Susan Knowles is originally from New York State, USA. Her passion for international education was sparked at Cornell University and developed further while advising international students at the University of Arkansas. She joined the U.S. Consulate General in Durban as an EducationUSA adviser in 2006, evolving into her current role. She coordinates alumni programs and exchanges. Susan lives in South Africa with her husband and three sons.

Ms. Elizabeth Booi is a Statistician and Business Intelligence Specialist with over 25 years of experience in higher education and institutional research. She is the Head of Business Intelligence and Data Architect in the Rectorate: Institutional Planning at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).

Elizabeth is dedicated to advancing data-driven excellence in higher education, with a strong focus on AI-integrated learning analytics and student success research. Her expertise includes learning analytics, student success modelling, data governance, and ethical considerations in predictive analytics. She currently serves as the President of the Southern African Association for Institutional Research (SAAIR).

As a Siyaphumelela (South African Student Success Initiative) Coach, she has been instrumental in supporting South African universities in developing data-informed student support strategies to improve student outcomes. A passionate advocate for data literacy, capacity development in emerging technologies, and strategic policy influence, she actively facilitates workshops, presents at conferences, and mentors researchers and practitioners in leveraging data analytics for institutional effectiveness.

Elizabeth is pursuing a PhD in Operations Research, with a focus on AI Safety and Governance in Learning Analytics. Her research introduces an AI-based governance framework for student success models, integrating AI safety principles into predictive analytics to enhance student outcomes. She explores methods to embed fairness, interpretability, and bias-mitigation techniques into student success algorithms, ensuring the responsible and ethical deployment of AI in higher education.

Prof Denise Zinn is a former DVC Learning and Teaching at Nelson Mandela University, and served two terms as Executive Dean of Education, first at the University of Fort Hare, and then at Mandela University. For the past 5 years she has headed the USAf HELM Women in Leadership Programme.

She obtained Master’s and Doctoral degrees at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, the latter focusing on learning, teaching and teacher education. She has taught courses internationally, including at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Clark University, and Dartmouth College. She was an editorial board member of international journal the Harvard Educational Review and served as the Board’s Chairperson from 1994-5. She has been active in Learning and Teaching forums on various levels nationally, and served on the boards of several educational and leadership organisations, including HERS-SA, Umalusi, Equal Education, Nelson Mandela Institute for Rural Education, inter alia.

Her research focuses on Humanising Pedagogies, and issues of equity and social justice in education. She has published several articles and book chapters, and presented on these topics in conferences locally and internationally. As a qualified Integral Coach and a development consultant, she coaches, mentors and advises in her areas of specialisation in Higher Education leadership, management and curriculum transformation.