The Consortium
Our Team
Professor Fred Mednick
Founded Teachers Without Borders (TWB)
Dr. Mednick founded Teachers Without Borders (TWB) in 2000 to connect teacher leaders to information and each other in order to close the education divide. Today, TWB members represent 171 countries. Our social networks are flourishing. We are a local action organization — on a global scale. And it’s completely free.
All Teachers Without Borders programs are conceived and led by teacher leaders. Programs are designed to be adaptable, adoptable, affordable, and accessible so that local leaders can ensure relevance for the communities they serve. This distinguishing characteristic and focus on local capacity earned TWB the prestigious “Champion of African Education Award” from the W.F. Hewlett Foundation and Ashoka, the social entrepreneurship network. In 2018, Teachers Without Borders was awarded the Luxembourg Peace Prize.
He is also a professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (University of Brussels). He teaches courses on global social change leadership, modern educational systems, design thinking, and education in emergencies. He is part of the leadership team working in partnership with the Ministry of Education in Suriname to spearhead a comprehensive national education reform effort, including (but not limited to) a gap analysis in grades K-6, new curriculum for grades 7-8, a plan for transformative teacher professional development, and both STEM and environmental education.
Dr. Mednick’s research interests include the connection between Open Educational Resources and social change; education in emergencies; girls’ education; policy reform at the Ministerial level; social networks and self-regulated learning; and the narratives of teacher voices hitherto ignored.
Professor Tom Kuppens
Hasselt University & Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Tom Kuppens is Assistant Professor (tenure track) in environmental economics at the Centre for Environmental Sciences (CMK) of Hasselt University (UHasselt), Belgium. He is also assistant professor of economics teaching methodology at the School for Educational Studies (SES) at UHasselt and the Multidisciplinary Institute for Teacher Education (MILO) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He holds a doctorate in business economics, in which he developed a methodological framework for societal techno-economic assessments to facilitate complex decision making in which economic, environmental, and societal impacts of technological innovations within a biobased, circular economy interact. Motivated by speeding up the necessary change for urgent sustainability problems, Tom started doing educational research as well with a focus on how to integrate transformative learning for sustainable development in the economics and business curriculum. Tom explored the green competences required for a transition to a biobased and circular economy, developed innovative educational materials (e.g., using virtual reality, art-based and collaborative learning). His research focuses now on the influence of teacher-student interactions in terms of the roles of a businessperson towards sustainability on the one hand, and teacher professional development on ESD for pre- and in-service teachers on the other hand.
Professor Dr. Marco Rieckmann
University of Vechta
Marco Rieckmann is Associate Professor of Higher Education Development at the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences of the University of Vechta (Germany). He is also Presidential Advisor on Sustainability of the University of Vechta and Founding Member of the Vechta Institute of Sustainability Transformation in Rural Areas (VISTRA). He holds a doctorate in social sciences, in which we conducted a European-Latin-American Delphi study about key competencies for thinking and acting in the world society. His research focuses on (higher) education for sustainable development, global education, and sustainable development of higher education institutions. He is Representative of the German Educational Research Association (GERA) in the council of the European Educational Research Association (EERA).
Banji Odeyemi
Learning Consultant and a Ph.D. Researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Banji Odeyemi is a Learning Consultant and a Ph.D. Researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He holds a master’s degree in educational sciences and innovation from the same university. His experience in Europe-wide school projects spans STEM to adult learning, entrepreneurial education, and sustainable development. Currently, his area of research is teacher professional development on ESD for pre-and in-service teachers. Dr. Odeyemi is passionate about teacher education. He manages the Centre for Sustainable Educational Development (CSED) Lagos-State, Nigeria. He is the convener and international coordinator of the Cooperation for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education Development in Schools (COSEEDS) and the Visioner and Founder of the ESD4LAGOS program. Banji has an immense capacity to execute projects, and his topmost skill is negotiating.
OJEDOKUN, Olalekan Elijah
Professor of Social Studies in the Institute of Education
OJEDOKUN, Olalekan Elijah is a Professor of Social Studies in the Institute of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He holds a Ph.D. from University of Ibadan (2008). He was the Director of the Institute of Education, O.A.U., Ile-Ife (2014- 2015). His current research is on Sustainability Education and Educational Entrepreneurship. He has successfully supervised 4 Ph.Ds. He is currently supervising 3 Ph.Ds. He was appointed a full Professor in 2017. He has taught full-time for 24 years. He has well over 40 publications, majority of which are on Sustainability Education to his credit. His email address is olalek@oauife.edu.ng.
His telephone number is 08057333448. He is a fulfilled husband and father.