SPF Welcomes New Advisory Board Members

By Eunsook Hong

Mary McAteer of the United Kingdom and Bruce Damons of South Africa are the newest members of the SPF Advisory Board. The two educators were added by SPF Board action on July 30, 2016. They bring considerable experience to the Advisory Board and will focus much of their effort on expanding the presence of SPF in the UK and in Africa. Welcome, Mary and Bruce!!

Mary McAteer is Director of Mathematics Specialist Practice Programs at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. She has 30+ years experience as a teacher and university educator. Her research has a strong focus on action research as practice-development, in particular she is interested in educational practice as “practical wisdom.” She is a long-standing member of the Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN), and for the past 5 years has been a member of the CARN Coordinating Group. She also serves as the CARN Liaison to the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA).

Bruce Damons co-founded the Manyano Network of Community Schools. Currently, he is Director of the Centre for the Community School and a lecturer at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Prior to his appointment at NMMU, he was the Principal of Sapphire Road Primary School in Port Elizabeth for 15 years. Among his many awards for his work in education he was the 2005 recipient of the Batho Pele award (from the Premier’s Office) and was the 2008 National Teaching Awards Winner for Excellence in Primary School Leadership. Bruce is also the Vice President, South Africa, of the Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL).