Academic Leadership Forum

Jill Downie

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

Curtin Univeristy

Professor Jill Downie was appointed to the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic in July 2012. From 2007 – 2012 Jill was Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health Sciences and also Professor of Nursing at Curtin University. She is the Education representative on the Australian National Commission of UNESCO and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Professor Downie is an established national and international researcher with numerous grants, publications and conference presentations, including keynote addresses. In her role as DVC Academic, Jill strategically leads teaching and learning across the University and the Student Experience. This includes the Library and Student Success, Counselling and Health Services, the Curtin Stadium, Sports strategy, Employability, Leadership and Careers and Housing. Curtin Connect brings all these areas together with Student Services from Admissions though the continuum to Graduation. Equity and Diversity and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies are also important aspects of the Portfolio.

Kevin Bell

Pro-Vice Chancellor, Digital Futures

Western Sydney University

Professor Kevin Bell comes from Newcastle in the UK, taking his B.Sc. in Analysis of Science and Technology from Manchester University before spending two significant periods of his professional career overseas. After nine years in Japan where he taught English in Kishiwada High School and at a private language school in Osaka, he moved to the United States in 1999, initially to take his Master of Arts in Teaching at Marlboro College in Vermont.

Post-graduation, Professor Bell’s dot.com work segued into academic leadership roles, most recently at Northeastern University in Boston where he headed the Online Experiential Learning group and served four years as Executive Director and Senior Fellow for the Lowell Institute Innovation Incubator (Li3). The Institute was funded with a $4M “First in the World” federal grant with his research on intrinsic motivation of under-represented minority groups in STEM programs central to the application.

Prior to Northeastern University, Professor Bell was at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) where as Chief Academic Officer he was integral in the scaling of the largest not-for-profit online operation in the US. At SNHU he was the academic lead on the first federally approved Competency-based, Direct Assessment degree; College for America.

He received his doctorate University of Pennsylvania in 2014 with research into gameful design and student engagement in online courses. His recent book: Game On! - Gamification, Gameful Design, and the Rise of the Gamer Educator arguably overuses variants on the word “Game” a lot, but is otherwise a riveting read.

Kerri-Lee Krause

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

La Trobe University

Professor Kerri-Lee Krause (PhD) is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Professor of Higher Education at La Trobe University. She is an experienced senior executive who is acknowledged nationally and internationally for her contributions to higher education research, policy and practice. Current national leadership roles include Deputy Chair of the Australian Higher Education Standards Panel and Chair of the Universities Australia DVC Academic Committee. She also holds several Board directorships.

At La Trobe University, she provides strategic leadership to enhance the quality of learning, teaching and the student experience along with a focus on academic staff career development and promotion. Her Portfolio includes La Trobe International and the academic business innovation team. As a Fellow of the international Society for Research in Higher Education she is internationally recognised for her research on the contemporary undergraduate student experience and implications for quality and standards.

Kathy Vieira

Chief Portfolio Officer

Blackboard

As Chief Portfolio Officer, Kathy Vieira is responsible for the execution of Blackboard’s portfolio strategy. In this role, she oversees key functions including business line leadership, product and partner management, and marketing. She also leads the Blackboard Student Services team, the corporate division that brings marketing and enrollment services, virtualized contact center support, One Stop and other solutions designed to support the student lifecycle at institutions nationwide.

Prior to her current role, Kathy served as Blackboard’s Vice President of Portfolio Strategy and Management. She also served on the Business Department team as Vice President of Partner Enablement and as Vice President of Partnerships in Blackboard’s consulting organization. Kathy joined Blackboard in 2006 through the acquisition of WebCT.

Kathy has an extensive background in information technology and education and has spent many years in leadership roles in the high-tech industry. Her background includes a role as Information Systems Manager for World Wide Development and Learning and as CIO for Sales and Marketing at a large computer hardware company. In addition, she served as Director of Hosting and Global Support Services at an internet security company providing certificate authority to defense and banking industries around the globe.

Kathy holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Computer Science and Biology. She is also a graduate of the Society of Information Management, Leadership Development Institute, Regional Learning Forum.

Yves Dehouck

Vice President of Asia Pacific

Blackboard

Yves Dehouck is the Vice President at Blackboard since late 2013, responsible for the overall business in Asia Pacific.

Yves is a seasoned 27-year veteran in the IT industry, spearheading successful sales, marketing & business development programs across the Asia Pacific with a demonstrated track record in the penetration of new accounts as well as leveraging on existing business to consistently exceed sales budgets.

Prior to joining Blackboard, Yves worked in senior positions for ANSYS, Autodesk, and Parametric Technology, responsible for direct and channel sales in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region.

Maria Spies

Founder and Managing Director

HolonIQ

Maria is a Founder and Managing Director of HolonIQ, the leading provider of global education market intelligence. Through a machine learning platform and global network of partners and analysts, HolonIQ helps governments, institutions, firms and investors answer strategic questions across four key areas – global trends, risks and opportunities; market landscape; emerging models and advanced technologies; competitor intelligence.

Prior to HolonIQ, Maria led digital learning futures for a $40m corporate venture fund investing in education innovation and EdTech. In this role, Maria worked with EdTech start-ups and founders around the world to support their growth and led research projects about the future of learning, such as Global EdTech Landscape and Higher Education Digital Transformation.

Maria has worked in public and private higher education for over 20 years in Asia and Australia specializing in technology-led transformation of education business models and approaches to teaching and learning. Maria has built and led global teams, driving innovation in curriculum, teaching and the student experience in over 50 countries.

George Siemens

Professor and Director

Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning Teaching Innovation Unit at University of South Australia

George Siemens researches, technology, networks, analytics, and openness in education. Dr. Siemens is Professor and Executive Director of the Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge Research Lab at University of Texas, Arlington. He co-leads the development of the Center for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L) at University of South Australia. He has delivered keynote addresses in more than 35 countries on the influence of technology and media on education, organizations, and society. His work has been profiled in provincial, national, and international newspapers (including NY Times), radio, and television. He has served as PI or Co-PI on grants funded by NSF, SSHRC (Canada), Intel, Boeing, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Soros Foundation. He has received numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Universidad de San Martín de Porres and Fraser Valley University for his pioneering work in learning, technology, and networks. He holds an honorary professorship with University of Edinburgh.

Dr. Siemens is a founding President of the Society for Learning Analytics Research. He has advised government agencies Australia, European Union, Canada and United States, as well as numerous international universities, on digital learning and utilizing learning analytics for assessing and evaluating productivity gains in the education sector and improving learner results. In 2008, he pioneered massive open online courses (sometimes referred to as MOOCs). He blogs at http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/ and on Twitter: @gsiemens.

Scott Holmes

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and a Professor

Public Policy at The Whitlam Institute at Western Sydney University

Professor Scott Holmes is the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and a Professor of Public Policy at The Whitlam Institute at Western Sydney University.

YProfessor Holmes holds an honorary Professorship in Business at the University of Queensland and at the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Prior to his role as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Western, Professor Holmes was the Founding Dean of Graduate Studies and Pro-Vice Chancellor Research at the University of Newcastle.

Professor Holmes is the author of seven books and over 60 articles, and is an active researcher alongside his role as a senior academic manager. His latest book was published in 2018, Small Business Exposed: The Tribes that Drive Economies, with Dr Michael Schaper.