Committee
International committee
Lizana Oberholzer
Chair, IPDAChair, IPDA England
Institution: University of Wolverhampton
Lizana Oberholzer is a senior lecturer in Teacher Education and Postgraduate provision. She is the programme lead for the University of Wolverhampton’s International MA in Education, as well as the Early Careers Framework and National Professional Qualifications for school leaders. She is passionate about leadership development, governance and teacher development. Lizana supports the BELMAS Research Interest Group for Governing and Governance as a convenor. She is also a BELMAS Trustee as well as a BAMEed Trustee. Lizana works with WomenEd as a regional lead in the West Midlands. She currently the IPDA England Chair, as well as Chair of the IPDA International committee. She chairs the UCET’s CPD forum and is a member of the UCET Executive Committee. Lizana is a member of the APPG for the Teaching Profession, and Chairs the APPG SIG for Teacher Development for the APPG for the Teaching Profession. She is a proud trustee of a Multi Academy Trust, and is a committed educator, striving to provide learners with learning opportunities and life-chances. Lizana is actively involved in the British Psychological Society’s Division of Coaching, and she is the Chair Elect for the division. Lizana is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, an IPDA Fellow as well as a CMI Fellow. Her research interests centre around professional learning, mentoring, coaching and leadership development within education.
Dr Catriona Oates
Vice-Chair, IPDA
Chair, IPDA Scotland
Affiliation: University of the West of Scotland
Catriona is a lecturer in education at the University of the West of Scotland. Her interests in professional learning are mainly focused on professional learning of teachers and educators in practice, with a bit of a fascination on collaborative practices that support professional relationships and knowledge-building.
Dr Trina Emler
Hon. Secretary, IPDAChair, IPDA USA
Affiliation:University of Kansas
Trina Emler is a graduate of the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies department at the University of Kansas. She serves as a researcher for the Center of Creativity and Entrepreneurship Education. Emler’s research and work focuses on future-oriented pedagogies of education, targeting entrepreneurship, creativity, and personalized learning through curriculum and practice, technology, and the policies that impact lifelong learning. She co-authored An Education Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste (2019).
From 2006-2016, Trina Emler was an educator in the private and public sectors of K-12 education in Lee County, Florida. She taught at first the middle school level, teaching English language arts and Spanish before moving to all subject areas in the elementary classroom. She is a three-time Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction and was the 2016 School District of Lee County Teacher of the Year for English Language Arts.
Dr Anne Looney
IPDA President
Affiliation: Dublin City University
Anne Looney is the Executive Dean of the Institute of Education. A graduate of the Mater Dei Institute in Dublin, and the Institute of Education in London where she completed her doctoral studies, she taught in a post-primary school for 14 years before joining the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. In 2001 she was appointed Chief Executive. She led the NCCA until 2016 when she moved to the Higher Education Authority as interim Chief Executive. She joined DCU as executive dean in March 2017. She spent 12 months as a professorial research fellow at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education at ACU in Brisbane in 2014/15.
She has published on curriculum and assessment, school culture and ethos, the reform of education systems and religious and moral education. She is the incoming President of the International Professional Development Association.
Derek Boyle
Deputy Treasurer
Derek has been the SCITT director at Bromley Schools’ Collegiate since September 2013, but prior to this, he worked in a variety of teaching roles across a number of different schools in Kent. Originally qualifying as a physics teacher, he has also worked as an Advanced Skills Teacher in Medway and as an assistant head teacher in Tonbridge, with pastoral, vocational and careers guidance areas of responsibility. During his time as an assistant head teacher, he had the privilege to work with the link governors from the school and play a significant role in peer mentoring.
Aoife Brennan
Chair, IPDA Ireland
Affiliation: Dublin City University
Aoife Brennan is a lecturer and Head of School of Inclusive and Special Education at Dublin City Univeristy Institute of Education. She previously worked as a primary teacher and as an Advisor with the National Professional Development Service for Teachers in Ireland. Aoife teaches across a number of undergraduate and postgraduate teacher education programmes up to and including doctoral level. Aoife’s research focuses on professional learning and inclusion, professional learning communities and leadership for professional learning. She is Chair of International Professional Development Association (IPDA) Ireland and an Advisory Board Member for the International Symposium on Leadership for Professional Learning.
Dr Balwant Singh
Chair, IPDA India
Affiliation: Partap College of Education, Ludhiana, India
Specialism: Leadership & Mentorship in Teacher Education; Educational Technology
Balwant has 42 years’ experience of teaching, research and administration in various institutions in India, served for 18 years as Director at the Training centre, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India. He was the Founder Principal of University College of Education, Punjabi University and Founder Principal Partap College of Education, Ludhiana. Balwant is a member of the Board of Studies, Panjab University and Life Member of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, government of India. Balwant has presented research papers and keynote addresses in more than 50 national and international conferences. He has also published six books. Balwant is a Constituent Member of IPDA, UK and International Study Association of Teachers and Teaching and is Chairperson of IPDA India. He organised International Conferences in collaboration with IPDA UK since 2013. Title of Award of Fellow, of IPDA, UK was presented to him in 2016 by the President IPDA, UK. He is actively engaged at Kazan Federal University, Russia in Teaching as visiting Professor and Steering Research Projects.
Dr Alan Milliken
Chair, IPDA Hong Kong
Affiliation: English Schools Foundation (ESF)
Bio coming soon.
Thi Thu Trang Nguyen
Chair, IPDA Vietnam
Affiliation: HCMC University of Education
Bio coming soon.
Prof Nabil Jondi
Chair, IPDA Palestine
Affiliation: Hebron University
Professor in psychology and education, got his PhD in 2003, He has been a manager and coordinator of more than 7 international funded projects (Erasmus+, and World Bank QIF & TEIP projects). He published more than 50 research articles in referee Journals; contributed to many national and international conferences. Moreover, he worked as a dean of College of Education at Hebron University form many years; organized many national conferences in Education and Psychology; carried out dozens of international training workshops linked to Education and Psychology. He has a wide overseas experience in project coordination in cooperation with EU partner universities such as UK, Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Norway, and other EU countries during the implementing the various projects at which he was involved. He Worked as external evaluator for many projects; built many Strategic Plans for local Charities and Associations.
He worked closely with the Ministry of Higher Education in Palestine on many educational initiatives; supervised more than 100 masters students; a reviewer for some National and International Journals; in addition, he has a wide experience in teacher training and (ToT) and in teaching in the College of Education at Hebron University. He built and developed many new programmes in HU. He is an expert in data analysis both qualitative and qualitative using the appropriate software.
Nia Richards
Representative, IPDA Cymru
Nia began her teaching career in York after completing her PGCE at Bangor University. She then took up a post at a secondary school in Harrogate in 2004 as teacher of art and Head of PSHE and Citizenship. This period developed Nia’s interest in active and participatory forms of education as well as the social and emotional aspects of learning.
She returned to Wales in 2014 to take up a post at Coleg Menai and achieved an MA in Practitioner Research from York St. John University the following year. Her dissertation was a study of dialogic feedback and an exploration of democratic education.
In 2015, she was appointed Regional Lead for North Wales, responsible for the roll-out and quality assurance of the Lead Creative Schools scheme – a joint initiative between the Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales, supporting teachers to explore creative learning approaches in the classroom in order to nurture creative learners. The scheme worked with over 600 schools in its initial phase and garnered international recognition. In 2019, Nia initiated and designed a professional creative learning programme for senior leaders with support from the National Academy Educational for Leadership (NAEL), to cascade the learning from the scheme more widely.
Nia is now the director of Tybed, a professional learning and education consultancy and continues to volunteer with the Anglesey and Gwynedd Youth Justice service.
Prof Ken Jones
Representative, Professional Development in Education
Ken taught in London for 13 years before returning to Wales to work as Head of the School of Education and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities in Swansea Metropolitan University. He was Senior Consultant for Professional Learning and Development at UWTSD and is now Professor Emeritus.
He has been involved locally and nationally as a consultant in the field of school leadership and professional learning. His international work has included the organisation of symposia on the themes of Professional Learning and Leadership in many European countries, in the USA and in India. He is co-convenor of Network 1 (Professional Learning and Development) of the European Education Research Association (EERA)
He now works as an independent education consultant and has recently been engaged in projects including the Belmas comparative review of school leadership in the UK and two national reports for Welsh Government / EWC on the Professional Learning Blend.
For over twenty years he has been Managing Editor of the journal Professional Development in Education and is now Chair of the Editorial Board. He was one of the founding members of the International Professional Development Association (IPDA) and of IPDA Cymru.
Prof Alex Kendall
Representative, Practice
Affiliation:Birmingham City University
Bio coming soon.
Pauline Smith
Pauline is an Independent Consultant. She has worked nationally as a senior education advisor for DFE, working in close partnership with local authorities and schools in raising attainment; and contributing to the National CPD Policy. Pauline has also worked for the TDA and the National College for School Leadership, providing support for the Teaching School Alliances and the School-based ITT, school to school support, CPD, Research and Leadership Development agendas.
Before her national advisory roles, Pauline was Head of CPD in Manchester Metropolitan University, lecturing and external examining at post graduate level in CPD, leadership development, school- based training, induction, mentor development and performance management. She has also published books and articles in these fields; and has carried out national evaluations.
Pauline has been an IPDA member for the past 30 years and has been a past President and Chair of the association. Her research interest is in the Quality of CPD and it effectiveness. She is an active member of the west midland’s CPD Partnership.
Support Team
Mounir Khallouk
Membership/Administration
Mounir Khallouk is an Education Leadership masters graduate. He currently supports IPDA as Lead Administrator, assisting with IPDA’s Annual Conference and several of the organization’s duties. Mounir’s current research interests are focused on neurodivergent leaders and their development.
Russell Goffe-Wood
Communications Support
I’m Russell, I’ve been working with IPDA for almost a decade supporting with the all aspects of communications from building the website to the conference and event flyers and posters, social media and much more. You might have also spotted me taking photos and videos at the conference.
I have worked with several universities as a freelance designer over the years, supporting research centres, as well as creating online learning. I studied international business with French, which came in quite handy when one University decided to send me to the Congo a few times to support their events there.
If you need support with any online IPDA access, you know who to call.
Committee sub-groups
The international committee has two standing sub-groups:
