Having led schools across 15 different countries, Jen's cultural fluency isn't drawn from textbooks. It was forged on the ground, building functioning educational communities, time and again, alongside people who didn't share her assumptions.
Jen was Principal of the world's only international travelling boarding school — a school where the campus moved, the community was permanently in transit, and the classroom was whichever country the students woke up in. There is no faster education in cultural assumption than running a school that has to earn trust in a new place every few weeks.
Having lived, worked and travelled in 60 different countries, Jen understands culture — not as a topic on a professional learning slide, but as the thing that quietly decides whether a parent replies to your email, whether a student speaks in class, and whether a meeting was respectful or insulting.
Known for her commitment to creating positive, equitable and engaging learning environments, Jen is a passionate advocate for student agency and creative potential. With a wealth of on-the-ground experience in progressive and trailblazing schools, she brings a deep understanding of what it takes to implement meaningful change — and to keep it alive after the launch day.
Education should ignite curiosity, support wellbeing, and empower all students to thrive.
The belief the rest of the work sits on
Research into how schools can increase opportunities for students to experience flow — the state of deep, absorbed engagement in learning.
Research into the lived experience of graduate teachers as they enter the profession, and what schools do that helps or hinders them.
Hiking through the bush, camping under the stars, and finding hidden corners of the world with a backpack and a sense of curiosity.
A part-time artist in Melbourne — wheel-thrown ceramics and quirky short films, made with a playful energy and a love of storytelling.
A self-confessed lifelong learner who brings the same sense of wonder to a research question as to a mountain track.
Partnerships, keynote presentations and individual coaching for leaders working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.