Brendan Ozawa de-Silva is an Associate Teaching Professor at Emory University’s Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics. His research and teaching focus on compassion, empathy, and secular ethics, with an emphasis on applying these principles in diverse settings, including K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, and carceral systems.

Brendan has played a key role in the development of programs such as Emory’s K-12 Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning (SEE Learning) program, which integrates contemplative practices with social-emotional development. He is also a founding member of the Association for Higher Education in Prison, working to expand access to quality education for incarcerated individuals. Through his scholarship and programmatic initiatives, Brendan is dedicated to fostering ethical literacy, social justice, and the cultivation of compassion in educational and institutional settings.

Aidan Clifford formerly director of the CDETB Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) has a strong interest in curriculum development as teacher development particularly when mediated through programmes that focus on social justice, democracy, human rights, sustainability, peace & reconciliation, equality, inclusion and intercultural themes. Aidan is the Irish representative on the Council of Europe Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education and the representative on ETINED. Aidan is a member of the Irish Aid EAG, a board member of A Partnership with Africa (APA), the CDU representative on the WorldWise Global Schools Consortium, committee member of Citizenship Education Network (CEN), a member of IDEA and Basic Income Ireland and a founding member of Encountering the Arts Ireland (ETAI).