Dr. Denise Gaspard-Richards is an educator with over twenty years’ experience, having worked in capacities that span teaching in the face to face mode at the Montserrat Technical College and the University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus and later online when she served the former UWI Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC) as a Course Developer and Course Coordinator. Dr. Gaspard-Richards has also served at the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) in the capacity of Head-Institutional Research and Strategic Planning.
After successfully completing a BSc in Social Sciences (1988) and a MSc in Sociology/Demography (1995), Dr. Gaspard-Richards pursued a Doctorate in Social Policy in 2008 at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. During those years, she served in other teaching capacities on a part-time basis, until eventually joining the former UWI Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC) in February 2008 as a full-time member of staff in the role of Programme Coordinator.
Since the formation of the Open Campus, Dr Gaspard-Richards has served as part of a team that led the design, development and delivery of online and distance education undergraduate programmes and courses. In 2011 she was appointed as the Head of the Course Development Department in the Academic Programming and Delivery Division (APAD),  where she managed staff and, spearheaded course design and development. She is a lifelong learner who has also successfully completed professional certification in online and distance education and leadership in online learning.

Rosemary Campbell-Stephens MBE is a freelance international consultant and coach on leadership following her tenure as the Director for the National College for Educational Leadership in the Ministry of Education, Jamaica.

Rosemary is a Visiting Fellow of the Institute of Education, University College London, due to her groundbreaking work in Leadership preparation for Principals. Rosemary is also a Professional Associate at Leeds Beckett University and an Associate with the Staff College.

As an independent consultant trainer in leadership and formerly an associate with the National College For School Leadership in the UK she had a national brief for diversity, succession planning and leadership preparation in schools sector. In a career spanning nearly forty years, she has combined public speaking and community activism with a professional life supporting organisations at a strategic and operational level to address issues of equity and diversity. The five years that she spent as an OFSTED Inspector she describes as ‘reluctant’. The years delivering Anti-racist training for CEA Islington colleagues were exhilarating. Her work in Darlington on System Leadership was among her most rewarding, blending global leader paradigms.

Rosemary developed the pioneering Investing in Diversity (IiD) Programme for the London Centre for Leadership in Learning, Institute of Education, University of London. Investing in Diversity was part of the highly successful London Challenge initiative 2003-2011. This leadership preparation programme has had over one thousand (1000) teachers complete in London, doubling the number of Black Headteachers and other senior leaders in some London boroughs, over 300 moved into senior leadership positions by the end of their one-year training. The programme was rolled out in Leeds March 2009 and has inspired sister programmes elsewhere, including Diverse Leaders for Tomorrow in Yorkshire and Humberside.

In the autumn of 2009, Investing in Diversity went international when the Leading for Equity leadership programme was launched at OISE, University of Toronto, Canada.

Rosemary expanded on this work within the NHS as a Pacesetter provider following her own model of professional development as well as being a presenter on the Clinical Leaders Network.

Rosemary was recognised in the Queens Birthday Honours list of 2015 for her 35-years service to education in Britain and was awarded an MBE.

Opposition Junior Shadow Spokesperson on Education; Office Manager, UWI Mona Campus;

-A talented young professional who believes that the lives of young people can be heavily impacted through proper developmental programming, education and theatre. At my core, I am an Educator, Purpose Pusher, and aspiring Author and a mother.

Selena Dyke is a Licensed and Canadian Trained Child Therapist with 22 years’ experience counselling children and families in Canada and the Caribbean. She is a qualified Parent Educator, and Infant Mental Health Specialist. ­­

Selena is passionate about the social and emotional development of young children and understands that this area is a critical foundation in child development along with the capacity for empathy and prosocial behaviour.


Counselling sessions with Selena emphasizes a combination of play therapy and social skills that address behavioural, emotional challenges and build resilience. Selena is trained by the Canadian Association of Play Therapy in; Direct Play Therapy and In-Direct Play Therapy. She has specializations in: Sandtray, Storytelling in a Play Therapy Setting, Puppetry, Trauma Interventions in Play Therapy, Developmental Trauma, Attachment Theory and Play Therapy, Treating Disruptive Behaviours in Play Therapy, and Assessment and Treatment in Play Therapy.

Selena skilled at engaging parents and families of young children who need supports to help strengthen their capacity to parent positively. Selena understands that parents have complex needs and she is one of the few qualified in counselling techniques, interventions, and parenting strategies to help parents; strengthen their sense of competence, increase their knowledge, and ensure better developmental and mental health outcomes for their
children.

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Selena has worked as Learning Strategist Specialist and Child Youth Counsellor for the Toronto District School Board, Guidance Counsellor and Head of Department for Hillel Academy, Kingston Jamaica, Program Coordinator National Parenting Program, Ministry of Health Cayman Islands and has written a training manual for at-risk adolescent youth in consultation and sponsorship with USAID and Family Health International (FHI). Selena has also hosted a parenting and child development radio shows in the Cayman Islands and on Roots FM, Mustard Seed Community, Jamaica.

Dr. Benjamin is the National Mathematics Coordinator, Ministry of Education, Jamaica

Responsible for providing strategic leadership for mathematics in the Ministry of Education. This includes outlining the policy direction of the Ministry Education by leading the review and implementation of the National Mathematics Policy Guidelines and the supporting National Mathematics Strategic Plan. The policy seeks to establish standards and guidelines relating to critical aspects of mathematics education while the strategic plan is focused on ensuring implementation of the policy in the wider education system in order to ensure improved performance in Mathematics. Other areas of responsibility include providing technical support to assessment and curriculum development activities within the Ministry of Education relating to mathematics.

Dr Benjamin has also focused attention on improving the attitudes towards mathematics by providing leadership for the celebration of National Mathematics Week in Jamaica for the very first time which culminated with an expo mounted at the UWI Mona campus.

Dr Benjamin manages a team of 19 specialists assigned across the island to the Ministry's educational regions

The Archaeology of Self: Healing-Centred Education
Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D.
Educator, Poet, Activist, Interrupter Associate Professor Teachers’ College, Columbia University

Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz is an award-winning Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on racial literacy in teacher education, Black girl literacies, and Black and Latinx male high school students. A sought-after speaker on issues of race, culturally responsive pedagogy, and diversity, Sealey-Ruiz works with K-12 and higher education school communities to increase their racial literacy knowledge and move toward more equitable school experiences for their Black and Latinx students. Sealey-Ruiz appeared in Spike Lee’s “2 Fists Up: We Gon’ Be Alright”, a documentary about the Black Lives Matter movement and the campus protests at Mizzou. Her co-authored book [with Dr. Detra Price-Dennis] Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Toward Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces will be published in April 2021.



Her first full-length collection of poetry Love from the Vortex & Other Poems (Kalediscope Vibrations LLC) was published in March, 2020, and her sophomore book of poetry, The Peace Chronicles was released in July 2021.

CEO, Artemis Consulting | Communications Strategist and award winning communicator with over 15 years experience transforming complex communications and public relations challenges into positions of strength.

A passion for leading teams and devising strategies to help companies deal with the most complex and demanding communications challenges. I have a national reputation of honesty, transparency and integrity, gained by building open and accessible lines of communications and mutual trust with the press, in order to tell the organization's story.

From routine matters to unexpected emergencies and crises, I have successfully navigated the Jamaica Defence Force through some of the most treacherous waters in the hazardous and unpredictable security environment. In doing so, I have enhanced its reputation as Jamaica's most admired and most respected public institution and one of the country's most valuable brands.

My areas of expertise include:

• Strategic Communications
• Media Relations
• Information Operations
• Corporate Communications
• Marketing & Advertising
• Public Affairs
• Journalism
• Emergency & Crisis Communications
• Social Media & Digital Marketing
• Strategic Partnerships
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Community Outreach
• Public Speaking
• Communications Training & Education
• Communications Policy

Dr. Christopher Emdin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University; where he also serves as Director of the Science Education program and Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education.

He is an alumni fellow at the Hutchins Center at Harvard University and served as STEAM Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Dr. Emdin is a social critic, public intellectual and science advocate whose commentary on issues of race, culture, inequality and education have appeared in dozens of influential periodicals including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.

Dr. Emdin holds a Ph.D in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology; Masters degrees in both Natural Sciences and Education Administration, and Bachelors degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry.

He is the creator of the #HipHopEd social media movement, and a much sought-after public speaker on a number of topics that include hip-hop education, STEM education, politics, race, class, diversity, and youth empowerment. He is also an advisor to numerous international organizations, school districts, and schools.

He is the author of the award winning book, Urban Science Education for the Hip-hop Generation and the New York Times bestseller For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll too.

Dr. Ian Levy is an Assistant Professor of School Counseling at Manhattan College, New York City native, former High School counselor, and the Vice President of Counselor Educators for the New York State School Counselor’s association. His research interests include the examination of mental health practices in urban schools, which entails exploring the effective use of the school counselor and other school staff to support the emotional lives of young people.

Most notably, Dr. Levy piloted the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Hip-Hop based counseling framework. His work has been featured on various news outlets including the New York Times, and CNN, and published a variety of reputable academic journals. In 2016 he was named the New York State School Counselor of the Year. Ian is the author of the Hip-Hop & Spoken Word Therapy in School Counseling, published by Routledge. Ian is also an emcee, and released his album – And Then It Glistens – in 2020.

Nicole McLaren Campbell is an entrepreneur, educator, speaker, goal accelerator strategist, mother, wife and Amazon best-selling author. In 2010 she founded AIM Educational Services, which revolutionized the preparation of students for college. By 2018, she was a recipient of the Governor General's Award for Excellence in Achievement and Leadership. Then in 2019, she was appointed National Productivity Ambassador by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in Jamaica. Her latest ventures include the Goal Accelerator Club - a community of women dedicated to actualizing their fullest potential - and the Teen Success Club, which provides educational, developmental and networking opportunities for adolescents who know that there's more to a successful life than just straight A's. Nicole's ultimate mission is to squeeze every ounce of life from life: "AIM High and Be Bold."

Carla Moore is an Artist, Activist, Academic, Alchemist

Carla has worked towards inclusion, equality and decolonized development for over 15 years; starting as a Behaviour Change Communicator then expanding into work as a Gender Specialist and adjunct lecturer at the Institute for Gender and Development Studies, Mona Unit.

For over a decade she’s created digital content focused on cultural interrogation and personal liberation through her MooreTalkJa social media brand. More recently she has leaned into her calling as a healer through her work as a Certified Transformational Life Coach.


She holds a BA Media and Communication (Hons) from CARIMAC at the UWI and an MA Gender Studies from Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario.

Nicole K. Grimes is an alumna of The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) where she received a Ph.D. in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science and Technology. She is an education consultant, professional development workshop leader and speaker. A former NYC high school principal, she has been a fervent STEM educator for 18+ years working across public, private & charter schooling. As a teacher educator, she has served as a university adjunct assistant professor at CUNY Lehman in New York City since 2008 teaching varied graduate education courses. She earned an M.A. in Secondary Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University & a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University.

A lover of writing and editing, Grimes has earned awards for her education publications including an award from CSSE (Cultural Studies of Science Education) – Best Manuscript of the Year for 2013 & a Best Manuscript Award V from ASTE for Implications of Research for Educational Practice in 2010.

She served as the first woman of color and lay-person Principal of DominicanAcademy from 2015-2018. Dominican Academy is an all girls college preparatory high school for academically strong girls in New York City. The school was founded in 1897 and ranks in the top 10 girls high schools in the state of NY and top 100 Catholic schools in the U.S.

Her current educational activities center around public speaking, STEM initiatives, homeschooling, professional development for teachers in the areas of differentiated instruction, social media integration, using co-teaching, mainstreamed/inclusive education, student leadership and school leadership. Alongside her work in education, Grimes leads Carib Biz Network LLC: an educational and collaborative resource platform for she founded for small businesses, freelancers and entrepreneurs of Caribbean descent.

Nadine A Molloy is a past president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) and is currently serving as a Trustee. She is a motivational and professional speaker locally, primarily in education circles. She is a member of the Executive Principals’ League and is an Executive Board member of Education International. The former Principal of the Year has been a principal since September 2000. A qualified school inspector and teacher librarian, she is principal of the Ardenne High School since September 2012. She has lead Ardenne into pivoting to learning in the virtual space since March 2020. Nadine has a simple personal philosophy – leave it a little better than you found it.