Meet our new Board members

Dr Robyn Ober, Research Practice Lead, Batchelor Institute (Northern Territory)

Robyn has been re-elected after joining the ALA Board two years ago.

As the only member from the Northern Territory, Robyn says she is glad to be able to represent the Territory’s diverse educational contexts in adult teaching and learning sectors.

Robyn is an Indigenous Australian educator with over 30 years of experience in early childhood, primary and tertiary education in remote, rural and urban contexts in the Northern Territory and southeast Queensland. In 2019, she completed her PhD thesis entitled Aboriginal English as a Social, Cultural and Identity Marker in an Indigenous Tertiary Educational Context.

For the past 16 years, Robyn has been involved in research and evaluation projects focusing on Indigenous education, language and linguistics, educational leadership and both-ways philosophy and practice.

John Sheen, Deputy CEO and Director of Education, Wyndham Community And Education Centre (Victoria)

John is an experienced leader in adult education, with a strong commitment to lifelong learning. He has played a key role in the growth of the Wyndham Community & Education Centre over the past decade, overseeing diverse education, employment, and community programs.

John has also been instrumental in the development of the Wyndham Learning Festival, a major annual event that promotes lifelong learning across the community held to coincide with Adult Learners Week each year.

John also has extensive high-level strategic and operational leadership experience, having served for 10 years as Chairperson of Bridge Darebin, four years as Secretary of the Committee for Wyndham, and an appointee to the ACFE North-West Regional Council from 2019 until 2024.

 

Fleur Lerwill, Lecturer/Subject Coordinator, Kaplan Business School (South Australia)

Fleur has extensive cross-cultural experience in education, training, and advocacy in multi-national organisations, which have required responsibility, accountability, and leadership across various industries.

As an educator and mentor, Fleur focuses on adult learning principles, including literacy and numeracy, using her lived experience and transferable skills to apply a person and strength-centred approach. Fleur adopts a partnering and collaborative approach with mutual participation and cooperation to address needs and challenges to achieve positive outcomes.

 

 

 

Christopher Ward, Vocational Education Practitioner (Western Australia)

Christopher has worked for more than 15 years as a VET practitioner and adult educator and has consistently promoted lifelong learning principles in his work in training, assessment, and learning design.

Christopher has a Master of Education and Bachelor of Adult and Vocational Education and is currently conducting PhD research, at Deakin University, on the value of professional development for VET practitioners.

Based in Western Australia, Christopher also has extensive experience in policy analysis and development and is passionate about the crucial role of adult and community education (ACE).