word: AI & Learners” (2025) co-written with award-winning high school student Amy Wallace. Matt has been appointed an Adjunct Fellow in the School of Education at Western Sydney University, and is a member of the HP Futures: AI & Leadership Council. In 2026, he is working with several schools and systems on thoughtful governance, strategy and implementation of AI within thriving school communities. In partnership with ClassCover, he is also co-founder of Educator Intelligence a platform that will help educators across the world build and maintain their knowledge and skills in AI.

Gemma McLean

VP Digital Sales at TTEC Digital

Gems McLean is a passionate advocate for student wellbeing, equity, and the power of technology in education. As the VP Digital Sales at TTEC Digital, she is dedicated to ensuring no learner is left behind. Her journey has been anything but traditional. Despite being told she would never amount to anything and facing significant challenges in her school years—including an undiagnosed neurodivergence and growing up in a household affected by mental health struggles—she has built a career that proves otherwise. Without finishing high school or attending university, she has navigated a path that led her from the world of EdTech to Amazon Web Services and now at TTEC Digital. More than just a leader in edtech, she is a mentor, a champion for diversity and inclusion, and someone who deeply believes in the power of kindness and community. She sees people for who they are and strives to elevate, encourage, and empower them to recognise their own strengths. Her personal story fuels her mission: to ensure that no student slips through the cracks and that every young person is seen, supported, and given the opportunities they deserve. Her superpower? Using her lived experience to help others uncover theirs.

Dr. Neil Hawkes

D. Phil (Oxford), MEd, BA, FRSA — Values-based Education

Neil Hawkes is a doctoral graduate of Kellogg College, Oxford University. He is well known worldwide as an inspirational speaker, educator, broadcaster, author and social commentator. He is a popular TEDx presenter. Neil’s thinking is having a profound influence on education globally. Neil first gained international recognition when, after a successful career as a Chief Education Adviser, he returned to being a Headteacher in Oxfordshire, UK. Here he conducted research, with the support of Oxford University, to devise and implement a transformational model of education, which would give pupils an ethical vocabulary, based on universal human values such as respect, tolerance, humility and justice. The school community found that pupils were empowered to embody ethical intelligence, the ability to ethically self- regulate their thinking and behaviour. Pupils developed the capacity to be ethical leaders of themselves and others displaying excellent behaviour and good character. The quality of their schoolwork was enhanced too because they took responsibility for their learning and had time for inner reflection. School staff modelled the school’s values and reported that Values-based Education (VbE) had created a harmonious school community, which fostered wellbeing.

Gavin McCormack

Montessori Educator & Co-founder, Upschool.co

Hello! I am Gavin McCormack, a co-founder of Upschool.co, a platform that empowers students to learn real entrepreneurship skills that have real impact. With over 20 years of experience as a Montessori-trained teacher, I have taught in multiple countries and developed a passion for innovative educational practices that foster essential skills in students from an early age. I am also the Montessori Australia Ambassador and a TEDx speaker on how education can change the world. I have built several schools and several libraries and run three teacher training centres in Nepal. I am a best-selling author of children's books and a book on Montessori education for parents. I have been recognized as one of the top ten most influential global educators in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and a nominee for Australian of the Year in 2018. You can learn more about my personal pedagogy and educational philosophy at www.gavinmccormack.com.au. I am always open to collaborating with schools and educators worldwide to share my expertise on programming, classroom management, and pedagogy. Feel free to connect with me to learn more about how we can work together to bring about positive change in the education sector. 'In the ideal classroom, love is the silent lesson always being taught. It is not spoken of as much as it is shown, felt, and understood. It is the light that guides children on their path to finding their voice, and once found, to using it with the surety that comes from knowing they are loved, without conditions, without pause.'

Dr Phil Lambert

Education Expert — Former General Manager, ACARA

Dr Phil Lambert is an internationally acclaimed education expert. He has extensive experience in education as a principal;inspector;Regional Director (Sydney) and General Manager of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority where he led the development of Australia’s first national curriculum. He has led major reviews and reforms, presented a number of papers and keynotes at national and international conferences, had a number of articles and occasional papers published in journals, and authored three books, the most recent being, ‘The Knowing and Caring Profession’. Phil has received a number of honours and awards. In the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours he was awarded the Public Service Medal for his outstanding contribution to education and leadership in programs aimed at eliminating violence against women and girls. In 2013 he was the recipient of the Australian College of Educators’ prestigious award, the Sir Harold Wyndham Medal and in 2020 he was the recipient of the NSW Teachers Guild’s Phyllis Evans Medal. He was recently appointed Patron of the Professional Teachers Council in Australia. Phil is Adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney. He supports education reform efforts globally as expert advisor and researcher. He is a Curriculum Expert to the OECD Education 2030 initiative and has been engaged by education ministries in several countries including Japan, The Netherlands, Qatar, Kazakhstan, the UAE, Brazil, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania and Vietnam to guide and support their respective reforms. Phil contributes to the community in various ways. He is Chair (previously CEO) of Together For Humanity, the Attorney General’s appointee on the NSW Children’s Court Advisory Committee and was recently appointed as a member of the NSW Parliament’s Education Advisory Group.