On Monday, January 6, 2025, renowned education strategist and innovation evangelist Dwayne Matthews joined Branksome Hall to give the keynote address at the school’s first all-employee meeting of the new year. The personal, historical and industry-specific storytelling employed in his remarks painted a picture of the opportunity afforded to girls and to Branksome within today’s technological revolution: namely, that education can be human-led, purpose-driven and tech-augmented.

Matthews, the founder of TomorrowNow Learning Labs, shared his insights on the critical need to harness the potential of girls and women in today’s rapidly evolving workforce. He coined the term ‘stranded brilliance’ to describe the lost opportunity of talents from people who have had fewer opportunities. “There is a huge opportunity to unlock the potential of stranded brilliance, particularly in women and girls,” he stated, highlighting the importance of creating multiple pathways for students to succeed and noting that traditional forms of education are already evolving. “We must ensure that our educational frameworks provide girls with the necessary tools to excel in a technology-driven world.”

According to Matthews, the future belongs to polymathic, perpendicular thinkers capable of collaborating and tackling complex problems. While many people may be hesitant to embrace the power of technology and Artificial Intelligence, he believes that we are already living inside this revolution and that humans today have the opportunity to co-create what it will mean. It is up to us, as Matthews noted, to teach the leaders of tomorrow how to engage with this technology ethically and productively and not fall prey to the monetization of our most important resources—our attention and time.

Matthews’ address resonated deeply with employees, particularly when he shared his personal experiences as a parent. “As a father of a 15-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter, I have different hopes and expectations for each of them,” he shared. “I don’t like the phrase ‘closing the gender gap.’ I don’t want my daughter to simply close the gap—I want her to leapfrog forward.”

Matthews challenged Branksome’s employees to actively engage with how the Karen L. Jurjevich Innovation Centre and Studio Theatre (iCAST) will function in support of preparing students for their futures. He encouraged employees to use their unique strengths—whether they are ready to jump into any and all technology, or whether they have a more cautious approach—to ensure that all perspectives are covered and employees’ ‘stranded brilliance’ is also unlocked in Branksome’s journey to imagining what iCAST will be.

Many thanks to Dwayne Matthews for this inspiring start to the final countdown before iCAST opens in early 2026. We look forward to sharing more as the Branksome community reflects and acts on how our culture of and commitment to innovation will be married with the school’s very human purpose of inspiring girls to love learning and shape a better world.

Watch highlights from the keynote here.