We previously announced our keynote speaker at this year’s Annual Education and Student Experience Conference: Dr Hardeep Kaur Basra.

We’re now delighted to announce our second external speakers: Professor Ruth Healey and Millie Leach.

They’ll be joining us on Day 1 of the conference with the session: From tokenistic to authentic: meaningful co-creation with students.

Please see below for their biographies:

Ruth Healey is a Professor of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, at the University of Chester.  She is a National Teaching Fellow (NTF) (2017); a Fellow of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) (2019), a Senior Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) (2024), and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) (2026). She is one of the inaugural editors of the International Journal for Students as Partners (2016-).

Millie Leach is an undergraduate BSc Cybersecurity student at the University of Chester, working alongside her degree as a Student Learning Consultant for the university’s Centre for Academic Innovation and Development. She is a recipient of Staff and Educational Development Association’s (SEDA) ‘Student Partnership Impact Award’ (2025) and recently become an editor of the International Journal for Students as Partners (2025-).

Our conference programme is now available on our webpages.

You can book your place online.