CCEAM Executive
Professor Hauwa Imam
President
West Africa
Professor Hauwa Imam is a distinguished teacher trainer dedicated to improving education policy and school leadership effectiveness. With over four decades of varied experience in teaching, research, administration, and educational policy development, she has earned recognition and respect from scholars. Throughout her career, Professor Imam has mentored countless students across undergraduate, master’s, and PhD programs, contributing significantly to the academic community with over 70 publications in refereed journals. She has also been a keynote speaker at numerous conferences, showcasing her expertise. At the University of Abuja, she has held various leadership positions, including Dean of the Faculty of Education and Director of the Centre for Gender Security and Youth Advancement, where she has advanced educational practices and empowered both students and educators. Professor Imam has influenced educational planning and policy development, exemplified by her collaboration with the All-Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) to promote effective school administration and teaching-learning. Additionally, her involvement with the Commonwealth Council for Education Administration and Management (CCEAM), the Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE), Gender Equitable and Transformative Social Policy Africa (GETSPA), and her presidency of the Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning (NAEAP)(2018-2022) highlight her impactful presence in the educational sector.
In 2004, Professor Imam established the Institute of Education at the University of Abuja as pioneer director, which has become Nigeria’s largest teacher training institute. In 2022, she returned to the Institute as Director and implemented a blended learning approach to adapt to contemporary educational demands. Her innovative spirit is further demonstrated by securing a grant from the Commonwealth of Learning (CoL), Canada, to create the Teaching Science with Technology Massive Open Online Course (TSTMOOC), launched in March 2024 and attracted participants from 53 countries. Building on this success, she leads an initiative to develop a regional Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) for online teacher training.
Since 2008, she has actively participated in the Commonwealth Council for Education Administration and Management (CCEAM), representing East and West Africa in (2018-2022). Her dedication led to her election as Vice President (2022-2024) and recognition as a fellow of CCEAM in 2022, promoting collaboration among global educational scholars and practitioners. Professor Hauwa Imam’s unwavering commitment to education, innovative research, and leadership has made her a pivotal figure in the field. Her achievements and collaborative efforts underscore her ability to effect positive change and drive educational practice and policy advancements. Her impressive career has garnered multiple awards for excellence, culminating in her election as President of CCEAM on August 26, 2024, in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Professor Carolyn Shields
Past President
Jamaica-Americas
Professor Carolyn Shields teaches and conducts research related to transformative leadership as a way of creating schools that are equitable, inclusive, excellent, and socially just. Her 12 books and hundreds of conference presentations, invited keynotes, and refereed publications have brought her international accolades, including being named a fellow of CCEAM in 2004 and an honorary doctorate from Laval University in 2017. She has been active in CCEAM since 1999 and is also active in research organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Associate Professor Ken Brien
Canada-Americas
Ken Brien, EdD is Association Professor at the University of New Brunswick and has served as President of CCEAM 2014 -2018 and Vice-President 2012-2014. He is
Past President (2016 – 2018) Canadian Association for the Study of Educational Administration (CASEA). He has been a reviewer for several journals, grant applications, university programs, and conference proposals and book review editor for Leadership and Policy in Schools. His most recent publication is the book A decade of research on school principals]. Leadership and Policy.
His key areas of interest are educational law, policy, governance; professional learning communities; roles of principals and vice-principals; parental involvement in education and distance education.
Dr. Rose Ann Cuschieri
Vice President
Malta -Europe
Dr Rose Anne Cuschieri is presently the Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority. She was previously the Director of Educational Services for Catholic Schools in Malta. She is also a part-time lecturer and tutor within the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta and the Institute of Education, Malta. Since 1999, she has been lecturing Leadership and Interpersonal Skills at the Malta Academy for Disciplined Forces. Dr Cuschieri is also a freelance trainer and lecturer in leadership, motivation, and stress. She is the author of several articles in both local and foreign educational and management journals and books. She has written and presented several refereed papers at different prestigious conferences both locally and abroad.
She is the Malta representative on the CDEDU, the Steering Committee for Education within the Council of Europe; she also forms part of the Working group on the Democratic Mission of Higher Education. She is the local representative of the Bologna Follow Up Group and Co-Chair of the BFUG Working Group on Fundamental Values in Education; the local representative of ASEM and EPAN. She is also a bureau member of the EWC (European Wergeland Centre, Norway).
Areas of Expertise: Educational leadership and management; Motivation, Satisfaction, and Stress in the educational field; Communication and interpersonal skills; Further and Higher education.
Research Methods: Qualitative (including life histories).
Professor Nilima Bhagabati, FCCEAM
Executive Member
India – Asia
Prof. Nilima Bhagabati,is from Guwahati, Assam, India having specialization in Education and Adolescent psychology. She served as Professor of Education in Gauhati University -the premier Institute of North-East India .With vast Teaching and Research experience for more than four decades in Higher Education, she is a teacher trainer and Adolescent students counsellor.Her Professional commitment, leadership quality, organizational leadership and management for more than fifteen years as International Secretary General of Council for Teacher Education Foundation,- a professional organization of teachers from Lower Primary to Higher Education including Teacher Education, established in 1985. She was nominated as secretary general of ACEAM in 2004 and is associated with CCEAM in the capacity as CCEAM Board Member from India. Her long and sterling contribution and association with CCEAM has given her the Fellowship award -FCCEAM in 2006. She was also nominated as Executive member of CCEAM- Asia region.in 2018.
Dr Deb Outhwaite
Executive Member
Malta – Europe.
Deb Outhwaite has worked in education for 30 years: an 11-18 teacher for 12 years; training teachers; then spending a decade in HE teaching undergrad and postgrad at both Derby and Warwick. She was an Examiner for Edexcel’s A Level Government & Politics in the 2000s, published a set of workbooks in 2003, and journal articles for A Level until 2008, she has been publishing papers and book chapters since then and has just completed a co-edited textbook for Routledge on Education Leadership and Management.
She is the Director of Developing Teachers Schools, and Academies (DTSA), and a Director of Studies in the Centre of Higher Education Studies (CHES), at the University of Liverpool, and is a Member of a School Trust in Hertfordshire. Deb has previously held additional roles as the External Examiner for the MAEd at the University of Worcester; Parent Governor; and Vice-Chair of a Derbyshire Schools Trust. She is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, Fellow of the RSA, Fellow of CollectiveEd, and Fellow of the IESE. She sits on the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Teaching Profession and is the incoming External Examiner for the EdD Programme at the University of Staffordshire.
Mrs. Shernette Powell
Executive Member
Caribbean and Americas
Shernette is currently the President and Director of Strategy, Opportunity, and Media at IEAL-J. She is also the principal at Point Hill Leased Primary and Junior High School in St Catherine, Jamaica. She is the former Vice-President and Director of Research, Policy and Capacity Building for the IEAL-J. She is currently the President for the St Catherine Women’s Federation (Jamaica Baptist Union) and enjoys mentoring and coaching people to build their mind-set. Shernette represents the Caribbean and Americas for the (CCEAM). Her research interests include educational leadership, social justice, and professional development. She has two publications in international peer reviewed journals.
Dr. Idowu Banjoko
Executive Member
West Africa
Dr. Idowu Banjoko is a training and development expert, visionary, and educational practitioner mentor. He is highly respected in his field for his expertise and commitment to education administration and leadership. He has over 25 years of experience in educational leadership in the Lagos State Public Service. He is the Head of the Department of Education, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Secretariat. His department oversees school operations in the area. He holds a doctorate in adult education from the University of Lagos.
Dr. Banjoko has achieved numerous milestones in his illustrious career, culminating in his bagging merit awards and fellowships. A dedicated professional, Dr Banjoko is a Fellow of the Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning (FNAEAP), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration of Nigeria (FCIPAN), and a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (MITD).
Dr Banjoko is a member of CCEAM through the affiliate ’NAEAP. his direct involvement with CCEAM began in 2018 when he joined the EXCO of NAEAP and mobilized over 600 education officers to join the association and register for the CCEAM. He was the secretary of the Local Organising Committee for the 38th Annual NAEAP Conference in 2019 and supported the setup of the First Annual NAEAP Lagos State Chapter Symposium in 2022. He is the National Secretary of NAEAP since 2022. He was one of the board members representing NAEAP on the CCEAM Board before he was appointed CCEAM Representative for the East and West African Region. Dr Banjoko is very active in the membership drive to enhance registration for CCEAM.
South Africa,
Vacant.
Associate Professor
Patricia Briscoe
Business Manager (honorarium)
Patricia recently joined CCEAM as the Business Manager (honorarium).
Patricia is an Associate Professor in the Master of Educational Leadership Programs (MSED) at Niagara University Toronto, Canada. Patricia is also in her second term as Secretary and Treasurer for The Canadian Society of for the Study Education/Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation (CSSE-SCÉÉ)
Her academic work in higher education involves teaching in the teacher education program and graduate level in the field of educational leadership. Her research targets leader and teacher development by building capacity in structural and conceptual change. Patricia provides a unique perspective with her International work in various fields of education. Her research agenda focuses on studying and building leadership in areas of poverty and among marginalized people, supporting, connecting and mentoring of educational professionals and promoting knowledge mobilization: moving knowing-to-doing.
As the Business Manager (honorarium) of CCEAM, her roles include: communication with members and affiliates, managing membership services, manage and report to the executive on a regular basis about the activities of CCEAM, banking and financial management, working collaboratively with CCEAM’s website manager, journal management and conference team.
Dr Heathcliff Schembri
CCEAM Managing Coordinator
Dr Heathcliff Schembri is a Senior Lecturer at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), specialising in primary education, inclusive pedagogy and educational research. He holds a PhD in Education from the University of East Anglia (UK) and has over 15 years of experience across multiple levels of education, ranging from primary teaching to higher education lecturing and academic coordination.
He has served in various national roles, including as an expert consultant for Malta’s Qualifications Framework Referencing Report (5th edition), a national curriculum advisor, and a quality assurance evaluator with the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority. His scholarly work focuses on curriculum development, teacher education and equity in education, with several publications in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes.
At the international level, Dr Schembri is appointed as an accreditation expert with quality assurance agencies in Georgia, Lithuania, and Curaçao, and as an external examiner in the United Kingdom. He is actively engaged in research projects such as SELBI and COMPASS in Malta, and EngageALL, a European initiative on inclusive student engagement funded by Erasmus+.
As Managing Coordinator of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM), Dr Schembri brings his expertise in leadership, quality assurance, and educational reform to support the Council’s mission of advancing educational leadership and management across the Commonwealth. His work combines academic rigour with practical relevance, contributing to the advancement of quality education both in Malta and abroad.