Our Team
Alice Whitehead
CEO of Orenda Learning and Developer of Be The Change
M.Ed, PG.Dip, B.Bus.
Alice is an educator and advocate for positive change in the world. She has spent the past several years teaching at United World College of Southeast Asia in Singapore, where she held additional leadership roles coordinating elements of the comprehensive service program at the College. Alice spent her childhood in Singapore and attended UWCSEA as a student. The mission of the United World College movement to educate for peace and a sustainable future is deeply ingrained in who she is and she sees this as an integral part of her purpose.
Alice holds a Masters in Educational Leadership, through which she deepened her understanding of theoretical concepts related to learning through service. She has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching and a Bachelor of Business. Alice believes that a global commitment to service is one of the vehicles through which positive shifts can be achieved. She is passionate about supporting children and young people to learn to take informed action, realise their full potential as agents of change, and harness their innate desire to care for and connect with the world around them.
Suji DeHart
Education Consultant & Business Associate
B.A, MSLIS, Cert. Ed.
Suji DeHart has been a librarian, service coordinator and international educator for the past 20 years, most recently working at International School of Kuala Lumpur, and also with Make A Difference Travel, a social enterprise that works for and with marginalised communities. Her passions lie in education for lesser served communities, bringing progress through forging partnerships to promote literacy and service learning.
Suji is the mother of two young men and thinks constantly about what kind of world we are leaving for them. She believes that simplicity and having the sense of “enough” are powerful paths on which to walk more joyfully and ecologically. Learning through service is a key component, she believes, in bringing up youth (and adults; it is never too late to learn!) to live happier and more connected, ethical lives.
Shei Ascencio
Education Consultant & Business Associate
B.Ed, M.Ed.
Shei is a driven educator with two decades of teaching experience living and working in Africa, Asia and North America. She recently relocated to Canada after decades of teaching overseas. Shei was the Creativity, Activity and Service Coordinator at Luanda International School, where she gained deeper knowledge and experience in service. This provided her with rich opportunities to collaborate with other international schools, education providers, and not-for-profit organisations on a local and global scale.
Shei is a fully trained bilingual educator with extensive experience in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years (PYP), Middle Years (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). Also, an active member of the International Baccalaureate Educator Network (IBEN) Shei holds multiple roles, one of them being an MYP Innovator reviewer and mentor. Shei strongly believes that educators can pave the way to empower young changemakers to create sustainable, authentic, and impactful change through service.
Ailbhe Joyce
Business Development and Global Citizenship Lead
B.Ed, M.Sc.
Ailbhe is an educator who has been working internationally for almost nine years. She has been involved in youth work and service for over a decade through Irish youth programmes such as An Gaisce and Meitheal. Ailbhe gained experience with various curriculums having worked with UK, Irish and American curriculum schools in various locations, the most recent placement seeing her as an elementary coordinator for Gifted & Talented learners in Abu Dhabi. Ailbhe later founded a social enterprise, ulemu.com, with her sibling and currently manages their education project, “School in an Envelope” in Malawi.
One of Ailbhe’s favourite quotes is, “When you educate one person you can change a life, when you educate many you can change the world” (Shai Reshef) She aims to lead a lifestyle that aids the achievement of the UN SDGs and this led her to study an M.Sc. in Sustainable Development. She believes that everyone should see themselves as global citizens and that there is unharnessed power in unity. Ailbhe’s belief in the goodness of people is what motivates many of her projects and the belief that has brought her the most joy and memorable experiences to date!
Corporate & Support
Stephen Pitt-Walker
Non-Executive Board Advisor, Strategy Advisor and General Counsel (Retained) – Governance & Sustainability (ESG) Consulting
BA (Hons 1st), MA, MIS, JD, FGIA
Stephen is a board advisor, strategy advisor, and lawyer. He is passionate about ethical business, corporate governance, and sustainability. He is an advocate for social entrepreneurship and ethical business practices as critical mechanisms to deliver prosperity for the planet and humanity. He has more than 30 years of global professional experience across multiple industry sectors, having worked as an international executive in technology services, management consulting and strategic advisory companies. He is a former Vice President at Gartner Consulting (Asia-Pacific), served as Chief Strategy Officer at several firms, and operated his own companies.
Stephen is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a past Fellow of the Strategic Planning Society (London). He believes education can foster empathy, resilience, and equanimity, delivering youth agency and leadership for a sustainable and equitable future. He is committed to collaborating with others to make a positive and authentic contribution that enhances our connection with each other and the planet. He is a lifelong learner, a longstanding volunteer human rights advocate and loves animals, especially dogs.
Amy Minkley
Be The Change Developer and Orenda Learning Advisor
M.Ed
Amy is an educator who has taught over 2,000 students in top-tier international schools for 19 years. As a teacher, she is passionate about creating meaningful opportunities for students to serve. She is inspired by the transformational power of authentic service, which builds empathy, strengthens values, and empowers students and community members to be positive change makers in our world.
Scott Atkins
Chief Marketing Officer; Customer Value, Traffic and Conversions Optimizations
B.B.A
Scott is a Sales and Marketing consultant who has helped a diverse range of organisations launch, grow and scale. Scott oversees the digital marketing at Orenda Learning and guides strategic aspects of sales. Scott has learnt from some of the best digital marketers in the world and is passionate about supporting purpose driven organisations to achieve success.
Scott feels a strong alignment with Orenda Learning’s mission to educate the next generations. He thinks our environment, nature and clean water are what matters most. Scott believes in the infinite potential of young minds to create solutions that will help all of us thrive. He is driven by the possibility of planting just one seed in someone who goes on to change lives, and the ripple effect Be The Change could have.
Jovic Felizardo
IT Technical Support and General Administrator
BSc
Jovic is an I.T. Specialist and Web Developer. He has held various roles in this field, working as a web associate at a private education service in the Philippines and as an I.T. Instructor, sharing his knowledge and skills in platform technologies and website development. During his time at College gaining a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Jovic was a passionate student leader and Student Council Officer, organising activities and service projects. Jovic is also part of an organization of young professionals and students that are committed to service and leadership in their schools and communities.
Partners
D2L - creators of Brightspace LMS
The Be The Change programs is powered by D2L's Brightspace learning management system (LMS). From the kindergarten classroom, to college campuses, to global corporations, the Brightspace platform helps create inspired and engaging learning experience for all.
Edutech
Edutech is a leading provider of educational equipment, learning solutions and services for academic institutions, companies and governments. Edutech India supports the administration of Be The Change in Brightspace and Edutech Middle East supports sales to the Middle East region.
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ORENDA
(Oren-da) An innate and sometimes mystical power present in all humans which, once evoked, enables them to consciously affect change in their lives and the world around them. (n.) Iroquois origins.
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