A Message from New Global CEO Deborah Dunstone

Over ten years ago, Joanne McEachen founded The Learner First. She started it as a small company in the USA, and now works internationally with base operations in three countries and ongoing expansion as her insights spread across the globe. Unsurprisingly, Joanne’s leadership has spurred a growing team and, with it, a new company structure, and I feel privileged to have been asked to be The Learner First’s inaugural global CEO. Joanne and I are working together to ensure we continue to support educational leaders to take a systemic approach to the integration of academic, social, and emotional learning in schools. Our highly experienced team works with systems, school leaders, and classroom teachers to embed identity, culture, purpose, and contribution in what, how, and where students learn. Our tools and processes are recognized globally and published in multiple best-selling books.

Working with The Learner First, our signature schools engage in an initial 12-month journey that brings Contributive Learning to life throughout classrooms and schools. Together with school communities, we engage, measure, empower, and transform, enabling success in any setting, wherever you are in the world. Joanne, myself, and the whole team at The Learner First are focused on supporting this pioneering group of schools during the 2023/24 academic years and beyond.

After over ten years as a company, we are excited to release our updated logo and offerings, and to bring on the next chapter of The Learner First brand. We look forward to connecting with all our schools and networks over the coming months, and to all the new learning and progress to come.

Deborah Dunstone is the former Deputy Director-General, Early Childhood and Educational Improvement, and Assistant Director-General for Disability and Inclusion in the Queensland Education system in Australia. Her career spans over 30 years as a teacher, Principal, School Supervisor, Regional Director, and Senior Executive. She led the development of Queensland’s Inclusive Education policy, resulting in significant cultural growth in school and early childhood settings, and is a recipient of the United Nations Zero Project Award for innovative policy. We are delighted to welcome Deb to The Learner First team.