Book this speaker: Maggie MacDonnell

About This Speaker: Maggie MacDonnell

When booking a speaker on transformative leadership, resilience, and community empowerment, choose Maggie MacDonnell. Maggie, known as “The Million Dollar Teacher,” was chosen from over 20,000 nominated teachers worldwide. She won the prestigious $1,000,000 Global Teacher Prize in 2017. Her work is a powerful testament to the impact of empathy and commitment.

Maggie MacDonnell has spent decades teaching with and learning from resilient populations across the globe. Her career includes working with East African refugees and, most notably, in the fly-in Inuit village of Salluit in the Canadian Arctic. This remote community faced extreme challenges, including staggering suicide rates among young males and high teacher turnover. Consequently, she had to become more than a teacher; she became an agent of change.

She systematically tore down the traditional classroom walls. Her approach, rooted in empowerment and empathy, co-created new ones built on community. Maggie MacDonnell created a life skills program specifically for girls. This program saw a 500% improvement in registration from female students. Furthermore, she secured over $30,000$ in funding to prepare hot meals for the community. From starting a fitness centre turned vibrant community hub, to establishing the “world’s coldest running club,” her whole philosophy centers on turning students from “problems” into “solutions.”

Overall, Maggie MacDonnell’s initiatives have dramatically improved school attendance and youth engagement. She holds a Masters in the Sociology of Sport, reinforcing her deep understanding of performance and community dynamics.

Maggie MacDonnell offers critical leadership lessons applicable to any organization facing volatility or burnout. Her keynotes showcase how to build award-winning teams when everything seems stacked against you. She demonstrates how a relationship-based approach drives phenomenal success stories. Maggie’s unforgettable stories—full of both tears and hope—will inspire your audience to never underestimate the power of connection. She proves that teachers—and leaders—truly matter.

Contact an agent to get Maggie's availability and rates