The National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education’s Advisory Board comprises an experienced and knowledgeable group of politicians, academics, spokespeople, and equity advocates.
Chair
Ms Erin Watson-Lynn is Director, Asialink Diplomacy, at the University of Melbourne and a PhD Candidate in South Asia studies at Monash University. She is the co-founder of DICE Kids, whose Patron is Lucy Turnbull AO. Ms Watson-Lynn is also the founder of Generate Worldwide, which delivers work-integrated learning opportunities in India.
School of Psychology, University of Western Australia
Dr Lawrence entered politics in 1986, serving at both State and Federal levels for 21 years. Retiring from politics in 2007, she is now Director of the Centre for the Study of Social Change in the School of Psychology at the University of Western Australia and Chair of the Australian Heritage Council.
Universities Australia Nominee
Professor Kerri-Lee Krause's portfolio responsibilities focus on enhancing the quality of learning, teaching and academic quality across the University of Western Sydney. She is internationally recognised for her research on the contemporary undergraduate student experience and implications for quality and standards.
Australian Government Department of Education and Training
Mr Latta manages the Governance, Quality and Access Branch in the Higher Education Group within the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. In this role, he manages equity and access programs, governance and system design. Mr Latta has held various positions in the department, including Parliamentary coordination, business improvement, the management of financial and corporate systems and international education. Earlier employment includes various roles in the private sector (largely IT focussed) and the higher education sector (with a particular focus on international education).
Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia
Lara is currently Manager of the Equity and Diversity Unit within the Students Group at RMIT University, a post she’s held for 3 years now, where she assists enrolled students from equity target groups by removing barriers and providing support to students who may be at risk of not being able to access or successfully complete tertiary study. Prior to this, she was Manager, Fairness and Diversity at the University of Melbourne. She also holds the position of Board Director of Women’s Health West., and is Secretary of the Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia.
Director of Strategic Projects (R&D), Curtin University
Mr Nicholls has a strong interest in developing outcomes-focused working relationships between education stakeholders and also the development of evidence based policy and programs that support all Australian students to achieve their full potential.
Director of the Education Institute, University of Canberra
Professor Watson has expertise in education policy; early childhood education; childcare; VET; TAFE training; higher education; private schooling; schools funding; academic literacy; public schools; government schools; professional standards for teachers; teacher education; universities; tertiary pathways; federal-state relations; behaviour management; teacher education accreditation; educational leadership; and school principals. An education policy researcher and Director of the Education Institute, Louise Watson undertakes research for state and federal education departments and NGOs, and is a member of several public policy committees including an expert panel to review Base Funding for Higher Education (Lomax-Smith et al. 2011).
Department of Economics and Finance, La Trobe University
Dr Cardak is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance and Honours Coordinator for the Bachelor of Commerce Honours program in the La Trobe Business School. He is a member of La Trobe’s Transforming Human Society interdisciplinary research focus area and sits on the executive committee of this RFA. He is also a member of the Building Healthy Communities RFA. Dr Cardak previously held a post-doctoral position at the Department of Economics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, before which he was lecturer in the School of Economics, Deakin University.