THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK
A dedicated team of education specialists, researchers, and practitioners committed to transforming learning outcomes across Southern Africa.
Board of Directors
Our board provides strategic oversight and governance, bringing together expertise from education, research, and civil society.
Prof Nicky Roberts
Executive Director at both Kelello Consulting and Kelello Collectives
BSc, HDE, MEd (UKZN), MEd (Cantab), PhD (Wits)
Leads a diverse research team focused on improving learning outcomes.
Expertise spans qualitative & quantitative methods, with evaluation experience across Africa.
Dr Oscar Van Heerden
Director
BA (Wits), BA Honours (Wits), MPhil (Cantab), PhD (Cantab)
Strategic relationship manager bridging academic insight and practical experience in African education and development. Fluent in English and Afrikaans.
Meet The Rest Of Team
Our team brings together deep expertise in education research, teacher development, curriculum design, and programme management.
Dr Stacey Sommerdyk
General Manager
BA (UWO), BA Hons (UWO), MA (York U), PhD (U Hull)
Leader in education research, evaluation & people development. Skilled in driving projects that enhance learning outcomes. Speaks English, Dutch & French.
Dr. Tayla Stephen
Research Associate
Specialist in educational interventions, prosocial education & equity. Designs professional development and conducts impact evaluations using longitudinal data.
Luisa Tembe
Intern
BEd (UJ), BEd Hons (UJ), MEd candidate (UJ)
Emerging researcher in early childhood & foundation phase education. Hands-on classroom experience. Speaks Portuguese, English & isiZulu.
Lebogang Magolego
Intern
BCom Marketing Management student with Honours underway. A multilingual asset – proficient in English, Afrikaans & 7 South African languages.
Our Values
The principles that guide how we work, how we partner, and how we show up for the communities we serve.
Evidence-Driven
Every decision we make is grounded in rigorous research and evidence. We do not guess - we investigate, test, and refine.
Collaborative
We believe systemic change requires collective effort. We work alongside universities, government, funders, and communities.
Impact-Focused
We are relentlessly focused on outcomes for learners. Everything we do is measured against its contribution to improved learning.
Contextually Relevant
We design solutions that are grounded in the South African context - culturally, linguistically, and systemically appropriate.
Accountable
We hold ourselves accountable to our funders, partners, and the communities we serve through transparent reporting and evaluation.
Sustainable
We build programmes and partnerships designed for long-term sustainability - not short-term fixes, but lasting systemic change.
Join our mission
Whether you are a funder, university partner, or education practitioner – we would love to connect.
