As of January 10, 2022, Mario López Roldan took office as Director of the OECD Center for Latin America. Previously, he worked for nearly 15 years as Head of the Speech and Outreach Intelligence Unit in the Office of the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He also supported the Secretary-General in coordinating and strengthening the OECD's collaboration with Latin America. Before working at the OECD, he led the Euro Alliance consulting group, promoting economic cooperation between local governments in Spain and Latin America; served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OECD; Economic Counselor at the Embassy of Mexico in France; and Coordinator of Economic Studies and Spokesperson for the Institute of Euro-Latin American Relations (IRELA), based in Madrid. Previously, he worked at the Embassies of Mexico in Spain and the United Kingdom, and held various positions at the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the President of Mexico. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from the University of the Americas in Mexico, a Master's in European Integration from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and doctoral studies in International Economics and Development at the Complutense University of Madrid. He speaks Spanish, English, French, and Italian; and his main hobbies are poetry, painting, music and football.
With a background in psychology and educational sciences, Magdalena Balica has over 25 years’ experience in educational research at international level. Her current focus area is wellbeing in education. She has authored a series of policy papers on wellbeing and she managed a set of foundational studies on student and teachers’ wellbeing in partnership with the Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford.
She is currently leading the “Wellbeing in school” project for the IB, in partnership with Jacobs Foundation, Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford, Research School International (RSI), Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University and HundrED, piloting evidence-based interventions in the area of student wellbeing and providing action research support for more than 150 schools and over 15000 educators across the globe.
Magdalena Balica has been with the IB for over 6 years in The Hague Office, The Netherlands and she is managing the Development and Implementation Research Team within the Research and Design Department.
Leoni is the office manager and research associate at the Oxford University Wellbeing Research Centre and production assistant of the World Happiness Report.
Coauthor of the recent report on “The wellbeing of teachers in schools” and the “Teacher wellbeing framework and key considerations to enhance teacher wellbeing” in collaboration with the International Baccalaureate.
Leoni graduated with an MSc in Child Development and Education from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Education from the University of Cambridge. She is currently studying part-time for a PhD in Education at the University of Birmingham. Her research interests focus around the advocation for children, particularly marginalised children, within cultural contexts where social stigmas might act as a barrier to these individuals being fully recognised and supported within society.
Anoushka Jolly is a distinguished teenager who has made significant contributions to the field of child welfare and mental health in India. Anoushka is the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar winner, which is bestowed by the Prime Minister of India and is the highest civilian honour for any child in the country.
In addition to her remarkable achievements, Anoushka is the creative mind behind the Anti-Bullying Squad and the innovative Kavach app, designed to support adolescent mental health. Her passion for empowering young people and addressing critical issues such as bullying and mental well-being has garnered widespread acclaim and positively impacted many lives. A visionary student Anoushka's incredible journey started as an entrepreneur at a young age of 9 and today at 15 years she is making an impact in the lives of countless young people. Anoushka successfully secured funding for her social enterprise, Kavach, during the first season of Shark Tank India. Recently, she was appointed by Harper Collins Publishers as the brand ambassador for a new wellbeing series aimed at school children and educators. Anoushka was also invited to speak at the International Baccalaureate Global Conference 2024 in Daegu, South Korea.
Tracey Bryan is a passionate educator with over 25 years experience. Currently she designs and operates spaces and experiences that facilitate interdisciplinary, cross-divisional, hands-on learning. She is passionate about combining modern technology with manual tools in order to foment creativity and spark innovative ideas through her work in the maker spaces at The American School Foundation. Partnering with community members and teachers spanning K-12 allows her to create authentic learning experiences for students of all levels. Recognized as an Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Innovator she has presented on innovative educational practices throughout Latin America, the US and Sweden.
