Charles Darwin University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Helen Garnett, is delighted to announce four new appointments.
The key appointments include: Head of School, School of Trades; Professor and Head of School, School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems; Professor and Head of School, School of Health Sciences; and Professor in Pharmacy.
Professor Helen Garnett said the recent appointments underpinned CDU’s continual commitment to provide leading edge education to its students and to enhance its local and international research profile.
“Each of our new appointments will contribute significantly to their respective schools and in doing so ensure the continued delivery of quality tertiary and vocational education to the Northern Territory,” said Professor Garnett.
Brent Villiers will join CDU as Head of School, School of Trades from the Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE in Townsville, Queensland. Mr Villiers brings to the University many years of engineering management skills and experience, in addition he has 20 years training experience with the RAAF, Queensland TAFE and as Director of Vocational Education at the College of Micronesia-FSM. The experience and expertise that he brings will be pivotal to the continued growth and development of the School of Trades and a quality workforce across the NT. In extending a warm welcome to Mr Villiers, Professor Garnett also thanked Grant Mauger for his contribution as Acting Head of School.
Wendy Brady will fill the key position of Professor and Head of School, School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems. As a Wiradjuri woman from Wagga Wagga (NSW), Dr Brady has been raised in the traditions and culture of the Aboriginal nation. Dr Brady is currently Senior Indigenous Research Fellow with the Centre for Learning Innovation at the Queensland University of Technology and has a long history working in the delivery of Indigenous education.
Sandra Speedy will take on the role as Professor and Head of School, School of Health Sciences. Professor Speedy has held professorial positions since 1989, where she was appointed Professor and Head of School of Nursing at the University of Wollongong. She has held various positions including Pro-Vice Chancellor (Policy and Planning), Dean of the Faculty of Health Science and Director of the Graduate College of Management all at Southern Cross University, where she is currently Acting Head of the School of Tourism and Hospitality. She was also Acting Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, Business and Creative Arts at James Cook University in 2004-2005. She is a psychologist and comes to CDU with almost 30 years academic and administrative experience in the higher education sector.
Murray Bailey is an accomplished practitioner and researcher and possesses an enormous breadth of experience in pharmacy and will take on the new role of Professor of Pharmacy. He has extensive Australian and international experience in the development of pharmacy curriculum and services and is currently registered with the NSW Board of Pharmacy.
The four new recruits will begin over the coming months and demonstrate CDU’s continued commitment to maintaining high teaching standards.