The Chartered College of Teaching is pleased to announce the appointment of seven newly appointed EdTech Evidence Board members who will ratify assessment outcomes for reviews conducted by trained reviewers as part of the EdTech Evidence Board project, funded by the Department for Education.
The appointed EdTech Evidence Board members were recruited via an open application process and those who were selected bring vital experience intersecting education, EdTech, evidence evaluation and governance.
Katy Chedzey, Associate Director at the Chartered College of Teaching said:
‘As the professional body for teaching in the UK, the Chartered College has a responsibility to champion evidence-informed decision-making in schools. At a time when budgets are tight and there are myriad EdTech products to choose from, teachers and leaders want to know that the choices they make are based on real evidence that the product can make a difference to the children and young people in their schools.
The EdTech Evidence Board will play an important role in helping educators and EdTech companies to utilise better evidence to make better decisions. We are thrilled to be able to bring such a knowledgeable group of individuals together to form the appointed board to help ensure the process is rigorous, fair and fit for purpose.’
The appointed EdTech Evidence Board members are as follows:
Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith
Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith an independent consultant researcher who works closely with schools to support a deeper understanding of pedagogy and practice in a contemporary landscape.She is a PhD supervisor and examiner, and co-author of the best selling book From EdTech to PedTech: Changing the way we think about digital technology. Fiona is Co-founder of the National PedTech Partnership and Open School UK, and sits on a number of advisory and charitable boards. In 2024, Fiona was granted Freedom of the City of London, and Fiona was named EduFuturist of the Year 2025.
Dr Robin Bevan
An education ‘leadership’ specialist: Robin’s school senior leadership experience spans four decades, with 17 years as Headteacher/CEO. In 2007, his PhD was awarded by University of Cambridge for pioneering research into collaborative online learning environments (with UCLA).Robin’s national roles in educational/organisational leadership incl.: national Teaching Commission (2024-); Patron of the Institute of School Business Leadership (2017-); Ethical Leadership Alliance board (2023-).; NACE Trustee (2025-).He was national President of the National Education Union; Chair of the National Teacher Research Panel; EPPI ‘meta-analysis’ Research Synthesis contributor; and is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching.
Kristy Evers
Kristy is an education researcher and evaluator with over ten years’ experience spanning edtech, evaluation, and senior leadership. She is Director at ImpactEd Evaluation, having previously held senior roles leading evaluation delivery across charities, government, universities, and edtech organisations. She is a trustee of the Charity Evaluation Working Group and a governor at a local primary school. Earlier in her career, Kristy worked in research impact in a HE SaaS start-up and as a researcher at a major educational publishing company, leading product evaluations that informed product and sales strategy. She is passionate about translating rigorous evidence into actionable insight for decision-makers.
Laurie Forcier
Laurie Forcier is a senior education expert and Vice President for Strategy at EDT&Partners, with a career spanning research, evaluation, and evidence-led work in education and EdTech. She has worked across organisations including the Urban Institute, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Pearson, and more recently in leadership roles supporting EdTech organisations and school systems. Laurie believes evidence matters most when it is clearly expressed, grounded in real educational contexts, and helps people understand change, make better decisions, and improve outcomes for learners.
Dr Neelam Parmar
Dr Neelam Parmar is an internationally recognised educational consultant and advisor in Digital Education, with over 20 years of experience in the EdTech landscape. Currently, she serves as the Director of Professional Learning at AISL Harrow in Southeast Asia. Previously, she held the position of Chief Digital Officer at E-ACT MAT and has worked with Ashford School and the United Learning Multi-Academy Trust in the UK.
Neelam’s recent collaborations include impactful partnerships with Stellar, Education Beyond Limits, and PwC in the Gulf, where she led initiatives focused on educational disruption and transformation. She actively supports global EdTech startups through EdTech Impact in partnership with Mastercard and advises governments on digital transformation and AI strategies, advocating for innovation in education governance and policy development.
Her recent work encompasses running AI Testbeds in collaboration with EdTech Impact and Qatar Foundation/WISE. An award-winning researcher, author, and speaker, Dr Parmar is involved with prominent boards across K-12, college, and university sectors, as well as in the commercial realm, where she develops organisational culture and shapes the future of education on a global scale.
Dr Kristen Weatherby
Dr Kristen Weatherby is an education researcher and leader with over 25 years’ experience across education, technology and policy, including senior roles at Microsoft, the OECD and University College London. Her research focuses on teachers’ use of education technology and the status of the teaching profession, and she has advised national governments and international programmes including the OECD’s TALIS survey. She is the founder of Breakthrough Labs, which supports early-stage female tech founders with research-backed acceleration and community support.
Caroline Wright
Caroline joined BESA in 2012 and took over the role of Director General leading the association in 2015. Prior to joining BESA, Caroline was a journalist and a civil servant, leading communications teams at the Department for Education, Ofsted, Partnerships for Schools, the Cabinet Office, and the Department of Trade and Industry.
Caroline is actively involved in various government and sector advisory boards and a frequent contributor to charitable educational activities. Recent voluntary work and advisory roles include the Chair of Governors at Bishop Stopfords School, Enfield, the Open University & University of Lincoln’s Protecting Girls from Online Harm research project, Oxford Internet Institute’s ‘Towards equity-focused approaches to EdTech research project, a trustee of the Education Media Centre, and the Government’s International Education Sector Advisory Group and the DfE’s Content Store Expert Advisory Panel.
In addition to the appointed EdTech Evidence Board, the Chartered College of Teaching continues to seek input from our expert advisory group as well as holding steering groups, focus groups and surveys throughout the project to gain feedback from the sector on this important initiative.
You can find out more about the project on our dedicated project page.
If you would like to receive updates on the project, including hearing about opportunities you can get involved, you can register for updates here.