Associate Professor Bonnie Amelia Dean is Head of Academic Development & Recognition at the University of Wollongong. Through governance, collaborative co-design, and practice-based professional development, Bonnie empowers academic staff to create authentic learning experiences that enhance student employability and future readiness. Bonnie has received national recognition for her leadership in teaching and research, including an AAUT citation (2023) and the CAULLT/HERDSA Award (2024). A Senior Fellow of Advance HE, she has authored over 110 publications and actively builds scholarly communities through editorial roles and WIL advocacy.

Dr. Michael Healy is the National Career Education Manager of myfuture.edu.au, Australia’s national career education platform and adjunct research fellow at the University of Southern Queensland. An award-winning educator and researcher, Michael’s work focuses on promoting effective and accessible careers and employability learning in schools, universities, and community services.

Professor Sally Kift is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law (FAAL), and President of the Australian Learning & Teaching Fellows (ALTF). She has held several university leadership positions, including as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at James Cook University. Sally is a national Teaching Award winner, a national Program Award winner and a national Senior Teaching Fellow on the First Year Experience. In 2010, she was appointed an Australian Discipline Scholar in Law. In 2017, Sally received an Australian University Career Achievement Award for her contribution to Australian higher education. Sally was a member of the Australian Qualifications Framework Review Panel that reported to Government in September 2019. Since 2017, she has been working as an independent higher education consultant and she also chairs the corporate boards of seven Navitas Colleges in the University Partnerships Australasia division.

Professor Sarah O’Shea is a nationally awarded educator and globally recognised expert in higher education equity. As Distinguished Professor and Dean at Charles Sturt University, she brings over three decades of leadership in advancing equity, access, and student success across the sector. Sarah also leads the Higher Education Equity Research Unit (HEERU) with current research projects relating to inclusive teaching practices, student belonging and also, the experiences of first-in-family learners from rural backgrounds. Professor O’Shea has secured over $4 million in research funding and managed $10 million in federal grants. A Principal Fellow of the HEA, Australian Learning and Teaching Fellow, and Churchill Fellow, she also co-edits the Research in Higher Education (SRHE/Routledge) book series and serves on global editorial boards, shaping policy, research, and practice across the sector.

An equity careers education specialist, David Eckstein was a 2020 Equity Fellow at the NCSEHE (now ACSES). His major study of the career development needs of students with disability documented systemic issues which impinge on the way students with disability think about their careers, and the practical steps that universities can take to address them. At Deakin, his work now supports the development of an Equity Capable Careers Service. This follows his earlier establishment of Australia’s first dedicated university careers service for students with disability at Swinburne University. He is a past National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services treasurer and a current WIL Australia VIC/TAS committee member.