Biographies
Matthew Schuelka, PhD
Founder and CEODr. Matt Schuelka is the Founder and CEO of Fora Education. He is a researcher, evaluator, technical consultant, writer, teacher, and filmmaker, with over two decades of work in international education and development. His research, evaluation, and policy work have been commissioned by UNICEF, UNESCO, USAID, the World Bank, the European Union, the British Academy, the Toyota Foundation, and UKAid, among others, including multi-country studies and national-level toolkits, frameworks, and policy briefs. The through-line of his work is the belief that education must be a place for inclusivity, belonging, happiness, creativity, and innovation, and that these values are how societies build a sustainable future.
Much of Dr. Schuelka's portfolio focuses on inclusive education, disability, school-to-work transitions, teacher education, and the role of educational values in complex systems. He has led national and regional initiatives in Bhutan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Jamaica, Liberia, Malaysia, Singapore, Zambia, and beyond, with active and recent project countries spanning South and Southeast Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, the MENA region, Sub-Saharan Africa, and North America. Through Fora Films, he has also produced award-winning documentary work, including Dreams of Birds Flying in the Sky (2021), the first feature documentary to portray the lives of persons with disabilities in Bhutan, and Silent Walls (2023).
Alongside his consultancy work, Dr. Schuelka has worked in higher education since 2010. He has held faculty and lecturer positions at the University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Royal Thimphu College, the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, and the University of Birmingham (in the UK and in Dubai), where he served as an Assistant Professor and Program Director. He is the author or editor of numerous books, chapters, peer-reviewed articles, technical reports, and policy papers, including Global Directions in Inclusive Education (Routledge, 2022), The Handbook of Inclusion and Diversity in Education (SAGE, 2019), and Education in Bhutan: Culture, Schooling, and Gross National Happiness (Springer, 2016).
Nisma Elias, PhD
AssociateDr. Nisma Elias is a researcher, evaluator, teacher, and writer. She has worked within the international education space since 2013. Dr. Elias has worked at all levels of education and in educational programming in the private sector, government, and academia. She has experience working with consulting agencies such as Results for Development (R4D), large multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, Global Partnership for Education, and within the Ministry of Education of Zanzibar. She has authored several chapters and articles on social inclusion, private schooling, and education systems strengthening.
Dr. Elias has experience teaching in higher education at the University of Minnesota and in primary schools in Bangladesh. She has served as an evaluation consultant for UNICEF and has worked on developing, implementing, researching, and evaluating education projects in Tanzania, Nepal, Bangladesh, Canada, and the United States.
Kate Lapham, PhD
AssociateDr. Kate Lapham is a technical advisor, policy analyst, and researcher with experience supporting governments, international project teams, universities, schools, and NGOs to make education more inclusive. She has led international education development projects, like the USAID All Children Succeeding Activity in Uzbekistan; developed grant portfolios focused on philanthropy for inclusive education, early childhood education, and accountability with the Open Society Foundations; and has taught in the EdD in Leadership for Organizations at the University of Dayton. She has edited a book and authored several chapters and articles on inclusion of children with disabilities, social policy, and education systems reform. Dr. Lapham has worked in a wide range of countries, specializing in Eastern Europe (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Georgia, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan).
Anwari Nur Muttaqin, MEd
AssociateAnwari Nur Muttaqin is an education researcher, policy analyst, and consultant specializing in higher education transformation, curriculum innovation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. He has played a key role in implementing Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) Mandiri, supporting over 700 Indonesia’s higher education institutions in aligning Indonesia’s learning policy with institutional and regional needs. He collaborates with government agencies, international organizations, and higher education institutions to develop research-driven solutions that strengthen institutional capacity and policy execution. His expertise spans policy evaluation, curriculum development, teacher training, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring localized and sustainable education reforms.
Passionate about knowledge dissemination and public engagement, he led the Papan Tulis Podcast, localizing UNESCO’s "Reimagining Our Futures Together" report for Indonesian audiences, reaching listeners in over 30 countries. He has also contributed as a research reviewer and STEM education advocate. Committed to innovative, research-based educational solutions, he focuses on policy analysis, curriculum design, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to drive impactful education development.
Ghada Swadek, PhD
AssociateDr. Ghada Swadek is an education consultant supporting schools, NGOs, and international project teams in developing, implementing, and improving programs for diverse learners. She has worked, coordinated, and volunteered in formal and informal education contexts in the United States and North Africa, including religious and weekend education programs, community preschools, postsecondary disability support services, inclusive community-based education and sports programs, and homeschool programs. Her work also includes direct support to families of children with disabilities.
Dr. Swadek is an experienced educator with expertise working with students with disabilities and struggling learners from diverse backgrounds and contexts. She has expertise in the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support to enhance learners’ academic and social-emotional development, disability-inclusive education policy development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), SDG 4 implications for inclusive education, literacy development, and reading disabilities in Arabic language contexts, and assessment as related to students with disabilities.
Kate Thomas, MA
AssociateKate Thomas is an early childhood development and education specialist with nearly 20 years of experience supporting governments, NGOs, and international teams to strengthen education systems through policy development, sector planning, and large-scale program implementation. Her work focuses on improving the quality, equity, and coherence of early childhood and early grade education systems, with particular expertise in translating global evidence into practical, system-level solutions.
Kate has led and contributed to national policy development, education sector analyses, and strategic planning processes, and has supported the design and implementation of reforms across early childhood and primary education in several countries. Her areas of expertise include early childhood care and education, early grades curriculum and instruction, systems strengthening, policy and program development, and teacher professional development.
She has worked in a wide range of countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, including Rwanda, Mozambique, DRC, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and China, among many others. Kate holds a Master of Arts in Early Childhood and Primary Education and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute.
Anick Tolbize-Azie, PhD
AssociateDr. Marie Sophia Anick Tolbize-Azie is an educational psychologist and school psychology practitioner with over a decade of leadership experience as Manager and Training Coordinator at the Roman Catholic Education Authority in Rodrigues, Republic of Mauritius. In this role, she collaborates with school leaders to enhance educational outcomes through a variety of strategic initiatives.
She trains teachers in evidence-based practices for English-as-a-second-language reading instruction and plays a key role in establishing inclusive educational services for learners with disabilities. Dr. Tolbize-Azie has also introduced universal screening, early interventions, and positive behavior support systems. Her work includes improving assessments and promoting data-based decision-making, as well as developing practice materials that align with both best practices and the local curriculum.
Bridging research and practical application, Dr. Tolbize-Azie promotes universal design for learning (UDL) principles while crafting localized solutions to address emerging gaps in the education system. She has successfully secured grants for several important initiatives, including a Creole language therapy program, a Response to Intervention (RtI) framework for students with speech and motor difficulties, and capacity building for data-driven decision-making. Additional initiatives under her leadership have addressed child sexual abuse prevention, summer reading loss prevention, climate-resilient school upgrades, the development of a science center in Mauritius, accessibility improvements for students with disabilities, and the implementation of socio-emotional programs.