Dr. Sawsan Jaber, NBCT is an award winning global educator, presenter, equity strategist, curriculum designer, community activist, and keynote speaker with over 20 years of experience. She has held a variety of leadership positions both in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Jaber is currently a high school English Department Chair, District Equity Leader, and teacher at a High School in Illinois. She founded Education Unfiltered Consulting and works with schools nationally and internationally. She completed her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on inclusion and belonging of students from marginalized communities, particularly Arab American students in historically homogenous communities.

Dr. Jaber has led significant curriculum development efforts from grades 5-12, aligning learning outcomes with global citizenship education and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her work in several countries is national.  She ensures that curricula are deeply rooted in research-based best practices, equitable assessment, project-based learning, and culturally sustaining pedagogies. Her interdisciplinary approach equips students with the knowledge and agency to address real-world challenges while fostering empathy, critical thinking, and a commitment to social justice.

Sawsan was one of the ten finalists for Illinois State Teacher of the Year and was awarded the Cook County Teacher of the Year in 2023, the ISTE 20 to Watch Award in 2023, the CEL Teacher-Leader of Excellence Award in 2023, and the IDEA Teacher of the Year in 2022. Dr. Jaber is a Board Director of Our Voice Alliance (OVA), amplifying the voices of teachers of color to create greater equity for students of color. She is also one of the founders of the Arab American Education Network (AAEN).

Dr. Jaber is a member of the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) Community Leader Network and serves on NCTE’s Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English. A National Board Certified teacher, she focuses much of her research on engaging all students in equity work and advocating for Arab and Muslim students. Among other projects, she has worked on national and international equity-centered initiatives with Google and the National Board Association.

Sawsan is a Pulitzer Teacher Fellow and an Our Voice Alliance Fellow.  She has been featured at numerous conferences and on various podcasts, and her writing appears in blogs, journals, and newsletters aimed at empowering educators and students to work toward global equity and justice. She has published scholarly works, including chapters in Navigating Precarity in Educational Contexts: Reflection, Pedagogy, and Activism for Change and The Intersections of Critical Pedagogy, Critical Literacy, and Social Justice: Toward Empowerment, Equity, and Education for Liberation. She is also co-writing the second installment of Street Data, Pedagogies of Voice with authors Shane Safir, Marlo Bagsik, and Crystal Watson.

Above all, Dr. Jaber is an activist scholar and co-conspirator for justice, working alongside her students to envision and enact equitable futures. Her favorite work is fostering agency and advocacy in her students, helping them grow into global citizens committed to equity and justice.