Our people
The team that supports your staff’s professional learning.
Leadership Team
Dave Faulkner
Chief Executive Officer
How Dave helps you:
As Chief Executive Officer, Dave leads our global team and works with our largest partners to ensure that your school or organisation has a great professional learning experience with EC.
Dave’s experience:
Dave has worked in K-12 education for more than two decades as a teacher, principal, system leader and thought leader. Dave is the co-founder of EC, co-author of Dream Team (ASCD and published in multiple languages) and Edupreneur (Wiley), speaks on the world’s largest education stages (BETT, ASCD, EduTech), and has led PL programs for state and national governments and organisations across the globe.
Fun fact:
Dave spent years teaching in some of Australia’s most remote First Nations communities.
Maddie Scott-Jones
Chief Learning Officer
How Maddie helps you:
As Chief Learning Officer, Maddie leads our content and learning design team to ensure that every professional learning program we host on EC Premium, or run with schools is of the highest quality.
Maddie’s experience:
Maddie brings deep academic credentials to the team, and is a graduate of three master’s degrees in education and education leadership. As a former teacher, a deeply experienced K-12 learning consultant and the architect of some of our biggest state and national projects over the last decade Maddie knows what it takes to build and run great professional learning in schools.
Fun fact:
Maddie is a whale chaser (which means she loves whales, travels the world searching for different species, and then kayaks to within a safe distance and says nice things to them).
Jenna Smith
Head of Sales and Success
How Jenna helps you:
Jenna leads our sales and success teams to ensure that each of our subscribing schools has a great professional learning experience with EC Premium.
Jenna’s experience:
Jenna brings a decade of experience driving whole-system leadership and professional development programs at a state level in the K-12 sector. With an academic background in psychology and coaching, she leads our sales and success teams, ensuring that EC Premium is as effective as possible for educators.
Fun fact:
Jenna’s eldest son is an exceptionally good BMX rider.
Aaron Tait
Chief Innovation Officer
How Aaron helps you:
As Chief Innovation Officer, Aaron supports our team and partners to continually improve and innovate, ensuring you can access the best possible professional learning for your K-12 staff.
Aaron’s experience:
Aaron is a proven social impact innovator and for more than a decade has led and scaled education and impact projects across the world. These projects have included co-founding EC, co-founding the impact organisation ygap.org, and leading global education projects for Microsoft. Aaron holds three master’s degrees (Cambridge, UNSW, Deakin) and is the co-author of Dream Team (ASCD and published in multiple languages) and Edupreneur (Wiley).
Fun fact:
Aaron is a decorated military veteran (he spent seven years as an officer in the Australian Navy).
Learning and Content Team
Kerrin Smith
Learning Designer
How Kerrin helps you:
As a learning designer Kerrin works with you to build and deliver your professional learning programs, with a particular focus on school culture and STEM teaching.
Kerrin’s experience:
Kerrin has a decade of school teacher and leadership experience, with depth in the Catholic and independent education systems. He holds two master’s degrees in education from Australian Catholic University. Kerrin has been a program consultant on learning projects for clients including the Academy (VIC), Professional Learning Institute (TAS) and schools across NSW.
Fun fact:
Kerrin is a particularly good baseballer and a safe pair of hands at shortstop.
Danielle Vasiliades
Learning Designer
How Dani helps you:
As a learning designer Dani works with you to design and deliver your professional learning programs, with a particular focus on quality teaching practice.
Dani’s experience:
Dani brings a decade of school teacher and leadership experience to the EC team, with a particular depth in the public sector. She has been a program consultant on learning projects for clients including the Academy (VIC), Professional Learning Institute (TAS) and with schools across NSW.
Fun fact:
Dani has listened to the song ‘You Can Call Me Al’ at least once a day for the last 18 months.
Glenn Solomons
Learning Designer
How Glenn helps you:
As a learning designer Glenn works with you to architect professional learning programs, with a particular focus on supporting school leaders.
Glenn’s experience:
Glenn brings a decade of school teacher and leadership experience to the EC team, with a particular depth in the Catholic education system. He has been a program lead on learning projects for clients including the Academy (VIC), Professional Learning Institute (TAS) and schools across NSW. He is currently studying for his master’s of education at Australian Catholic University.
Fun fact:
Glenn has the most tattoos in the EC team (just).
Megan Fletcher
Content Partner Manager
How Megan helps you:
Megan works to identify new content partners for our EC Premium platform, so if there are content providers you want to see, she will make it happen!
Megan’s experience:
Based in the US, Megan brings a wealth of K-12 experience to her work, drawing on more than 15 years as a teacher, school leader, instructional coach and principal (Murdock High School). Much of her career has been dedicated to driving equity through education, and teaching in underserved communities. She holds two master’s degrees in education leadership and urban education.
Fun fact:
Megan has completed a casual 27 marathons.
Emma Benns
Content Manager
How Emma helps you:
Emma is our lead content creator for EC Premium, and helps all of our content partners to provide the best possible PL through our online platform.
Emma’s experience:
Emma is a writer and content creation specialist with a publication and client list including Canva, the Daily Telegraph and ClickView. She is a former primary school teacher (Wenona, Japanese International School) with 5 years of experience in the classroom. Emma’s content partner list includes Think Global, The Learner First, The Professional Learning Institute (TAS) and ACEL.
Fun fact:
Emma has been to 47 countries so far, with the Maldives up next (la-di-da!).
Sales and Success Team
Katy Plencner
Senior Education Success Manager
How Katy helps you:
Katy works to ensure that our EC Premium platform is a highly effective professional learning tool for our schools and partners in the US!
Katy’s experience:
Katy brings a rich career in K-12 education to her role as an ESM with our team. Following five years at Teach for America as a teacher and then leader, Katy went on to lead as an instructional coach and school improvement specialist in Hawaii, and then an education program specialist in Arizona. She holds a master’s of education from Arizona State University.
Fun fact:
Katy lives in the second sunniest city in the world (Phoenix).
Valerie Peters
Education Success Manager and UX Designer
How Valerie helps you:
Valerie is our technology expert, so if you need something done for you in EC Premium she is almost certainly able to help you out!
Valerie’s experience:
Valerie is a former STEM teacher (Seymour College) where she led school-wide professional learning programs with a focus on learning technology. She is a Microsoft Innovative Education Expert trainer, a trained astrophysicist and has a master’s degree in education.
Fun fact:
Valerie recently built a functioning trebuchet for her local school.
Gabbi Jenkins
Education Success Manager
How Gabbi helps you:
Gabbi is one of our busiest ESMs for Australian schools, and will work with you to help make EC Premium a success for your team.
Gabbi’s experience:
Gabbi brings years of education campaign and communications experience to the EC team. She has served as the global campaign manager of Microsoft’s Imagine Cup Junior, and led online professional learning programs for organisations including the Professional Learning Institute (TAS). She has a degree in Communications and International Studies from UNSW.
Fun fact:
Gabbi has the best backhand in the team (tennis backhand).
Raquel Toren
Education Success Manager
How Raquel helps you:
Raquel is a seasoned Go1 team member and helps you to set up and succeed with your learning portal.
Raquel’s experience:
Raquel has worked across a range of teams at Go1 and brings a strong understanding of our technology and content offering. She holds a degree in communications and innovation and is a former member of the Israeli Airforce.
Fun fact:
Raquel is an experienced film-maker!
About us
We are on a mission to unlock positive potential through a love for learning.
EC by Go1
EC is a fully owned subsidiary of Go1, and encapsulates our services into the K-12 education sector. Our EC team have spent more than a decade providing professional learning to K-12 educators across the globe and in partnership with state and national governments and major organisations, we have supported hundreds of thousands of educators to improve their practice and drive improved outcomes in their schools.
Go1
Go1 helps millions of people in thousands of organizations engage in learning that is relevant, effective and inspiring. Core to our work is a mission to unlock positive potential through a love for learning, and through our Go1 Premium and Blinkist platforms we provide access to the world’s largest professional learning library. Find out more at go1.com.
