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The Safe to Learn Advisory Board brings together a diverse group of global leaders, practitioners and advocates who provide strategic guidance to advance the coalition’s mission to end violence in, around and through schools.

The Board draws on expertise across education, child protection, gender equality, survivor leadership, teacher representation, international financing and humanitarian response. It provides strategic guidance to Safe to Learn, helping to shape the coalition’s priorities, strengthen global and regional partnerships, and connect policy, financing and implementation. Advisory Board membership follows the Safe to Learn .

Members draw on experience from multilateral institutions, civil society, youth and survivor-led movements, academia and practitioner communities. Together they help ensure that Safe to Learn’s work is informed by evidence, grounded in country realities and responsive to the needs of children around the world.

Safe to Learn Board Members contribute their experience, knowledge and networks to support the coalition’s mission.

Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu, Executive Director,��Investing in Children and Societies (ICS SP) – Kenya

Beatrice Ogutu leads ICS SP, part of the Coalition for Good Schools. Her work focuses on bringing Global South insights, lived experience, and evidence-based practice to shifting paradigms and scaling systemic solutions that practitioners and governments need to make schools safe for learning. Beatrice brings deep expertise in violence against children (VAC) and violence against women and girls (VAWG) prevention, gender equality, and early childhood development and education (ECDE), helping build safe, resilient communities across Africa.

Cassandra Hallett, Deputy General Secretary, Education International

Cassandra Hallett is the Deputy General Secretary of Education International (EI). She is a teacher, unionist, feminist, and education leader. Cassandra is committed to advancing strong, inclusive public education systems; promoting the teaching profession; and protecting the rights of teachers and education workers everywhere. Drawing on her experiences as a teacher and unionist, she thrives as a collaborative leader. She has extensive experience in union advocacy, governance, and strategic planning with teachers’ unions in Canada and EI members around the world.  She is passionate about human and labour rights, equity, and gender justice. Prior to joining EI, Cassandra served as the Executive Director of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation for over 11 years.  

Constance Bertrand, Co-President, Be Brave France (The Brave Movement)

Constance Bertrand is a survivor advocate and child protection leader dedicated to advancing systemic reforms that protect children and strengthen access to justice for survivors. As Co-President of Be Brave France, the French chapter of The Brave Movement, she works at the intersection of advocacy, public policy, and survivor engagement to drive legislative and institutional change. Following the exposure of widespread abuse within the French Catholic school system, Constance emerged as a prominent voice in the national debate on child protection. Her advocacy has contributed to the adoption of landmark legislation strengthening protections against violence in schools and to the passage of a historic law abolishing the statute of limitations for crimes committed against children, a major milestone in the recognition of survivors’ rights and access to justice.

Christian Bodewig, Director for Education and Skills, World Bank Group

Christian Bodewig is the World Bank Group Director for Education and Skills. Previously, he served as a Practice Manager in Social Protection and Labour, Programme Manager for Southern Europe, and programme leader for inclusive growth in the European Union (EU), coordinating the Bank’s lending and advisory programmes across education, health, poverty, and social protection in EU Member States. He has extensive regional experience across East Asia and Pacific, Africa, and Europe.

Jo Bourne, Chief Technical Officer, Global Partnership for Education  

Jo Bourne is Chief Technical Officer at the Global Partnership for Education, where she leads work across the partnership to strengthen education policy, strategy, program quality, and results. She draws on extensive experience in international education, including senior leadership roles at UNICEF and DFID, with a focus on equity, learning, education systems strengthening, and accountability for results. Before joining GPE in 2019, Ms. Bourne served as UNICEF’s Associate Director for Education,  putting equity and learning at the centre of its education agenda. She was also instrumental in establishing Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies. Initially trained as a primary school teacher, Ms. Bourne has taught in the United Kingdom and China.

Lisa Chung Bender, Executive Director, �����Ƶ (�����Ƶ)

Lisa Chung Bender was appointed as the Executive Director of �����Ƶ in 2024. She has over 15 years of experience working in child rights, humanitarian response, and equity-focused social programmes. Lisa has brought a commitment to intersectional feminism and child-centered approaches to organizations ranging from UN agencies, international NGOs, to community non-profits. She has chaired the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Education Sector, served as Team Lead for the design and launch of Education Cannot Wait and has authored technical guidance for the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.

Paula Wachter, Founder & Executive Director, Fundación Red por la Infancia, Argentina

Paula Wachter is an Ashoka Fellow and Founder and Executive Director of Fundación Red por la Infancia in Argentina. With more than 15 years of experience in child protection and public policy, she has led legislative advocacy, institutional reform and multisectoral initiatives to prevent violence against children. She is a member of the INSPIRE Working Group and the WeProtect Global Alliance, serves on the Out of the Shadows Advisory Group, and leads ReConectate, the first global pilot of the Virtual Global Taskforce’s educational programme to prevent online harm to children.

Pia Rebello Britto, Global Director of Education, UNICEF

Pia Rebello Britto is the Global Director of Education at UNICEF. She provides strategic vision and leadership for UNICEF’s education programmes, overseeing the development of policies, strategies, and guidance to implement learning initiatives for children globally. Previously, she served as UNICEF’s Representative to Lao PDR and as UNICEF’s Global Chief of Early Childhood Development. Prior to UNICEF, she held academic roles at Yale University and holds a doctoral degree in developmental psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a globally recognized expert with over 100 publications in child development and learning.

Sunita Menon, Chief Thematic Officer, Breakthrough India

Sunita Menon is a leader in gender-transformative education, violence prevention, and systems change. She leads national and global partnerships to advance evidence-based approaches that transform education systems and promote gender equality. A core member of the Coalition for Good Schools, Sunita has played a key role in shaping global efforts to prevent violence in and through schools. She works closely with governments, civil society, multilateral organizations, and international partners to strengthen policy, research, and practice, ensuring that Global South perspectives inform global agendas on safe, inclusive, and equitable education.