Catholic Education Western Australia National School Improvement Colloquium - Speaker Information
Keynote Speaker
Tracey Ezard
Tracey is known for her ‘Ferocious Warmth’ leadership approach and
professional collaborative culture work. Tracey’s collaborative framework The
Buzz, which creates an environment of learning, trust and innovation,
is used in education and organisational systems throughout Australia and
the UK. Her Buzz Diagnostic on collaborative cultures has been used by over
500 schools and has had over 10,000 people participate. Tracey has run
leadership programs for education and system leaders for over 15 years in
all education sectors in Australia and in New Zealand. She also works with
education federations in the UK. The Buzz Academy, launched in 2021, is an
online portal that assists school leaders skill up their learning leaders in
building professional learning cultures.
MC & Facilitator
Brendan Spillane
Brendan Spillane is an acclaimed Australian educator, speaker and coach. In his previous career, he worked as a teacher and Principal in Catholic schools and was an Executive member of both state and national professional leadership bodies. He works now as an Executive Coach with a range of senior leaders from business, education, healthcare and sports contexts.
He is currently working with a range of corporate and sporting organisations as well as with individual schools/colleges, education systems, health care organisations and professional associations. In 2019, he was a critical friend to Michael Fullan in support of his book ‘Nuance’ and in deepening the understanding of ‘Connected Autonomy’, a key concept that emerged from that work. In 2022, they co-wrote an initial concept paper on Connected Autonomy with the aim of stimulating further thought about the kind of dynamics that characterise ‘nuanced’ systems.
Brendan has delivered keynote addresses at a wide range of conferences in Australia, New Zealand, US, Singapore and elsewhere. He presented a Keynote Address at the International Conference On Thinking 2015 (Bilbao, Spain) in the area of critical thinking for organisational success. In 2019, he was a Keynote presenter at Singapore’s CoachSG Conference. He has worked with several programs and individual coaches preparing for and reflecting on both the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games. He leads and/or has contributed to a wide range of leadership programs in Australia and New Zealand.
An engaging speaker and presenter, Brendan uses a powerful blend of story, metaphor and humour to create the conditions for a more authentic and insightful dialogue in groups. His professional interests include developing healthy performance cultures, the narrative intelligence of leaders, and supporting people to balance empathy and candour in their professional conversations.
| Important Dates | |
| Early Bird Registration Opens | 18 May |
| Call for Abstracts Open | 29 May |
| Call for Abstracts Close | 31 July |
| Early Registration Close | 31 July |
| Conference Dates | 15 - 17 October |