Dr. Gina Cherkowski is an educator, researcher, award-winning social entrepreneur, and a national leader in school mental health, social and emotional learning (SEL), belonging, and educational well-being. She is the Executive Director of the Werklund Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence Canada Ltd., where she leads national initiatives focused on strengthening mental health and well-being, SEL, relational intelligence creating healthy, thriving schools and systems.

Dr. Cherkowski’s work focuses on translating research into practice and creating the conditions that allow students, educators, and leaders to thrive. An International CASEL Fellow and two-time TEDx speaker, she has worked around the globe and across education, research, and community sectors to advance evidence-informed approaches to learning in a complex world. 

Her current work explores the increasingly important intersection of AI, mental health, and human skills, with a focus on ensuring that as technology evolves, education continues to intentionally strengthen empathy, critical thinking, creativity, relationships, emotional intelligence, and the sense of belonging that make us uniquely human.