Dexter Galban

Dexter Galban serves as Assistant Secretary for Strategic Management at the Department of Education, Government of the Philippines, where he leads Education Futures, Planning, Policy Research, Programming, and major initiatives on long-term reform, innovation, artificial intelligence integration, and strategic foresight aimed at future-proofing basic education in the country. He is a young and accomplished public servant, having previously become the youngest Commissioner of the Commission on Population and Development (Philippines) at age 28 and one of the youngest Assistant Secretaries in DepEd history at age 31, with prior leadership roles in Youth Affairs and Special Concerns, Operations, and Strategic Management.

He is a registered nurse from the University of the Philippines Manila and holds an MD-MBA dual degree as well as a Master in Public Management from the Ateneo de Manila University. He has completed executive programs in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford, Leadership and Management in Health at the University of Washington, and Risk Assessment and Management at the University of Cincinnati. A multi-awarded public servant, he is an Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader, TOYM finalist, YSEALI Top Future Professional, and an inductee of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, with over 15 years of leadership experience across government, global health, development organizations, and digital health innovation, including work with the Asian Development Bank, the World Health Organization, and various national and international initiatives.