Conversations with Thought Leaders
The first instalment of the PVC's Conversations with Thought Leaders series for 2023 was hosted on Tuesday, May 30 in the Harold Lobb Concert Hall at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, City Campus.
The College of Human and Social Futures welcomed our two incoming Heads of School, Professor Kate Nash (School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences) and Professor James Skinner (Newcastle Business School) for an insight into their journey to the University of Newcastle.
The event featured in-depth, one-on-one conversations hosted by Professor John Fischetti, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Human and Social Futures, with Kate and James, and concluded with an interactive Q&A with in-person and online attendees.
PVC’s Conversations with Thought Leaders – Professor Kate Nash and Professor James Skinner
The first PVC’s Conversations with Thought Leaders event for 2023 took place at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music on May 30, with Professor John Fischetti (Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Human and Social Futures) hosting incoming College of Human and Social Futures Heads of School Professor Kate Nash and Professor James Skinner for an insight into their academic journey and their plans while at the University of Newcastle.
Professor Kate Nash (School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences)
Professor Kate Nash commenced her role as Head of the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences in May, having recently completed her role as the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
In a previous role as Head of Media and Communication at Leeds, Professor Nash focused on research impact which contributed to a significant increase in research funding and led on the development of the School's first internationalisation strategy that had a particular impact on undergraduate international student numbers.
Professor Nash has come from a background in media production, specialising in documentary, with a research focus on the production, circulation and impacts of long-form factual media. She is a leading scholar in the field of interactive documentary, having contributed to understanding the ways in which digital media technologies and cultures are shaping documentary practices and storytelling.
Kate has published in many leading journals including Media, Culture and Society, the European Journal of Communication and Continuum, and has been a Co-Editor of the leading journal in the field, Studies in Documentary Film since 2018. A particular focus of Professor Nash’s leadership has been her proactive approach to industry and community engagement, fostering strong relationships and building valuable collaborations within the media, including with Channel 4 in England.
Professor James Skinner (Newcastle Business School)
Professor James Skinner joined our College in February after nearly nine years at Loughborough University in London, United Kingdom, as the Director of the Institute for Sport Business and Professor of Sport Business. Under James’ leadership, Loughborough was in 2022 named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects for the sixth consecutive year by the global QS higher education table.
Professor Skinner has an international research reputation in his field of expertise, which focuses on organisational change, culture, innovation and leadership, doping in sport, sport and social capital, and research design, methods and analytics. He has over 100 publications, including 15 books, approximately $1.5 million in external competitive research funding and 25 PhD completions. He currently holds appointments as a Visiting Professor at Beijing Sport University (China), Ulster University (Northern Ireland), and as a distinguished Visiting Professor at the Russian International Olympic University. Professor Skinner is a former Director and Board member for Football Queensland and is currently the Director of Research and Innovation for AIScout. James has consulted to numerous organisations and has established industry partnership with corporations across the globe.
Prior to his tenure at Loughborough Professor Skinner had extensive experience in the Australian higher education sector, having worked in several Australian institutions including Griffith University (Head of the Department), Southern Cross University and the University of Tasmania.
As a College we are dedicated to promoting equity, social justice and reconciliation and we look forward to your engagement with us in this idea exchange as we evolve the Conversations with Thought Leaders series, which will take place three times a year.
A Thought Leader is typically defined as a person whose views are taken to be authoritative and influential, but we also wish to recognise those that are actively impacting the community with courage, grace and results. They are using their knowledge, power and privilege to profoundly transform their part of the community. They are known widely for their work, respected across the sector and are leaving a legacy of 'difference-making'.
Each event will focus on one of our College's extraordinary staff members and one of our many talented and outstanding community partners. Wherever they are in their careers and wherever they are in the world, Thought Leaders are known for impact and for their tenacity in striving to improve the human condition.
The PVC’s Conversations with Thought Leaders series is not a presentation-style format, but rather a conversation to understand what makes these leaders tick. Where did they get their passion? What influences did they have growing up? What is their biggest success? Where have they fallen over only to get back up? What are their recommendations for others who are hoping to make change and promote social justice through their work?
In appreciation for the outstanding contributions of our featured Thought Leaders, the College has provided a contribution towards the recently launched Scholarship for Asylum Seekers Program which will support two scholarships in 2022 for students from the College of Human and Social Futures.
In recognition of our featured 2022 Thought Leaders:
- Associate Professor Xanthe Mallett
- Ms Viv White AM
- Associate Professor Tamara Blakemore
- Mr Nathan Towney
- Professor David Lubans
- Miss Taylah Gray
Previous Conversations with Thought Leaders
The Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Conversations with Thought Leaders series launched on Tuesday, March 1 2022 at the new Q Building at the University of Newcastle CBD campus.
For the inaugural session, we were honoured to have two of Australia’s leaders in their field and two incredibly dynamic Thought Leaders: Associate Professor Xanthé Mallett, from the Newcastle Law School and Ms Viv White, AM, from Big Picture Education Australia.
Associate Professor Xanthé Mallett (Newcastle Law School)
Xanthé is a forensic anthropologist and criminologist. She is one of the world’s most engaged ‘cold case’ specialists, bringing her expertise and passion to solving some of the country’s most complex unsolved cases. Using ‘boots on the ground’ approaches with her students, Xanthe interrogates evidence with DNA and new methods of investigation.
Her knowledge of online child sex abuse and related behaviours, coupled with her role in developing groundbreaking hand identification techniques, have been pivotal in securing several high-profile paedophile convictions.
Another area of focus for Xanthé is understanding and combatting bias within legal proceedings, with Xanthé investigating cases she believes to be unjust.
Xanthé is a prolific writer, media expert and social media star.
Ms Viv White, AM (Big Picture Education Australia)
Viv White is a change agent’s change agent. Throughout her career she has advocated for educational transformation. Currently, Viv is CEO and Co-Founder of Big Picture Education Australia, the most progressive school design in the world.
Flipping secondary school upside down to focus on empowering learners to take charge of their own journeys, Big Picture promotes internships for all students from year 9, personalised learning programs that allow students to complete the same syllabus as all other students, but in a way that works for each student. Learners are guided by advisors, a new breed of 21st century teachers, who assist the learning journey by centring school around a student’s passion.
Big Picture students assemble examples of their work through secondary experience in a digital portfolio and present their work each term to internal and external stakeholders. Each graduate is mapped to a Big Picture pioneered Learner Profile (the Big Picture graduate attributes in action) and can use that portfolio and profile to gain entrance to tertiary education, including nearly 20 of Australia’s finest Universities. Viv guides this change in more than 40 schools and counting.
Viv’s career in education has long been about driving change aimed at improving educational outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged and disengaged young people. Viv’s journey began in disadvantaged schools and has included leading the Australian National Schools Network (ANSN) - Australia’s only national network of school reformers - and establishing the Victorian Schools Innovation Commission (VSIC).
Viv also has been instrumental in the redesign of the Bachelor of Community and Public Health at the University of Newcastle and has served on numerous boards and working parties who are tasked with rethinking schooling for all children using the best knowledge we have about learning, teaching, assessment and change.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Conversations with Thought Leaders series continued on on Tuesday, June 21 in the Harold Lobb Concert Hall at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, CBD campus.
For the second session, Professor John Fischetti (Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Human and Social Futures) was joined by Dr Tamara Blakemore (School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences) and Mr Nathan Towney (Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Leadership).
Dr Tamara Blakemore (School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences)
Dr Tamara Blakemore is a true thought leader in her field. She's a gifted teacher, researcher and community leader. Her framework for social work practice is grounded in an understanding of the complex and connected contexts that prompt, facilitate, and constrain the wellbeing of children, families and communities. Tamara leads a cross-disciplinary team that was recently awarded $600,000 from the Department of Home Affairs to go along with prior funding awarded by industry partners to support specialist training for practitioners in regional, rural, and remote Australia.
The Name. Narrate. Navigate (NNN) program for youth violence is a psychosocial program working with young women and men who are at risk of, or have already committed family and domestic violence, identified at risk of encountering the justice system, or who live in family and community contexts with high rates of family and domestic violence. The goal is to prevent recidivism and promote new opportunities for turning young lives around.
Mr Nathan Towney (Indigenous Strategy and Leadership)
Mr Nathan Towney is the University's Pro Vice-Chancellor - Indigenous Strategy and Leadership. He is also an HDR student in the College of Human and Social Futures. Nathan is a proud Wiradjuri man from Wellington in NSW and a national education leader. He is the former principal of Newcastle High School where he led its transformation and a rejuvenation of the proud history of the school.
Nathan is a thought leader in Indigenous strategy and in bringing 60,000 years of knowledges to our University's ways of knowing and doing. Nathan’s personal and authentic approach fosters strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels. He has a passion for innovation and change and has actively encouraged student-directed, passion-based and entrepreneurial learning. His success in building bridges internally and externally has led to the recent adoption of the University's Reconciliation Action Plan and in providing cultural capability training for all our staff, among many other accomplishments.
Nathan's research for his MPhil/PhD is focussed on the paramount attribute of belonging. Belonging is a fundamental principle for any form of human endeavour, particularly in education. Nathan's work seeks to understand the characteristics of leaders who build belonging into the culture and experience of students, families and staff in schools, particularly learning from the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth, elders and leaders.
The third instalment of the PVC's Conversations with Thought Leaders series, presented in partnership with the University of Newcastle Students' Association (UNSA), took place on Tuesday, October 18 2022 in the Harold Lobb Concert Hall at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, City Campus.
The College welcolmed Professor David Lubans and Miss Taylah Gray as inspirational Thought Leaders, and featured in-depth, one-on-one conversations hosted by Professor John Fischetti, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Human and Social Futures, with David and Taylah, and included an interactive Q&A with in-person and online attendees.
Professor David Lubans and Miss Taylah Gray
The third instalment of the PVC’s Conversations with Thought Leaders was held on 18 October, 2022 at the University of Newcastle’s Harold Lobb Concert Hall in the Conservatorium of Music. College of Human and Social Futures Pro Vice-Chancellor John Fischetti hosts Professor David Lubans and Miss Taylah Gray in conversation.
Professor David Lubans (School of Education)
David is one of the world’s most cited scholars in school-based physical activity research, particularly the effects and mechanisms of exercise on young people’s mental health, cognitive function, and learning.
His research has been funded by prestigious national and international funding schemes, putting him on the cutting edge of behavioural science.
“If we can demonstrate that fitter students are less stressed, better behaved in class in class and outperform their less active peers in academic tasks, schools will feel compelled to implement evidence-based physical activity programs.”
Taylah Gray
Taylah is an inspirational leader and change agent. She is a proud Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal woman and is the first female Aboriginal PhD student in the University of Newcastle's Newcastle Law School.
Taylah’s passion for justice, respect and change for First Nations students and community has always been at the forefront of everything that she does. Taylah organised and led the 2020 Black Lives Matter event in Newcastle, championing the importance of community voice. She testified to the Supreme Court of New South Wales to get the march for justice to go ahead during the pandemic.
Taylah is a brilliant scholar and thinker, and a role model for our community.
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