student to discover their unique
identity, understand their place in
the world, and actively contribute
to a brighter future.
Contributive Learning™ addresses the common issue of misalignment between vision, policy, and practice in education, which often leads to poor implementation and ineffective learning experiences for students. By integrating academic learning and well-being into everyday experiences, this approach helps leadership teams strengthen learning cultures, build leader and teacher capacity, and create environments that engage and empower students and teachers. Reflecting students’ identities and aspirations in their learning fosters positive environments, enhancing both academic and social outcomes. As technology and AI become more prevalent, honing human skills through Contributive Learning is crucial for thriving together in our world.
Our team of educational experts span the globe providing a strengths-based approach empowering school communities to unlock their potential for lasting positive impact in their educational community. We provide invaluable executive coaching and professional learning using our evidence-based practices to your school community to seamlessly integrate your strategic vision into daily routines, enhancing academic results and fundamentally improving student engagement and lives. Focused on holistic development, learner agency, real-world learning, and community, our partnership will elevate your district’s standards through Contributive Learning™ that will provide meaningful learning that aligns with students’ lives, identities, and the outcomes that genuinely matter in our rapidly changing, global communities.
We are a woman- and indigenous-owned, regenerative, purposeful company with proven success over ten years of operation.
Joanne McEachen
Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe, and Ngāi Tahu
Global Education Expert
Founder of The Learner First
Joanne (Jojo) McEachen (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) is a celebrated author, keynote speaker, social entrepreneur, and global change leader with over 35 years of experience in education and entrepreneurship.
Her journey began in Aotearoa New Zealand as a teacher and principal, later becoming a system leader with the Ministry of Education, driving systemic reform through authentic assessment.
In 2012, she founded The Learner First in the USA, merging academic and social-emotional learning in schools across multiple countries. As CEO until 2022, she championed approaches that honor each student’s aspirations.
Jojo co-founded New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL), a global initiative fostering deep learning competencies like creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.
In 2020, she established Kia Kotahi Ako Charitable Trust in New Zealand, addressing global challenges in education and sustainability.
Her hands-on experience with school communities worldwide has earned her recognition as an ISC Research Edruptor (2022) and KEA World Class New Zealand Citizen awardee (2023).
Returning to Seattle in 2023, Jojo continues developing the Contributive Learning framework and launched Peerwell, an innovative platform for mental health prevention through peer learning, emphasizing individual contributions to community and fostering meaningful outcomes.
Contribution is the ultimate application of learning, and the action most tied to our sense of well-being.
Deb Dunstone
CEO
Deb is a highly accomplished and dedicated leader in the field of education, with a focus on inclusion, wellbeing, and cultural change. With over 34 years of experience in various senior executive roles within the Queensland Education system in Australia, she has demonstrated her commitment to improving outcomes for all students. She is a proud recipient of an Australia Day Medal for her work in rural and remote Queensland.
Her career highlights include serving as A/Deputy Director-General Early Childhood and School Reviews and the Inaugural Assistant Director-General for Disability and Inclusion, where she played a pivotal role in developing and implementing inclusive education policies that have had a significant impact on school and early childhood settings. Her efforts were recognized internationally, with the prestigious United Nations Zero Project Award in Vienna.
Deb’s leadership was instrumental in driving cultural change within the education system, particularly in areas of diversity and inclusion. She led the implementation of recommendations aimed at enhancing disability and inclusion initiatives within the state schooling system, further underscoring her ability to effect meaningful change at both the systemic and grassroots levels.
Deb’s breadth of experience, from teaching, principal, school supervisor, regional director to senior executive roles, has equipped her with invaluable insights into the needs of diverse communities and learners. Her belief in the transformative power of education is evident in her dedication to ensuring that every student is known, understood, and supported on their learning journey.
As CEO of The Learner First, Deb continues to champion these values on a global scale, leading efforts to prioritise learning outcomes and promote inclusive practices in education systems worldwide. Her leadership exemplifies a deep-seated commitment to fostering cultures of inclusion, promoting student wellbeing, contribution and empowering educators to make a positive impact in their communities.
The TLF Team
Our team works globally, together, to meet the needs of our partners.
Beth Hamilton
Executive Director of Global Policy & Practice
About Beth
Beth is a dynamic, student-centered leader with over 25 years of experience in education, ranging from teaching to district leadership. She drives innovative solutions and fosters global partnerships to promote equitable, high-quality education across partner schools. She provides coaching and professional learning worldwide, driving impactful change as school systems transform their learning environments and experiences through Contributive Learning.
Publications
- Education Champions with Beth Hamilton of The Learner First
- Stop the Swing, Start from Center (Blog Post)
- Contributive Learning: Learning to add to the world (Aurora Institute CompetencyWorks blog)
- Contributive Learning (Blog Post)
- Reflections at Year’s End: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Belonging (TLF Connects Newsletter)
Maree Neilsen
Executive Director
About Maree
Maree is a relational leader who is motivated to collaboratively build authentic learning communities that believe education can be transformed to build learner agency for leaders, teachers and students. With a learner-centered approach we can individually and collectively thrive as we ignite the joy of learning for all. Maree is proud to present herself as a leader of learning and a learning leader.
Rob Proffitt-White
Executive Director of Mathematics + Numeracy
About Rob
Rob’s ten-year role as Principal Mathematics Advisor in Queensland built on two decades of experience as a teacher and lecturer. His work was—and continues to be—widely recognised as both innovative and transformational, regarded as one of the most effective translations of mathematics education research into practice. Rob led a system-wide curriculum rollout that embedded rich routines, raised expectations, and left a legacy acknowledged through awards, publications, and national keynotes. In 2020, he joined The Learner First, where he created TLFMaths—a long-term support model now partnering with over 300 schools across New Zealand, Australia, the USA, and the UAE. Rob leads a team of five, working directly in schools to build teacher capability and student agency. The TLF Team is committed to supporting principals and teachers while empowering students to become confident, curious, and contributive learners—not just answer-getters, but change-makers.
Publications
- Professional Learning in Mathematics: https://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/journals/set/downloads/Set%202023_1_037_0.pdf
- TLF Video Series: Self Understanding: TLF Video Series: Rob Proffitt-White- Self Understanding
- TLF Mathematics: Connections to Research
- Scaling up and sustaining maths PD: Teacher Magazine (2019)
- Your turn! Time to be a mathematician (Staff Only Day Macandrew Bay School Newsletter November 2024)
- What makes an expert teacher? | Richard Wells – Intrepid ED News (2022)
- Podcast: The Dad Regime (2019): Rob Proffitt-White: Part 1
- Podcast: The Dad Regime (2019): Rob Proffitt-White Part 2 plus Tones and I
Marie Hirst
Director of Mathematics + Numeracy
About Marie
Publications
- TLF Video Series: Connections in Math
- Math is about Connections
- The Learner First (TLF): College Street Normal School (post 2023)
Sue Pine
Director of Mathematics + Numeracy
About Sue
Publications
Dr. Jo Knox
Director of Mathematics + Numeracy
About Jo
Jo is an education professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused on Mathematics Education from University of Auckland and has conference and research papers published in international journals. Upon completing her PhD, Jo completed a 12-month research fellowship with the University of Auckland and was awarded the Margaret Morton Memorial prize recognising the woman with the most potential to succeed in mathematics education. She has presented at international conferences and was the keynote presenter for the Auckland Primary Mathematics Association seminar day in 2025. In 2023, Jo was awarded the Margaret May Blackwell travel fellowship to research transitions from early childhood to school and subsequently spent time during 2024 in Japan, Singapore, Canada and Australia.
Jo is a highly experienced mathematics education consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the primary education industry (Years 0-8). Her work has included writing curriculum resources and curriculum professional development modules for the Pacific Islands, aligning curriculum resources to the New Zealand curriculum, and designing and delivering professional development tailored to the needs of schools, teachers and clients in Australia, the USA and across New Zealand. Jo continues to be passionate about building teacher confidence and competence in teaching maths and making maths accessible for all learners.
Publications
Paper from Margaret May Blackwell Fellowship research
Google site · Jun 21, 2025 from Margaret May Blackwell Fellowship research
NZ Education Gazette · Jun 13, 2025
The Journal of Mathematical Behaviour · Apr 21, 2023
In Fitzallen, N., Murphy, C., & Vesife, H. (Eds), Mathematical Confluences and Journeys (Proceedings of the 44th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia) pp. 330-337. Tasmania: MERGA. · Jul 8, 2022
MERJ · Jul 8, 2022
In Proceedings of the Twelfth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. ERME. · Feb 1, 2022
Y. H. Leong, B. Kaur, B. H. Choy, J. B. W. Yeo, & L. F. Wong (Eds.), Excellence in Mathematics Education: Foundations and Pathways (Proceedings of the 43rd annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia) · Oct 1, 2021
NZCER SET · Dec 1, 2017
University of Auckland (unpublished thesis)
Darren Clark
Director of Mathematics + Numeracy
About Darren
Publications
Susan Cowley
Director
About Susan
Publications
Michelle Tieppo
Business Manager
About Michelle
Michelle has worked in administrative roles for 20 years in the public and private sectors. She has worked for The Learner First for two years providing backend administrative support to the global team.
Contributive Learning develops self-understanding, connection, knowledge, and competency.
When these come together, we add to the world. And that leads to meaning, fulfillment, and well-being.
Reach out today to learn more or get started!
Develop self-understanding.
Cultivate knowledge.
Foster competency.
Make connections.
Don’t bring down—lift people up.
Don’t subtract—add to the world.
Learn to contribute, in your way, every day.