Nafisa is a diversity, equity and inclusion expert with experience working in over working in 19 Low and Middle income countries globally. Over the past 16 years, she has used her professional qualifications and life experience as a woman with a disability from the Global South to 1) research and advise on inclusive education policies and practices from early Childhood Development through to Higher Education; 2) advocate for the rights of children with disabilities and people with disabilities in general; and 3) facilitate learning and transformation in schools, organizations and communities on aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Kate is currently a Senior Manager within Chemonics’ East and Southern Africa region supporting large-scale early grade education programming. She has previously supported disability inclusive education programming for a variety of donors, in partnership with local organizations of persons with disabilities, in countries including Malawi, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and the Philippines.

Stephanie Peña is currently the Inclusive Education Policy & Development Lead for Humanity & Inclusion where she provides direct support to country programs with inclusive education projects, works with governments to prioritize disability inclusive education initiatives through policy and practice, and builds relationships with donors and partners to advocate globally for more funding and mainstreaming for disability inclusion in development and humanitarian projects. Her area of expertise center around the right to a quality education and lifelong learning for all–especially those from marginalized groups, such as learners with disabilities, girls, refugees, etc.

Kamrus is highly passionate to work with any organization that emphasizes human diversity and sustainable development in society, promotes and prioritizes the inclusion of any marginalized or disadvantaged group of people in the development process without any sort of discrimination.

At GIZ, Susann Gihr serves as a Junior Policy Advisor specializing in Education and Digital Development. Her work focuses on digital transformation and digital inclusion of persons with disabilities. Her further interests lie at the cutting edge of emerging technologies, encompassing media and information literacy as well as artificial intelligence. She is passionate about exploring ways to make these technological advancements more accessible and inclusive.

Vanessa Lombardo is the Training and Learning Manager for Bookshare; Benetech’s flagship EdTech solution.