Dates & Times
Saturday, April 18, 2026 | 9AM – 2PM (lunch provided)
Registration Fee: $175 CAD/person
Location
UBC Vancouver Campus
Ponderosa Commons Oak House | Ponderosa Ballroom – Lower Level | Map
6445 University Boulevard | Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
UBC is very accessible by car, transit and bicycle. The closest parking to Ponderosa Commons Oak House is the West Parkade.
If you are coming from out of town and require accommodation, you may want to consider staying on UBC Campus. You can contact UBC accommodations directly for bookings.
Event Program
*To be confirmed
Hosts
Niels Nielsen
(TELP 16-17), Principal, SD 37 Delta
Niels Nielsen has been learning and working in the Delta School District for over 40 years, 18 years as student and 25 years as an educator. Niels is currently the Principal at McCloskey Elementary School in North Delta. Niels finished both his Bachelors and Masters at SFU; he has background in both Education and History. In 2016-17 Niels was part of the second Transformative Educational Leadership Program (TELP) cohort. As a leader Niels is passionate about creating and fostering a positive school culture that allows all learners and educators to flourish.
John Mann
(TELP 16-17), Principal, SD 37 Delta
John Mann has been a teacher and educational leader for 22 years. John taught in the Coquitlam School District and is currently a Principal in the Delta School District. John earned his Bachelor of Education with a focus on Self-Regulated Learning and his Master in Educational Leadership with a focus on Social Justice at the University of British Columbia. He has also completed the Transformative Education Leadership Program (TELP) at UBC.
John is passionate about enhancing student outcomes by shifting school culture to embrace inclusion and equity through connections and community.
Land Acknowledgement
Dr. Lynne Tomlinson
(TELP 15-16), Assistant Dean, Innovation & Strategic Initiatives, UBC Faculty of Education
Dr. Lynne Tomlinson was appointed Assistant Dean, Innovation and Strategic Initiatives on July 1, 2024. Dr. Tomlinson has served as a teacher, coordinator, principal, and district leader in BC public schools. As a regional leader for the Networks of Inquiry and Indigenous Education (NOIIE), she works with educational leadership teams both provincially and internationally to support school and district networks. As Assistant Dean, Dr. Tomlinson coordinates infrastructure support for credit and non-credit programs. She works closely with the Learning Design & Digital Innovation (LDDI) team to support innovative teaching practices in the Faculty of Education and supports the planning, marketing, and implementation of new professional development programs. Dr. Tomlinson’s research focused on developing comprehensive Indigenous education programs through meso-level leadership to promote Indigenous student success. She is passionate about improving the life chances of all students.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Glory Ovie
Assistant Professor, UBC Faculty of Education
Dr. Glory Ovie is an assistant professor at the Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education. She holds a PhD from the University of Calgary. She is a former K-12 teacher and administrator. Dr. Ovie was also a visiting scholar at the Universidad Nacional, Sede Regional Brunca in Costa Rica.
Her research interests include crisis management in schools, educational leadership and administration, equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization, the intersections of teaching and learning, mental health and well-being, and research methodologies. Dr. Ovie’s research seeks to disrupt the status quo in teacher education, making practices more inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist.
In her research, she employs mixed methods and qualitative studies, including ethnographies, duoethnographies, and narrative inquiry.
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Drs. Judy Halbert & Linda Kaser
TELP and NOIIE | Designs for Belonging
Dr. Judy Halbert and Dr. Linda Kaser lead the Transformative Educational Leadership Program at the University of British Columbia. They are deeply committed to achieving equity and quality for all learners and to networking for innovation and improvement across systems. They are the co-authors of Leading through spirals of inquiry for equity and quality (2022), The Spiral Playbook (2017), Spirals of Inquiry (2013), Leadership Mindsets: Innovation and Learning in the Transformation of Schools (2009) and with Helen Timperley, A Framework for Transforming Learning in Schools: Innovation and the Spiral of Inquiry (2014).
Activities
- Time to connect between and across cohorts
- Presentations from TELP colleagues (more information to come)
- Social time to meet again, or meet in person for the first time!