nasen LIVE 2026 - Speaker Directory

Prof (Dr) Adam Boddison is an inclusive and innovative leader of education and enterprise with a broad portfolio of experience both in the UK and overseas.

Adam is Chief Executive of the Association for Project Management. He has a non-executive director portfolio that has previously included being Chair of the Corporation for a Further Education college and a Trustee for a multi-academy trust providing education for 32,000 pupils across 58 primary, secondary and specialist settings. Adam is also Honorary Professor at the University of Leicester (School of Business) and Visiting Professor at Stranmillis University College (Queens University Belfast).

Amanda has been a teacher for over 20 years, with the latter half of her career dedicated to SEND.  Having developed practice both as a SENCO and senior leader in mainstream primary settings and at local authority level, she is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and disabilities.  She has supported a large number of schools to reflect on and refine their practice and provision for learners with SEND through CPD, SEND Review and by mentoring new SENCOs.

Amanda joined Whole School SEND in 2018 as deputy regional SEND lead for the West Midlands.  Her current role as nasen’s Head of Whole School SEND involves leading the development and delivery of the DfE’s Universal SEND Services Programme – a SEND Specific CPD programme for the school and college workforce.   

Annamarie Hassall MBE is the Chief Executive (CEO) of nasen with responsibility for strategic direction and operational delivery across the full breadth of nasen’s activity. 

nasen CEO is the main point of contact for the board of trustees and has a close working relationship with the Department for Education (DfE). Annamarie also has overall responsibility for external relations and business development.

Carol Allen is an education advisor for ICT and Inclusion currently supporting Alton District, Illinois - previously, London Grid for Learning, Hartlepool LA and North Tyneside LA. 

Carol is currently a member of the Dept of Education Assistive Technology Expert Group; a BETT Awards Judge, an ERA judge, and has been a panel member and contributor to sessions at the House of Lords for the APPGAT committee.

Workshop/keynote presentations include FETC and ATIA Florida, Oregon, Indianapolis, Denmark, BETT, Singapore, Rotterdam, Manchester, Geneva, Cologne, London and two five-city conference/workshop tours round Australia in 2018 and 2019.

Chantal Bryan OBE is a founder of Teach Us Too and a passionate advocate for inclusive literacy.

 Inspired by her experience teaching her son Jonathan to read and write outside of special school, the charity was established to champion the right of all children, including those with complex needs, to be taught literacy in their school setting. 

Chantal leads the organisation’s strategic vision and partnerships, amplifying voices often overlooked and calling for change in education policy and practice.

As Head of Partnerships at Be Ready, Dan is passionate about inclusion focused staff development for education that enables organisations and individuals to flourish. He has led the provision of fully funded professional development programmes for wellbeing and SEND for over 300 school trusts and thousands of schools across the country. Dan continues to champion and demystify how school trusts can access over £4billion of apprenticeship funding available to the education sector as part of staff development and retention strategies in a challenging fiscal environment.

Dominic Broad is Deputy CEO at Thrive Education Partnership, a specialist SEND multi-academy trust. He is a former Director of Education and headteacher. Previously Strategic Lead for Curriculum Reform in Wales, Dominic led large-scale curriculum change alongside pioneer schools, regional consortia, and Welsh Government. He has led successful school improvement across multiple academies and now oversees trust-wide strategy, leadership development, and educational improvement. Dominic also sits on the Pearson Digital Transformation Advisory Panel and hosts The Olympic Mindset Podcast. 

Erica is a National Coordinator for Whole School SEND universal services programme which is hosted by nasen supporting the Regional leads alongside her fellow National Corodinator. She has extensive experience leading on SEND in mainstream schools and multi academy trusts. She began her career as an English teacher before becoming a SENCO and leading as head of two resource bases, the first for students with complex medical and physical disabilities and the second for students with speech, language and communication needs. She then became the strategic lead for SEND across a multi academy trust of ten schools. As well as her work for Whole School SEND, she supports several multi academy trusts, local authorities and commercial organisations.  

Faye Whittle is an experienced inclusion adviser with over 25 years’ experience working across primary, secondary and alternative settings. She specialises in strategic SEND practice and strengthening inclusive systems that secure meaningful outcomes for pupils with additional needs. 

Throughout her career, Faye has held a range of leadership roles including SENCO, Deputy Headteacher, and MAT SEND Leader. She has worked with individual schools, multi-academy trusts and local authority partners to develop approaches to SEND that balance statutory responsibilities with practical, sustainable provision. 

Jason Selormey serves as the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Manager at Weston College, where he leads the development and delivery of strategies, policies, and initiatives that promote equity, diversity, and inclusion across the college community. His work focuses on creating inclusive environments for staff and learners, addressing systemic inequalities, and embedding EDI principles into curriculum planning and organizational culture. 

Jason holds a BSc (Hons) in Criminology and brings a strong background in mental health, diversity, and inclusion. He was part of the inaugural cohort of the Black South West Network Leadership Development Program, a Pan-African-centered course designed to develop leaders in racial justice. This experience has shaped his collaborative leadership style, emphasizing partnership, and shared responsibility. 

Julia Clouter is Global Head of Education at Empowering Tech. Their research interests include SpLD, inclusive education, assistive technology, and alternative provision. 

They are co-author of the nasen AT Miniguide and The SENCo’s Compass, and deliver teacher training through an Assistive Technology enablement lens

Lorraine spent the first 25 years of her career as a teacher and headteacher in primary schools within the West Midlands. In 2004 Lorraine was appointed as the CEO of nasen (The National Association for Special Educational Needs) where she worked for nine years.  

At the end of 2013 Lorraine established her own consultancy business and has been delivering training, advice and support to schools and local authorities on SEND, Mental Health & Wellbeing and Safeguarding.Until recently she was the SEND Improvement Adviser for Blackpool Council and has worked as a SEND Advisor for a number of Multi Academy Trusts.  

In 2009 Lorraine was awarded an OBE for her services to education. Lorraine is Vice Chair of Governors at Chadsgrove Special School and a Trustee at Severn Academies Educational Trust. 

Mary Long is a qualified SENCO and QTVI with over 25 years’ experience leading SEND and Inclusion across mainstream and specialist education. 

As Deputy at CENMAC, she specialises in assistive and accessible technology, working with schools to remove barriers to learning and communication. 

Known for her calm, confident and practical approach, Mary supports educators to embed inclusive, technology‑-enabled practice that makes a real difference for learners with SEND.

Michael has worked for nasen since 2016 and is currently Head of Education. His background is in primary education both in the UK and abroad.  He has worked as a class teacher, SENCo and Deputy Head. Since beginning his career in education, he has had a keen interest in SEND, equalities issues, and mental health and well being.

Before joining nasen, Michael worked for a Local Authority as part of the leadership team of a SEND advisory service which gave him the opportunity to broaden his experience into early years, secondary and further education. This role involved working with schools and settings to help them develop their provision for children and young people with SEND.

Rebecca is the Director of Inclusive Learning for Every Child, Every Day Multi Academy Trust (MAT). Her role includes supporting and working in collaboration with Headteachers, Senior Leaders and SENCOs in developing a person-centred approach to inclusion. Rebecca also works as a Deputy Regional SEND Leader  for London. (WSS)  She is a  Module Leader 'Auditing and Leading Improvement' and NPQSEN Tutor with the Real Training group (Middlesex University). In addition, she is a Trustee for The Auriga Academy Trust, which is a group of special schools. Rebecca’s philosophy is centred on the understanding that every teacher is a teacher of SEND and every leader is a leader of SEND.

Rowena Hicks has over 30 years of experience in education, supporting staff and students to recognise their strengths, believe in their value, and thrive. Beginning her career as a primary class teacher in Brixton, London with one of the most diverse classes imaginable, she quickly developed a passion for working with vulnerable children and those with additional needs.

Her journey has taken her from SENCO to Deputy Head, across the UK, Poland, and East Africa, working in mainstream, international, and missionary schools. Rowena holds a master’s degree in Inclusion and has taught and mentored SENCOs undertaking the National Award.  

Sarah Giles is a qualified primary school teacher and experienced SENCO who worked as Jonathan Bryan’s home education tutor throughout his Key Stage 2 education. 

Since its inception, Sarah has led the educational work of Teach Us Too, developing and championing inclusive, literacy-rich educational approaches for pupils with complex communication and learning needs, with a particular focus on meaningful access to reading and writing.

Now Chief Commercial Officer at Dolphin, Simon brings over 18 years of experience in the Assistive Technology industry. During this time, he has played a key role in the successful launch of a range of innovative products and services, including EasyReader Education, the SuperNova Education Kit, and GuideConnect. A passionate advocate for user-centred design, Simon has contributed to several important research initiatives, including the UK DCFS Accessible Resources Pilot Project, which demonstrated the positive impact of accessible curriculum material and assistive technology for students with dyslexia and visual impairments. In his role as Chief Commercial Officer, Simon provides strategic leadership and vision, guiding the Dolphin team to create solutions that empower students with diverse special educational needs to read, learn, revise and achieve in ways that truly work for them.

Dr Tristan Middleton is Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education at the University of Gloucestershire and is the Academic Course Leader for the MA Education Suite.

Before becoming a university academic, Tristan was a primary school teacher for 18 years, during which he was a SENCo, Assistant Head Teacher and ran a Nurture Group.  They are editor of the British Journal of Special Education and previously the International Journal of Nurture in Education. Tristan has published a wide range of academic articles as well as book chapters and books, including Using an Inclusive Approach to Reduce School Exclusion (Routledge/nasen), Nurturing Peer Supervision (Nurtureuk), Reconsidering Resilience in Education (Springer) and the chapter Special educational Needs and Disability in Introduction to Primary School Teaching (Sage). Tristan is very pleased to be introducing their latest book, The SEN Practitioner: Status, Skills and Support, at nasen Live!