Room: Ontario
presented by Jeffrey R. Beard, Director General, International Baccalaureate
Boyd Roberts, IB Community Theme Project Director, International Baccalaureate
IB Director General Jeff Beard and his leadership team have worked to implement the three core areas of the IB Strategic Plan for managing growth - Quality, Access and Infrastructure. This session will provide updates on progress in these areas around the world, plus information on what is happening in research and highlights of activities in the regions. In addition, this session will introduce the concept of the triennial theme, Sharing Our Humanity. The Council of Foundation adopted the theme in April 2007. The idea is that IB will be embracing an overarching theme, each for a period of three years, to give a focus for IB World Schools (that chose to participate) for their own work (and to link with other schools) on global issues within the classroom, special projects and in service. The Project Director for the IB community theme will join the Director General for the session.
Jeffrey R. Beard, Director General, International Baccalaureate
Jeffrey Beard became Director General of the IB in January 2006, following the retirement of George Walker. Previous to this post, Mr Beard was the Division President and Chief Operating Officer for one of the major operating divisions of Syngenta AG, a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology, based in Basel, Switzerland.
Born and educated in the USA, Jeffrey Beard graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1972 with a bachelor of science in analytical management, and has two graduate degrees, including an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. His business career included roles of increasing responsibility at Procter & Gamble, Pioneer Hi-bred International, Inc. and his most recent assignment at Syngenta. Mr Beard has a great personal interest in education. He served as president and member of the West Des Moines school board in Iowa for five years. Various members of his close family are teachers, he taught college business courses while stationed in Wales in the mid 1970s, and his two children graduated with IB diplomas from the Vienna International School in the 1990s.
Boyd Roberts, IB Community Theme Project Director, International Baccalaureate
Boyd Roberts has over 30 years experience with the IB in many capacities, including as head of a national IB school in Jordan (during the first Gulf War), and of St Clare's, Oxford. He has served on the IB Africa, Europe, Middle East regional heads' committee, and the UK IB Schools and Colleges Association committee. An Oxford graduate, in 2005 he was a visiting fellow at the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College. He has written and spoken widely on international education and global citizenship and is consultant on internationalism for the series of IB diploma course companions published by Oxford University Press. His experience and thinking led him to devise the International Global Citizen's Award, now in its pilot stage.
