Prof. Mary Ryan

Professor Mary Ryan is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education and Arts at ACU and Panel Chair of In Focus: Executive Dean Presents...Advancing Education in Australia. She is President of the New South Wales Council of Deans of Education and Chair of the Education Research Council for Australian Independent Schools New South Wales. She is a Principal Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and is the recipient of a national citation for outstanding contributions to student learning. Mary is currently leading Australian Research Council funded projects in classroom writing and preparing reflexive teachers for diverse classrooms. Her research is in the areas of writing pedagogy and assessment, reflective writing, teachers' work and professional learning, the enabling and constraining conditions for graduating students to manage the demands of their profession, and reflexive learning and practice.

Prof. Grady Venville

Professor Grady Venville is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at Australian National University. Professor Venville's research in science education focuses on conceptual development, curriculum integration and cognitive acceleration. Grady has made a lifelong commitment to teaching and education. A central belief underpinning everything she does is that high quality education is critical not only for human development but also for a healthy and peaceful society.

Professor Venville has a Bachelor of Science and a Graduate Diploma of Education from the University of Western Australia, and a Graduate Diploma in Science Education (Distinction) and PhD in Science Education from Curtin University. Career highlights have included a post-doctoral appointment at King's College London; being appointed the inaugural Professor of Science Education in 2007, and Dean of Coursework Studies in 2013, at the University of Western Australia; and a three-year appointment to the Australian Research Council College of Experts.

Emeritus Prof. Bruce Chapman

Emeritus Professor Bruce Chapman is an economist with a long career at Australian National University and has extensive public policy experience. He is known for designing the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS), the first national income contingent loan program, and contributing to various government initiatives in Australia and internationally. He has been a consultant to the World Bank and numerous governments on higher education financing. Emeritus Professor Chapman is a prolific writer, having published extensively on income contingent loans, labour markets, crime, and other social and economic issues. In recent years, he has focused on applying the income contingent loan model to diverse areas like disaster relief, criminal fines, and community investment.

A/Prof. Jessica Holloway

A/Professor Jessica Holloway is Principal Research Fellow within the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE) at Australian Catholic University. She recently completed an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship (2019-2022), entitled The Role of Teacher Expertise, Authority and Professionalism in Education. Jessica earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy and Evaluation from the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University (USA) in 2014. She has published extensively on teachers and teaching, including two books: Expertise (2022, with A/Prof Jessica Gerrard) and Metrics, Standards and Alignment in Teacher PolicyCritiquing Fundamentalism and Imagining Pluralism (2021).

Jessica has been named by The Australian as the 'Leading National Research Contributor' to the field of Educational Administration for three years in a row (2021, 2022, 2023).

Prof. Andrew Norton

Andrew Norton is Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy at POLIS: The Centre for Social Policy Research as the Australian National University. He was on the ministerial reference group for the Universities Accord in 2023, and previously the Higher Education Program Director at the Grattan Institute, a public policy think-tank.

Andrew is an author and co-author of many publications on higher education topics including Mapping Australian Higher Education 2023 which is an overview of higher education policy and trends. In 2013-14 he was the co-author of a government-commissioned review of the demand driven student funding system.

Dr. Craig Wattam

Dr. Craig Wattam is Principal at St John Paul II College, Canberra. Craig holds post graduate degrees in Theology, Education, and Religious Education. His research interest for his doctoral thesis was on middle leadership in Catholic secondary schools. He is passionate about leadership, evidence-based approaches to learning, and the culture of Catholic education.

Craig undertook his undergraduate music training at Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Music Education and a Diploma of the State Conservatorium of Music in piano performance. Craig has held senior leadership roles in Catholic education for the past two decades and more. In 2011 he was appointed as Assistant Director of Schools in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese. Craig's desire to return to a school community saw him take up his second principalship at St Patrick's College Strathfield. In 2020, Craig was appointed as Executive Director and CEO of Edmund Rice Education Australia.

When Craig is not at work he enjoys running and cycling. He loves playing music, attending the theatre, reading, travel, dining out, and a nice red.