Governance

Emeritus Professor Adrian Lee

Independent Member & Chairperson
PhD, B.Sc. (Hons) (Melb)

Emeritus Professor Lee is recognised as one of the world’s leading researchers in microbiology having held senior academic positions for over 30 years in Australia, France, Canada and the USA. More recently, Adrian has been dedicated to the development of excellence in teaching and learning within the higher education sector. He was the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Quality Improvement) at UNSW for six years (2000-2006) and has been a member of the Australian Universities Teaching Committee (2004-5) and a Senior AUQA Auditor for the past six years. Emeritus Professor Lee will be drawing upon his vast experience to assist driving Think’s vision in providing the new standard in applied education.

Winthrop Professor Mark Israel

Independent Member
DPhil (Oxford) MA MPhil (Cambridge) MEdStud, GradCertTertEd (Flin)

Professor Israel is Winthrop Professor of Law and Criminology, University of Western Australia and Adjunct Professor of Law and Criminology, Flinders University, Adelaide. In addition to this, Professor Israel is Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) for the Faculty of Law and a member of the University's Teaching and Learning Committee. He is available to undertake consultancy in higher education, research ethics and criminology. He has acted as a consultant to various institutions and agencies, including the New South Wales and South Australian Governments, CSIRO and the National Health and Medical Research Council, and on educational matters to a range of universities and private Higher Education Providers in Australia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. He is a member of the SACE Board of South Australia.

His recent editorial roles have included being Associate Editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, and Criminal Justice Ethics and Pacific Rim Editor for Critical Criminology: an International Journal. He is also a member of the Editorial Boards of Teaching Sociology, Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences, Journal of Academic Ethics, Research Ethics Review and the Journal of Empirical Research on Human-Research Ethics.

For futher biographical information please go to http://www.uwa.edu.au/people/mark.israel

Professor Suzan Burton

Independent Member
PhD, MBA (UNSW), B App Sc, CCHS, BA (UNE)
Professor of Marketing at University of Western Sydney

Professor Burton has extensive consulting experience in the public and private sectors in the design and implementation of marketing strategy, particularly in the area of customer feedback and information systems. Prior to joining the University of Western Sydney she was Associate Professor in Management at Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Macquarie University, Australia. She is the co-author of the top selling marketing textbook in Australia, the co-editor, of an edited book 'Surviving your thesis' and the author of over 50 refereed journal articles and conference papers. Professor Burton has received teaching awards from Macquarie University (the Macquarie University Award for Teaching Excellence) and from the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (the Pearson Education ANZMAC Distinguished Marketing Educator of the Year Award). Her research has been recognised by eight awards from conferences and journals, and she has been the Chief Investigator on Australian Research Council (ARC) funded work in the marketing of socially undesirable goods.

Dr Kylie O'Brien

Independent Member
PhD (Medicine)( Monash), Masters in Public Health, BSc (Optometry) (Melb), B App Sci (Chinese Medicine) (RMIT)

Dr Kylie O'Brien currently works as Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science (FHES), Victoria University (VU). Her role includes oversight of the strategic direction of learning and teaching and governance and compliance of courses within the three Schools of the Faculty. Having worked as a clinical optometrist for 14 years, Kylie's career changed and moved into the field of Chinese medicine (CM) in 2000, where she has been involved in clinical practice, teaching, course coordination and curricula development. She was responsible for the development of three of Australia's Masters degree programs in CM and acupuncture (University of Western Sydney [UWS]) and Chinese herbal medicine (RMIT University), and has worked as a Course Coordinator for CM programs at UWS (postgraduate programs) and VU (undergraduate program). Prior to this, Kylie was employed by the Department of Human Services as a Senior Project Officer where her responsibilities included work relating to the implementation of the (then) Chinese Medicine Act 2000. She also worked for Monash University on a State government- funded feasibility study into the establishment of the first complementary and alternative medicine research centre in Australia, subsequently gaining funding at the time for its implementation.

Kylie has been a member of the Reference Group for the Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria for several years, is English Secretary for a large professional association representing CM practitioners in Australia and also for the Oceania Division of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, and has chaired course advisory committees at the Southern School of Natural Therapies. Kylie is actively involved in educational and complementary medicine research, chairs the FHES Human Research Ethics Committee and supervises PhD students at VU. She is well published and regularly presents at international conferences on traditional medicine.

Dr. John Mitchell

Independent Member
Ed.D. (Deakin), MBA (CSU), M Ed Admin (Deakin), BA Hons, Dip Ed (Adel)
Managing Director, John Mitchell & Associates

John is a prominent national VET analyst and strategist, with seventeen years' experience managing his research and consulting practice following eighteen years in TAFE SA.

He specialises in researching VET teaching, learning and assessment, educational analytics, workforce development and strategic and change management. He also undertakes assignments for the schools sector and higher education, and has consulted to nearly twenty universities.

He is a prolific author focusing particularly on innovation, change, strategy, workbased learning and professional practice. Two of his most recent publications are on advanced practice and women's leadership in VET. More details are available at www.jma.com.au

Stephen Huxley

Associate Professor | Independent Member
Grad.Dip Ed (Hawthorne Inst), Dip. Art & Design (U of W. England), CGLI Certs (City & Guilds)

Stephen is the Director of Swinburne School of Film and Television and Head of Academic Group, Digital Media Design (formerly Multimedia Design). Associate Professor Stephen Huxley's background as a designer and creative director ranges from print and television commercials through to exhibition design and motion graphics. He has worked in advertising, graphic and exhibition design and illustration in the UK and Australia. He writes regularly on design and media issues. He is also part of the Multimedia Design Team that has been acknowledged with the Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence, Carrick Award, ATOM Award and the Premier's Design Award.

Stephen is a founding member of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA). In 2004 the founding members were honoured with life-membership of the organisation. In 2010 Stephen was awarded the ICOGRADA (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) Achievement Award. The award is the highest recognition granted by ICOGRADA to designers for their contribution to the profession.

Linden Mackenzie-Tolhurst

Student of Chinese Medicine at Southern School of Natural Therapies

After completing high school and initially pursuing a career in diplomacy, Linden discovered a passion for Chinese medicine after extensive travels throughout Asia. While undertaking the 4-year degree of Chinese medicine at SSNT, Linden actively engaged with the SSNT Student Representative Committee and was appointed to the Academic Board in 2011. Linden is in his fourth and final year of the BHSc (TCM). Upon completion he is hoping to continue studies with postgraduate research and lecturing in the field of Chinese medicine.

Dr. George Brown

Group Academic Director, Think Education Group
PhD (Adel), MEd Mgmt (Flin), BBus, Grad Dip Ed (UniSA)

Dr George Brown was appointed Group Academic Director at Think: Education Group in 2007. He has held a number of senior positions in the private higher education sector and is an active ambassador for excellence in learning and teaching. Dr Brown is a former Board Director of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) and the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA). He is currently a Board Director of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) and has been appointed to the Fellowship Standing Committee of the Office for Learning and Teaching. His research interests surround higher education accreditation, quality improvement, learning and teaching excellence and the burgeoning problem of non-official higher education provision.