John Cleary is an experienced principal and system executive, having lead school and system improvement reform in the Northern Territory (NT) Department of Education, Australia. His experience as an educator stretches from Manchester and London (UK) to some of the most remote schools in the world during his 17 years supporting students and educators across 1.35 million square kilometres of the NT.

John has also been recognised as a Gold Medal Recipient (2024) and National Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (FACEL) and was named as a National Teaching Fellow (Schools Plus) for his work leading improvement in the Katherine Region. He is an advisor and contributor to policy design for organisations at the state, territory and national level, including the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO).

John is currently a Doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, with his work exploring the factors that contribute to a successful partnership with students in leading improvement at the school and system level.