Speaker at the 2016 International Affairs Conference

Elizabeth Suneby writes books for children and teens to help them find their voice in a hopeful world, magazine articles to inspire all of us to live life to the fullest, and content for organizations large and small.

Her award-winning book, Razia’s Ray of Hope: One Girl’s Dream of an Education, is based on the true story of a girl determined to go to the new girl’s school built by Afghan native and CNN Hero, Razia Jan. The school is located in a village outside of Kabul where no girls had gone to school previously. Today, 450 girls attend and Razia has earned the support of the local men to educate girls, even when many are illiterate, themselves.

In addition to the nine awards Liz’s book has received, Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner) adopted Liz’s book into the work his foundation does with schools. Liz travels the country leading interactive workshops with students about the 69M children denied the fundamental right of an education.

Liz also leads interactive workshops for her “mitzvah-themed” books, bringing to life the Jewish value of making the world a better place though good deeds, along with “Mitzvah Meerkat” and his animal friends.

A graduate of Brown University, Liz lives outside of Boston with her husband and dog. She has a daughter in college and a son who just graduated. She is chair of the Advisory Board at the Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation, a member of the Advisory Board at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, and on the Parent’s Council at Connecticut College.

Speaker at the 2016 International Affairs Conference

Eun Kyeong (EK) Cho is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of New Hampshire. She was born and raised in South Korea. She received her master’s degree and doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, and worked with student teachers in New York City public schools. She has been in the field of early education for over 20 years as a teacher, researcher, field-experience supervisor, and teacher educator. Her research focuses on institutions that impact the quality of educational services for young children.

Areas of her research include immigrant families, technology integration in education, and early childhood teacher preparation. At the University of New Hampshire, she trains teachers to be culturally competent educators. She serves as a consulting editor of a professional journal, Young Children, published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and a research journal, Early Childhood Research Quarterly (ECRQ). On Sundays, she enjoys teaching Korean language and culture to a group of second-generation Korean Americans.

Assistant Professor of Education
University of New Hampshire

Speaker at the 2016 International Affairs Conference

Sameer Honwad grew up climbing the mountains in Nothern and Southern India. Along with hiking and climbing he was interested in watching the birds in these mountain regions. His  research focuses on how people learn about environmental sustainability using technology and collaborative learning approaches. His recent research focuses on how learners in different cultures around the world understand ecosystem processes and how do they use this knowledge in their everyday life practices. He works with various communities in the Himalayas (India. Nepal and Bhutan) and with Native American communities in the Pacific Northwest. He has been working the Himalayan regions of Bhutan and India since the last 13 years. He has presented and published his work in several national and international venues and has taught at Penn State University, Rutgers University, New York University and also at the Royal Thimpu College in Bhutan. He has recently completed a Spencer/National Academy of Education post-doctoral fellowship and is currently an Assistant Professor of education at the University of New Hampshire.

Deputy Director, Next Generation Learning Challenges at EDUCAUSE

Speaker at the 2016 International Affairs Conference

Andy leads an initiative that has been at the forefront of a national movement to help public schools move from emphasizing teaching to emphasizing learning. The schools NGLC funds and supports are developing new approaches that put students at the center of the learning process, helping them to build the rich blend of skills and habits they need in order to succeed beyond high school. Andy’s talk will help participants draw on their own learning experiences to understand the reasoning behind the design for these schools—and the reasons why they are such energetic, joyful places. We may enlist everyone to join in co-designing the school of your dreams! Go to www.nextgenlearning.org for more information.

Andy lives with his wife, Peggy, so close to Star Island they can see it on a clear day! They look forward to finally visiting!