Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney (Aus)
Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney is Director of the Yunggorendi First Nations Centre for Higher Education and Research, Flinders University. He is a Professor of Education and one of the most influential Indigenous educationalists in Australia today.

Lester-Irabinna has been working across the Pacific on Indigenous Education in Hawaii, Taiwan and Canada. His academic peers have elected him to the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Research Advisory Committee as an expert on education and cultural transmission since 2002. In 2009 Lester-Irabina completed a review of the National Indigenous Education document, Australian Directions for the Federal Government. In that same year he received an honorary United Nations award from the Australian Chapter for his work on Indigenous Education.

In 1998, Lester-Irabinna's professional standing in education saw him inducted into the Australian College of Educators (ACE), and he is also on the National Curriculum Advisory committee for Languages.

Wendy Lee (NZ)
Wendy Lee has almost 40 years involvement in early childhood education field. She is currently both the Project Director for the Educational Leadership Project and the Co-Director Learning for the Wisdom Teaching and Learning Research Initiative Project. Wendy was also a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Waikato between 2003 – 2008, and was the co-Director of the Early Childhood Learning and Assessment Exemplar Project for seven years.

Wendy is also a committed early childhood researcher who has been involved in several research projects with Professor Margaret Carr. She is passionate about the impact of political trends on early childhood education, and has a deep interest in curriculum, leadership and professional development issues. She has spoken extensively about these interest areas and her research at numerous international events and conferences.

Johanna Einarsdottir (Iceland)
Dr. Johanna Einarsdottir is a Professor of Early Childhood Education at School of Education, University of Iceland. She has been involved in early childhood education and early childhood teacher education for over 30 years. She is currently the director of the Center for Research in Early Childhood Education at University of Iceland. The aims of the centre are to increase and promote research in the field of early childhood education and serve as a forum for development in the field.

Johanna's professional interests include early childhood education, early childhood teacher education, and qualitative methodology. She is an active member of the European Early Childhood Education Research Association and is involved in several international research projects as a researcher and a consultant. She has published her work widely, with recent publications including an edited book on Nordic childhood research, policy and practice, and a book in Icelandic on transition between playschool and primary school.

John O’Toole (Aus)
John O’Toole has taught arts and drama education for nearly 40 years. He is Foundation Professor of Arts Education at the University of Melbourne, and formerly Professor of Drama Education and Applied Theatre at Griffith University. John has written teacher textbooks including Dramawise (with Brad Haseman), the primary standard Pretending to Learn (with Julie Dunn) and Education in the Arts (with Christine Sinclair and Neryl Jeanneret), and scholarly texts such as The Process of Drama, Doing Drama Research, Drama and Curriculum and Educational Research: Creative Thinking and Doing (with David Beckett).

John was a founder member of Drama Queensland, Drama Australia and IDEA (The International Drama/Theatre and Education Association), Director of Publications for IDEA, and Co-Convenor of the 2nd IDEA World Congress. In 2001, he was awarded the American Alliance for Education Award for Lifetime Research. He is also an active playwright and director, and has worked for festivals including Out of the Box.

Claire Warden (Scotland)
Claire Warden is an educational consultant who has developed a unique approach to experiential learning. Beginning as a lecturer in Primary Education at Strathclyde University, Claire founded the Mindstretchers training consultancy in 1996. The company includes a project approach called 'The Living Classroom' which explores sensorial and experiential learning in challenging outdoor spaces across Scotland, and also publishes related resources and materials.

In 2007 and 2008, Wendy set up Whistlebrae Nature Kindergarten and Auchlone Nature Kindergarten in Perth and Kinross, Scotland where children spend up to 90% time outside developing skills and confidence in the natural world.

Claire is the European education co-ordinator for the leadership group of consultants that make up the World Nature Collaborative, and she has authored several books relating to early years methodology, including The Potential of a Puddle, Talking and Thinking Floorbooks, The Right to Be Me and Nurture through Nature, as well as forthcoming titles Nature Kindergartens and Journeys into Nature.

Janet Robertson (Aus)
Janet's diverse 30-year career has seen her work as a teacher, consultant and Director in early childhood programmes. She is currently an outdoor teacher at Mia Mia, Institute of Early Childhood at Macquarie University. In collaboration with Dr Alma Fleet, Janet is responsible for the conceptual framework of the 'Unpacking Conferences' held at the university, which is now entering its twelfth year.

Her professional interests include the educational project of Reggio Emilia and its challenges to early education in Australia, the cultural understandings of quality and reconceptualising the outdoor learning space. She has explored these interests through a number of publications, including Insights: Behind pedagogical documentation, Reconsidering our images of children: What shapes our educational thinking? and An overview of the terrain: Roadmaps for possible journeys.

Alan Pence (Canada)
Alan Pence is UNESCO Chair for Early Childhood Education, Care and Development and Professor, School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria. He has worked in the field of ECCD since 1971, with a primary focus on cross-cultural and international early childhood care and development since the late 1980s. In 1989 he established the First Nations Partnerships Program (FNPP), a community-based Indigenous early childhood undergraduate education program, and in 2000 he commenced development of the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) a multi-faceted leadership and capacity building program active in Africa and the Middle East.

Dr. Pence has authored over 110 journal articles, chapters and monographs, and edited or authored 12 books on a variety of child care and development topics. He is the recipient of the Canadian Bureau for International Education's Award for Educational Leadership and the University of Victoria's inaugural Craigdarroch Research Award for Societal Contributions.

Sue Dockett (Aus)
Sue is Professor in Early Childhood Education at Charles Sturt University. Prior to entering tertiary education, Sue worked as an educator in prior-to-school settings, as well as the early years of school. Since 1988, Sue has been involved in early childhood teacher education and research, and much of her research agenda has focused on educational transitions, particularly transitions to school and the expectations, experiences and perceptions of all involved.

With Bob Perry, Sue has published both nationally and internationally in the area of transition to school. Integral to her investigations of educational transitions is a commitment to incorporating children's perspectives. Much of Sue's current collaborative work is focused on refining and critiquing these approaches, as well as conceptual and theoretical analysis of what is meant by engaging children and young people's voices within research agendas.

Dave Brown (Aus)
Dave Brown has been the Artistic Director of Patch Theatre Company for 15 years and is responsible for the company's evolution into a national, and international, touring repertory company, specialising in theatre for four to eight-year-olds. Dave's work advocates for an Australian culture which offers play-rich worlds of diverse and quality experiences for children.

As such, Dave's creative processes for new theatre works are a mix of research and exploration that cross from the rehearsal room into children's playgrounds and classrooms – with theatre practitioners, early childhood educators and children themselves all interconnecting and contributing.

Dave has specialised in theatre for young audiences for over 25 years. He has directed over 80 productions for and by young people and written 18 produced works for young audiences. He is interested in new conventions for the use of music and the exploration of performance languages, assemblages and interactivity in theatre.