Professor John Lynch
John Lynch is Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. He is a Visiting Professor of Epidemiology in the Population Health Sciences at the University of Bristol. He spent 20 years studying and working in North America and before returning to Australia in 2009 he held professorial positions at the University of Michigan in the USA, and at McGill University in Canada. In 2005 he was awarded a Canada Research Chair in Population Health.
In 2007 his work in epidemiology and public health was recognized with an Honorary Doctorate in Medical Science from the University of Copenhagen. In 2009 he was awarded a prestigious NHMRC Australia Fellowship. In 2015 he was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
In 2019 he won Research Australia’s Award for Data Innovation for developing the South Australian Better Evidence Better Outcomes Linked Data platform (SA BEBOLD). BEBOLD is a linked administrative data platform containing 29 whole-population birth cohorts starting in 1991 and contains data sources spanning perinatal, hospital, education, child protection, housing, mental health, drug and alcohol, youth justice, corrections, and social welfare (Centrelink).
He has over 350 publications that have attracted over 53,000 citations and a Google H index of 107. From 2014 to 2018 he received “Highly Cited Researcher” status that placed him in the top 1% of cited scientists internationally in his field. He receives funding from competitive research schemes and government sources.
He leads an NHMRC funded Centre for Research Excellence called "EMPOWER: Health systems, disadvantage and child well-being." He currently serves on several international, national, and local scientific advisory groups. He was an editor of the highly ranked International Journal of Epidemiology for over a decade.
His research interests include health and development, social and health inequality, child maltreatment, pragmatic RCTs and quasi-experiments of early life interventions, large scale linked data systems to enhance evidence-based public health, and producing epidemiological research that is useful for improving policy, practice and service delivery.
Commissioner April Lawrie
October 2018, April Lawrie was appointed as SA's inaugural Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People. The role was enshrined in Legislation in October 2021 enabling the role to function with statutory powers. Commissioner Lawrie was formally re-appointed 21 October 2021 for a further 3-year term.
Commissioner Lawrie is a proud Aboriginal woman and heralds from the Mirning and Kokatha people from the Far West Coast of South Australia. Commissioner Lawrie holds a Social Work Degree which took her early career in front line child protection work and Aboriginal foster care services. From there she moved into management roles of Aboriginal social welfare policy and programs and later took on a range of Executive Leadership roles in South Australian Government Agencies including four years as the Aboriginal Justice Director in the Attorney General’s Department, ten years as SA Health Aboriginal Health Branch Director and two and a half years as Director of Aboriginal Education.
Over the last 30 years, Commissioner Lawrie has contributed to the formation of policy at the State and National level, and excellence in service innovation and community development with regard to Aboriginal health, education, child and family services, foster care services, justice services, across the metropolitan and regional areas, including rural/remote.
Commissioner Lawrie strongly believes that we need to bring the voices of Aboriginal children and young people and their communities into how we are designing and delivering health, education, justice and child protection systems and services so that Aboriginal children and young people can flourish with their right to family and culture upheld.
The Commissioner believes that to improve services and outcomes, we need to recognise the solutions coming from our Aboriginal communities and families and act upon them in a meaningful way.
Tina Quitadamo
Tina Quitadamo is a descendent of the Kirrae Whurrung/Gunditjmara people from the Western Districts of Victoria. With a background in education and community services, Tina currently holds the role of Advisor - Aboriginal Early Years, Office for the Early Years Division in the Department for Education. Through this role, she sits on the National Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership as an SA partner.
She has done ‘a full circle’, having recently re-entered state government after leading two South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, including performing other various roles in the government and non-government sector.
As the former CEO of Nunga Mi:Minar Incorporated – Northern Regional Domestic and Family Violence Service, this has given her frontline insight into the aspirations, needs and experiences of Aboriginal women and children living with or fleeing domestic and family violence and the impacts this has on children and their education.
During her time with Nunga Mi:Minar, she was an active participant on the South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Network (SAACCON), which is the peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. She held the role of Co-Convener and was instrumental in the negotiations with the state government for its first South Australian Closing the Gap Implementation Plan for the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Tina held two leadership roles with Kura Yerlo Incorporated - Chief Executive Officer and, prior to this, as Director of Kura Yerlo Children’s Centre, a commonwealth funded children’s centre.
Tina holds voluntary board directorships on Tauondi Aboriginal Corporation (College) and the Turkindi Information Network of SA Incorporated. She is a long serving Aboriginal Advisory member on the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council and sits on numerous references groups.
Thirty years of these cumulative experiences sees Tina as a passionate advocate for Aboriginal children, families and communities. In particular, for Aboriginal children and their families accessing affordable, high quality, culturally safe and responsive early years services.
Dr Sue Irvine
Susan is an early childhood professional with diverse work experience across a range of education contexts. She has experience teaching in prior to school and school settings, and has held senior leadership roles in education policy, tertiary education and direct service provision. She is currently Head of the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education within the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice at QUT.
Susan’s expertise in public policy is widely recognised, and she continues to play an active role, working with government and sector colleagues, to support informed policy decision making. Her research interests stem from her work experience and include: education policy and quality standards; educational leadership; the early childhood education workforce; curriculum and pedagogy; and effective approaches to ongoing professional learning.
She has been a Chief Investigator on several large-scale mixed-methods collaborative research projects with policy and practice implications. Susan applies a range of qualitative research methods, and has extensive experience working in multi-disciplinary teams on research projects that include the development of research translation resources to effect practice change.
Susan’s previous roles include CEO at Lady Gowrie Queensland and Senior Leadership roles in Strategic Policy and Research within the Queensland Department of Communities.
Professor Susan Irvine is recognised internationally for her leadership in early childhood education policy and practice, drawing on her career in public policy, continued research and advocacy in this area, and her time as CEO of Lady Gowrie Queensland. Particular areas of expertise include:
- Early childhood education public policy
- Educational leadership
- Development of the education workforce – initial teacher education and ongoing professional learning
- Best Life Taskforce Advisory Group.Curriculum and pedagogy
Dr Jane Lomax-Smith
Dr Jane Lomax-Smith is Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide and a doctor with a career in research and clinical pathology. She also serves as the Chair of the Teachers Registration Board and the Don Dunstan Foundation.
Born in London’s East End, Jane attended the local Grammar School and studied at the London Hospital Medical School in Whitechapel. After training in clinical pathology, she worked in Boston, London and Adelaide running hospital departments, private practices, as well as managing her own clinic.
Jane entered politics in 1991 as a City of Adelaide councillor, a role she held for three terms. She was elected Lord Mayor in 1997, serving two terms until 2000.
In 2002, she defeated Liberal Party contender Michael Harbison to become the State Member for Adelaide. During her eight years as an MP, Jane was a Minister overseeing the Education and Tourism portfolios.
Jane has also reviewed Higher Education Base Funding for the Federal Government, development a road map for the regional town of Leigh Creek post-coal mining and acted as director of the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus), the only international affiliate of London’s Royal Institution (GB), operating as a centre of national science outreach.
Outside politics, Jane has been Chair of the South Australian Museum Board and a Director of Adelaide’s iconic Jam Factory Centre for Contemporary Craft and Design. She has also been convenor for the Cooks Society in Adelaide, President of the Friends of the Barr Smith Library, as well as a passionate advocate for the Adelaide Park Lands and heritage conservation.
In 2013, Jane was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the Parliament and the community of South Australia. Four years later, the University of Adelaide awarded Jane an honorary DSC.
Jane and husband Tim live in the south-west corner of the City of Adelaide, which has been their home for more than 20 years.
Dr Susie Raymond
Susie is the Program Director of the undergraduate Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Honours) program and the post-graduate Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) program at UniSA.
Susie has over twenty years' experience in leadership and teaching in the preschool and schooling sectors in South Australia. Her PhD research examined the teacher self-efficacy beliefs of early years teachers in South Australia utilising a qualitative multiple case study design. The study was underpinned by Social Cognitive and Ecological theories and captured the voice of the teachers.
Her research examined the teacher's self-efficacy beliefs, sources of their beliefs and the influence of their beliefs on their practice. The study proposed an Ecological Framework for Teacher Self-Efficacy Development situating teacher self-efficacy formation and development within an enabling ecological system.
Susie's research has significantly informed her work in supporting preservice teachers transition to graduate teachers by engaging with democratic pedagogies to co-design supportive learning frameworks in initial teacher education programs.
Professor Anne-Marie Morgan
Professor Anne-Marie Morgan is Dean of Programs, Education Futures at the University of South Australia. She is responsible for oversight of all Education programs including initial teacher education (ITE) programs for Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary levels, and in-service and postgraduate Education programs (and beyond) at the University.
She has led Education and Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, and Social Work departments in previous positions including Dean of the College of Arts, Society and Education at James Cook University, and Head of School of Education at the University of New England.
She has many years of experience on Deans of Education Councils at both state and national levels, and has expertise in program design, accreditation, registration and innovation, and the preparation of teachers for teaching careers.
Anne-Marie is also a member of five teacher professional associations, including as Vice President (and formerly President) of the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, and remains an advocate for teacher professional associations, at prior-to-school, school and tertiary levels.
She has contributed to enhancing the work of teachers over many years of professional and academic service, as well as being an active researcher, as an investigator on many national projects. Recent projects include as Lead Researcher on a commissioned project by the Australian Government to develop a national plan and strategy for languages education; and an Australian Research Council Discovery project as Lead Chief Investigator to investigate success criteria for Early Years languages programs in Australian schools, preschools and community centres. She publishes across her professional interest areas and is a frequent invited speaker at national and international conferences.
Her eclectic education as a NIDA graduate; Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, Asian Studies, Languages, and Education scholar; and long experience teaching in schools and consulting for education jurisdictions contribute to her professional knowledge in Education from a range of lenses and perspectives. Her PhD, from Flinders University, was a first of its kind inter-disciplinary project embracing this rich and diverse knowledge base.
Her life goals of supporting choice, opportunities and enhanced futures for all through learning and equitable access to education drive her to continue to strive for the best education can offer, and her belief that Australia should lead the field with its extraordinary expertise and resources to support inclusion, diversity and exceptional outcomes in our education systems for all learners. This begins in the early years, which remain a focus in her work.
Flinders University
Established in 1966 on the lands of the Kaurna nation, Flinders University has been a centre of inspiring achievement for over 50 years: from our pioneering research and excellence in teaching to the positive impact we have in the communities we serve. Our vision is to be recognised as a world leader in research, an innovator in contemporary education, and the source of Australia’s most enterprising graduates.
With core values of integrity, courage, innovation and excellence, and an underlying ethos of being student centred, we have a bold mission of changing lives and changing the world. As we enter an era of disruptive change and remarkable technological innovation, Flinders University is well prepared for this unpredictable, exciting future.
Flinders University has expertise in the development and delivery of curriculum in Early Childhood Education, offering both undergraduate and post graduate qualifications in this space.
Our approach is learner centred, inquiry driven and uses critical and reflective pedagogies. With an agentic approach, we create relational dimensions that are foundational to our work in the early years and our programmes are intentionally designed and delivered to not privilege any one age-group or size-type above another.
The success of this approach is modelled at Flinders University Child Care Centre which is an exceptional example of what could and should be the level of provision given to young children across Australia.
Professor Deborah West
Professor Deborah West is the Vice-President and Executive Dean of the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. Deborah contributes to Flinders University’s organisational positioning and direction, focusing on the academic and administrative leadership and management of the Education, Psychology and Social Work disciplines.
She joined Flinders University as Pro Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching Innovation) with a wide range of responsibilities including oversight of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching. Deborah also held the position of Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor (Students) in 2021.
Prior to joining Flinders University Deborah worked in a variety of roles in several Australian Universities in her disciplinary areas of sociology and social work including head of discipline, head of school and then in broad Faculty/College and University wide roles such as Associate Dean and Director of Learning and Teaching. Her focus throughout the years has been on learning and teaching innovation and improvement in both curriculum design and teaching practice and in particular the use of educational technology in higher education.
Deborah has published extensively in the fields of social work, learning and teaching leadership, the use of educational technology and learning analytics. She has led both Australian Research Council grants and Australian Government funded learning and teaching research projects (through the former ALTC and OLT). Such projects have included national and international research projects on learning analytics.
Professor Pablo Munguia
Professor Pablo Munguia is Dean of Education for the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. Pablo currently focuses on education quality, curriculum design, authentic assessment and connecting pedagogy to industry. Pablo has been a strong advocate for a high-quality student experience. Pablo’s fields of expertise include learning analytics and curriculum design, enabling academics to reflect and improve learning journeys at universities.
Pablo’s past roles include being a Director of Learning Analytics at RMIT University and academic positions at Adelaide University and The University of Texas in Austin in the United States.
At Flinders University, Pablo is leading transformation of Education courses in their alignment to current needs, from birth to year 12. This work ensures contemporary skills are being adopted in classrooms and translated into practice through pre-service teachers and engagement with schools.
Jane Hunt
Jane is an innovative and results driven social change leader who has dedicated her career to empowering people to improve the world. Jane’s contribution to advancing social innovation has received international recognition by the Schwab Foundation who honoured her work and thought leadership with a global Social Entrepreneur Award, granting her a seat at World Economic Forum events. In Australia, Jane’s work to strengthen businesses and communities has been recognised through the Victorian Telstra Business Women's Award and the Melbourne Business 3000 Award for Community Innovation.
As the founding CEO of the Front Project, Jane and the team are creating systemic change in early learning in Australia, with the goal to improve developmental outcomes for all children, especially those experiencing disadvantage. This work combines her passion for children’s education, health and development and her commitment to empowering leaders to make change for the better.
In creating the Front Project, Jane was able to tap into her extensive senior experience across the for-benefit, corporate and academic sectors. Her various roles have included CEO at both Adopt Change and Fitted for Work, Non-Executive Director of Unison Community Housing and the Victorian Strategy and Operations Manager for Mission Australia. Jane also currently serves on the CEDA Vic/Tas Advisory Group, is a Director of the Parkville Institute and a Member of the Victorian Government Best Start, Best Life Taskforce Advisory Group.
