Eirik Sjåholm Knudsen is a Professor of Strategy at NHH Norwegian School of Economics, where he is also the Academic Director for the EMBA in Strategy. He does research at the intersection of strategy, innovation and technology, and teaches these subjects at undergraduate, graduate and executive programmes at NHH and abroad. Beyond academia, he is a co-founder of OAO, a German tech firm that helps multinational companies accelerating progress with data and AI, and is a board member of the Business cluster NCE Finance Innovation. He will be accompanied on stage by his son Theis, who is currently a 3rd grader at DaVinci Montessori, in Bergen, Norway. 

Judith Cunningham is the founder of Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN), which brings Montessori values to global citizenship education by engaging students in diplomacy and international affairs. Judith’s leadership has been instrumental in helping students worldwide understand the power of their voice in addressing global issues through the MMUN programme.

Gabriel Forestieri holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA from New York University. He is also credentialed with the AMI Adolescent Diploma. Gabriel has been involved with MMUN since its first conference in 2006 and currently serves as the Chief Operating & Education Officer for the organisation, overseeing its educational initiatives and global outreach.

Dr. Jarosław Jendza, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Institute of Education at the Social Sciences Faculty (Gdańsk University, Poland). He specialises in alternative, engaging and non-traditional approaches to education, Montessori in particular. Awarded the Distinguished PhD Dissertation Award,  Dr Jendza has published around 80 scientific articles, a large part of them on Montessori pedagogy focusing mostly on the issue of the teachers’ education. He holds a master’s degree in early childhood education and teaching English as a foreign language (University of Gdańsk, Poland) as well as master’s degree in Montessori 6-12 education awarded by University of Girona (Catalonia) and AMI.  In his professional career he has worked as a kindergarten and primary school teacher as well as a principal of a Montessori school. He has been involved in various Montessori teacher training programmes and supported Montessori educational institutions as an external consultant. Dr Jendza believes that education can create a better world for all the human beings, especially the education that promotes self-confidence, self-reliance and active participation based on mutual respect and peaceful relations. In 2019 he was elected as a member of Montessori Europe Board where he is mostly responsible for bridging academic and practitioners’ worlds by leading the Montessori Europe Research working group.

Dr. Jayne Osgood, PhD is Professor of Childhood Studies at the Centre for Education Research & Scholarship, Middlesex University, UK. She also holds a Professor II post at Hogskolen i Innlandet, Norway. Her feminist approach to research is framed by critical posthumanism and an enduring commitment to address inequities of all kinds. She has published extensively in the post-paradigms with over 100 publications in the form of papers, chapters and books. Jayne also has various editorial roles including the journals Reconceptualizing Educational Research Methodology and Gender & Education; and two book series for Bloomsbury (Feminist Thought in Childhood Research; and Postdevelopmental Approaches to Childhood) and a further series for Springer (Key Thinkers in Education).

Originally from Sweden and now residing in Cyprus, Carola Lång-Howard brings over 30 years of experience in Montessori education, having lived and worked in various countries throughout Europe and the Middle East. Her extensive international experience has given her a rich understanding of diverse cultures. A devoted mother and grandmother, Carola is deeply passionate about environmental stewardship, particularly in fostering a sense of responsibility for the planet in young children.

Since 2020, Carola has served on the board of Montessori Europe, where she leads the Sustainability Working Group. She is eagerly looking forward to connecting with everyone in Oslo in May 2025!

Heidi van Staden is the co-founder, co-owner, and principal of Montessori Academy and College in Pretoria, South Africa, a school serving children from toddler age through to A-level. She is also a founding director of Montessori Centre South Africa, which offers Montessori teacher training throughout Southern Africa.

Heidi has played a significant role in the South African Montessori Association, having served as both President and Trustee, and she continues to represent Montessori interests at the government level through the Independent Schools Association.

Alongside a BA in Psychology and Communications and a PGCE from the University of South Africa, Heidi also holds Montessori diplomas from St. Nicholas London (ages 2½ – 9) and Mercy Montessori Africa (ages 9-12). In 2010, she completed the Montessori Orientation to Adolescence program with NAMTA/AMI in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2022, she earned her Master’s Degree in Montessori Education from Anglia Ruskin University in the UK.

A passionate advocate for quality education and the training of exceptional Montessori teachers, Heidi sees each child as a beacon of humanity’s future potential. She believes that the world is in urgent need of recalibration and that the foundational respect at the core of Montessori education could spark vital conversations to foster a more sustainable future.

Nina Johansen has served as the Executive Director of Montessori Norway, the national membership and advocacy organisation for Montessori programmes in Norway, since 2015. With a solid foundation in Montessori education, Nina has worked both as a teacher and in management within Montessori schools. She holds an AMI 6-12 diploma from the University of Southeastern Norway and a formal teaching degree from Oslo Metropolitan University. Nina is also a dedicated Montessori parent to two children, aged 9 and 11.

In her role, Nina acts as a bridge between the Montessori community, national authorities, and other educational stakeholders, working tirelessly to amplify Montessori’s voice within the education sector and society. She is particularly passionate about how Montessori programmes can serve as comprehensive models for Education for Sustainable Development. Nina was instrumental in establishing a partnership between Montessori programmes in Norway and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (often called the Sustainability University) to create sustainable gardening programs

Nina has been a speaker on sustainability and Montessori at the AMI’s Annual General Meeting in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, she presented at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai, delivering a talk titled “Montessori Climate Education in Action.” Additionally, through a collaboration with the University of Southeastern Norway, Nina has contributed to professional development for public school teachers, focusing on how the food and lunch experience in schools can become a valuable opportunity to engage with sustainability.