“Edupreneur”, international keynote speaker and presenter, Maria S. Hersey, Ph.D. is dedicated to making a difference for all children. She is the founder and Principal Advisor of Global Education Advisors (GEA), an educational collaborative dedicated to supporting innovation and equity in educational practice. With 20+ years of professional experience, Maria has worked alongside public and international school communities around the world.
A repeat presenter at MSA conferences and other educational conferences, Dr. Hersey has extensive experience in curriculum planning, social-emotional learning, program evaluation, professional development design and delivery and instructional coaching, and strategic planning. Maria has worked as a magnet program coordinator within three MSAP grant cycles and has also served as a grant reviewer for the Department of Education. In addition, Dr. Hersey has served on several grant evaluation teams and has designed the professional development plans for a number of MSAP awarded school districts.
Previously, Dr. Hersey worked for the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs for ten years where she served as the Primary Years Programme (PYP) Manager and IB Regional Development Specialist. She is currently an IB Lead Educator, Workshop Leader, Site Visit Team Leader and Workshop Leader. As the Director of Education and training for The Hawn Foundation’s signature program, MindUP, Dr. Hersey has worked with numerous schools and districts to support social-emotional learning (SEL) and well-being for teachers, students and parents.
Dr. Hersey is currently an Adjunct Professor at Florida Atlantic University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Curriculum, Culture & Inquiry. She is certified in the areas of Educational Leadership, Early Childhood Education, Gifted Education and English Speakers of Other Languages. Maria holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University and a Master’s and Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Florida.
Raise the level of performance consistent throughout school districts nationwide and creates a platform from which all magnet schools can flourish. Magnet Schools of America’s national certification process is designed to recognize the hard work of the best magnet schools in the nation and to help them as they grow.
