DR. DEXTER A. GALBAN, RN, MBA, MPM, RBP, CESE

Dr. Dexter A. Galban serves as Assistant Secretary for Strategic Management, where he leads the Education Futures portfolio. His work focuses on anticipatory governance, innovation management, and foresight initiatives to help future-proof Philippine basic education.

 

At 28, he became the youngest Commissioner of the Commission on Population and Development. At 31, he became one of the youngest Assistant Secretaries in DepEd history, successively overseeing Youth Affairs and Special Concerns, Operations, and Strategic Management.

 

Under Operations, he helped expand learner support services and advance reforms, including the universal and year-long School-Based Feeding Program, School Mental Health Program, Bakuna Eskwela, School Sports Clubs, Barkada Kontra Bisyo, Gulayan sa Paaralan, Learners TeleSafe Helplines, Learner Support Centers, the National Career Expo, and Learners’ Convergence.

 

Under Strategic Management, he led the development of the agency’s foundational policy on the responsible integration of artificial intelligence in basic education, together with pilot national capacity-building initiatives under Project AGAP Artificial Intelligence (AI).

 

Dr. Galban is a registered nurse from the University of the Philippines Manila and holds a Doctor of Medicine and Master in Business Administration (MD-MBA) dual degree, as well as a Master in Public Management (MPM), from Ateneo de Manila University. He completed the Leadership and Management in Health Program at the University of Washington and the Artificial Intelligence Programme at the University of Oxford.

 

A Career Executive Service Eligible (CESE) public servant, he is an Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader, a YSEALI Top Future Professional, a finalist for The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award, a recipient of the BSP Governor Espenilla Jr. FinTech Leadership Award, and placed second nationwide in the Career Executive Service Written Examination.

 

He previously served as an International Digital Solutions Expert for the Asian Development Bank, Technical Working Group member of the World Health Organization, Global Panel Member for Restless Development, founder and CEO of Alaga Health, and strategic adviser to organizations including GoodGovPH, 2030 Youth Force, and Junior Achievement.