Professor Heila Lotz-Sisitka began her career as a Grade 1 teacher and now holds a Tier 1 South African National Research Foundation/Department of Science and Technology Chair in Global Change and Social Learning Systems. Based in the Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University, South Africa, she served as director for 15 years (2000-2015). Her Chair's research focuses on transformative social learning and green skills learning pathways in areas of biodiversity, the water food nexus, climate change, social and environmental justice, and just sustainability transitions.

Professor Lotz-Sisitka has made significant contributions to academia and policy development, serving on over 20 national and international research and policy programmes and scientific committees focused on education, transformative learning and sustainability. Her expertise is globally recognized, having delivered over 90 keynote presentations in more than 45 countries. Notable recent appearances include the European Conference on Education Research, the Belmont Forum 10th Anniversary, the International Association of Cultural and Activity Theory Research, and the International Transformations to Sustainability Conference.

Her influence extends to curriculum development in South Africa, where she contributed to various national curriculum processes and led the development of pioneering environmental health, management and education qualifications. Notably, she spearheaded the creation of South Africa's first Environmental Sector Skills Plan, demonstrating her commitment to advancing environmental education and sustainability in the country.

Professor Jonathan Jansen is a distinguished professor of education at Stellenbosch University and the immediate past president of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He completed his BSc at the University of the Western Cape and his teaching credentials at Unisa before doing an MS at Cornell University and a PhD at Stanford University. In 2023, Professor Jansen was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was the Chin Yidan Global Fellow at Harvard University in 2024.

Professor Jansen is a luminary in the field of education with over 30 books to his name, including the acclaimed Leading for Change (Routledge, 2016), As by Fire: The End of the South African University (Tafelberg, 2017), Song for Sarah: Lessons from My Mother (Bookstorm, 2017), and The Decolonization of Knowledge (Cambridge, 2022). He is known for his seminal contributions over four decades to the advancement of education scholarship through advanced research and publication, scholarly teaching, university management, science leadership, school improvement, educational innovation, capacity development, public engagement, and science advocacy.

Professor Jansen's insights into race, leadership, and personal growth, as well as his tireless advocacy for tolerance and human rights, have earned him accolades including a Lifetime Achiever Award for Africa at the Education Africa Global Awards in New York and the University of California's Spendlove Award for his contribution to tolerance, democracy, and human rights.