Aspiring Leaders Day was held on Friday 21 June. 

It was a day designed to provide aspiring leaders with insight into the key qualities of successful educational leaders. Participants learnt how their own leadership skills can impact on individuals and teams to drive change in their schools.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, as participants heard from the below speakers. 

Andrew Jones
Facilitator

Andrew Jones is an expert in learning design and teacher professional development. He has been working in schools in a range of school settings both as a teacher, school leader and leadership coach for over 25 years now. He led the closure and regeneration of four schools in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, has a Master's in Educational Leadership and is completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne in the area of School Learning Culture and Teacher Learning. Andrew's work with the coaching department of the Melbourne Football Club and St Kilda Football Club over the past 4 years, his role as Principal as Residence in the Australian Research Council's Science of Learning Research Centre (University of Melbourne) and as education advisor at Smiling Mind, have all helped to create a highly unique skillet relevant for many contexts.

Gene Reardon
Keynote

Gene Reardon is the Executive Director, Professional Practice and Leadership Division, at the Department of Education and Training. Gene has years of leadership experience, having been Director of Professional Practice (DET), Director of Victorian Deaf Education Institute (DET), General Manager of Deaf Children Australia, and numerous other positions. Gene's years of leadership experience will provide a unique insight into leading with success. 

Dr Ryan Dunn 
Keynote

Dr Ryan Dunn has collaborated with and advised schools and districts in the U.S and Australia. He has worked extensively in the United States, where he led large-scale research and professional learning initiatives in New York City and California. In Australia, Ryan is a lead consultant within the Curiosity and Powerful Learning initiative that worked with over 100 primary and secondary schools in Victoria and Queensland. As a lecturer at the University of Melbourne his work focuses on teacher professional learning, educational leadership, practitioner research and design thinking. Ryan is also a critical friend and keynote presenter for the University of Melbourne Network of Schools where he has delivered keynotes on Leading Change, Professional Learning Teams and Mathematical Reasoning. 

The day concluded with a Q&A session featuring Victorian school principals, including Matt Borg, Deborah Crane, and Andrew Searle.