Joanne (Waitaha/ Ngāti Māmoe /Ngāi Tahu) is the CEO/Founder of The Learner First (US/AU/NZ), Fellow of Salzburg Global Seminar (Austria), Executive Committee for Karanga The Global Alliance for Social Emotional Learning and Life Skills (Global), Board Member for Partners for Youth Empowerment (PYE) Global and Co-Founder NPDL (Global).

Joanne is a best-selling author, a curriculum and assessment designer, a social entrepreneur and a leading voice in the global education community. She brings 30 plus years of experience, as a teacher, principal and community and whole system leader, working with and within all levels of education to offer insights, tools and strategies that support communities to discover their strengths and bring them to the surface. She enables learners and leaders to redefine what success looks likes and helps them to measure impact on their lives and those of others around them. The perspective she works from is that people and communities hold the answers and not the experts.