2024 WISE Residential

Dr Simon Breakspear is a researcher, advisor, and speaker on educational leadership, policy, and change. He develops frameworks, tools and programs that make evidence-based ideas actionable and easy to understand. Simon holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Scholar.

Dr Marcia Devlin's AM - biography

Dr David Howes is the Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services at the Department of Education. Prior to this, Dr Howes was chief executive officer of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

Dr Howes began his career as a teacher in the western suburbs of Melbourne, where he worked for 10 years as a teacher and in a range of school leadership roles. He has since held a number of positions, both in Victoria and overseas, including working as an educational adviser to the Royal Government of Cambodia between 2003 and 2006.

Dr Jenny Donovan is the inaugural CEO of the Australian Education Research Organisation. Prior to this role, she established and led the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) as Executive Director for 8 years. 

Dr Donovan began her career as a high school teacher in Sydney’s western suburbs. She has worked in a number of education roles in operational and policy areas, including some years as Deputy Director of a not-for-profit education assessment agency at the University of New South Wales. 

In 2024 she was a member of Professor Mark Scott’s Teacher Education Expert Panel which delivered recommendations for reform to Initial Teacher Education that were accepted by Australia’s education Ministers. As a result, an evidence-based core curriculum will be implemented in all initial teacher education.

Jenny holds a Bachelor of Arts with a Diploma of Education from Macquarie University, MA (Hons) from UNSW and a PhD in history from the University of Sydney.

Dr Cate Challen is an educator committed to increasing access and equity in education through systematic approaches to continuous improvement. Cate leverages ten years of experience in the biotechnology sector and seven years as a classroom teacher to coach teachers and leaders on how to analyse and use data regularly to inform instructional practices and school-wide decision-making. 

Cate’s expertise stems from extensive work with Networked Improvement Communities focused on improving outcomes and equity for schools through iterative, data-informed cycles of inquiry. Cate has a Doctor of Biotechnology degree from the University of Queensland, and is currently an educational researcher at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.

Dr Ryan Dunn has considerable experience within education and has advised and collaborated with schools and districts across Australia, the USA and Canada. As a Director as Breakspear Learning Ryan has worked extensively with leaders in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Alberta to support leadership development at a system, network and school level.

Ryan is also lecturer at a leading University in Australia where his work focuses on teacher professional learning, educational leadership, practitioner research and primary mathematics.  Ryan completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor John Hattie. His PhD focused on the effectiveness of educational design research as a form of teacher professional learning.

Workshops will also be facilitated by the Academy’s Principals in Residence and network leaders.