Dr Veronica (Ronnie) O’Toole is a qualified adult educator with extensive experience in mentoring and facilitating the professional development of professionals in business, management, education, health and the community. She has taught and facilitated individuals and groups across university, polytechnic, hospital, and community contexts. Previously, Veronica worked in senior roles in radiography teaching and leadership in both public and private sectors and was Head of School of Radiography for nine years.  Since then she moved to a more academic focus, eventually completing her PhD on the role of emotion in children’s classroom learning, as part of the Project on Learning at the University of Canterbury. In 2006, Veronica was the inaugural recipient of the Sutton-Smith Award for excellence for her PhD thesis. Veronica currently lectures in education at the University of Canterbury. Her research interest is emotion in teaching and learning including social and emotional learning, emotional literacy and wellbeing.

In 2010 Veronica won a Fulbright – Cognition Scholar Award in Educational Research to travel to the United States. She spent six weeks in the Educational Leadership Department at Wichita State University, and  seven weeks at Yale University, the home of world-leading international research in emotional intelligence and emotional literacy.

Veronica has also been personally trained and authorised by Dr Richard Bolstad, to train and certify participants in Transforming Communication, and Keys to Success (Introduction to Neurolinguistic Programming, NLP). Other qualifications include a First Class Honours Degree in Psychology, a B.Ed., a Diploma of Tertiary Teaching,  the Diploma of the Society of Radiographers (D.S.R., London) and International Authorization to instruct Thomas Gordon’s Effectiveness Training for Parents (P.E.T.) and Teachers (T.E.T.).