I was deeply moved and honoured to be made a Life Member of HERDSA in 2023, and to then receive my plaque at this year’s conference dinner (2024).

I was a late entrant to the HERDSA family.  While I had attended the 2002 conference (and received the Best Paper Award!), it was only when I started at UWA as Professor of Higher Education Development in 2003 that I really engaged with the Society. In that capacity, I led a central development service (that initially included learning and teaching, leadership and professional development). The first advice from my team was that HERDSA was a must for someone in my role. So in July 2002, I attended the conference and joined the Executive as a member.  The following two years gave me a rich insight into the Society and its operation, as I worked closely with the President, Professor John Dearn and the committee.

A journey to HERDSA presidency and back again:

In 2005, I was elected President and stayed in that role for four years (2005 – 2009). At that time, this role also included representing Australia and New Zealand on ICED: The International Consortium for Educational Development.  This amazing network offered a window into the many different ways that academic development is envisaged and enacted across the world.  I became President of ICED from 2008 – 2010. This was a rich and wonderful time where we attempted build a better governance model, while also guiding new national networks to join this international community. In 2011, I was then asked by colleagues to renominate for HERDSA President and filled a final term from 2011-13, while a new leadership team started to emerge that could take the Society forward.

Being a President of HERDSA (and ICED) is a definite highlight of my career.  It enriched my understanding of academe and the higher education sector at large. I found myself building a more layered understanding of the ways we needed to support and develop academics. My interactions with national and international colleagues shone a light on the different ways that nations viewed the complexity of academic development. 

I led international delegations to China and Japan which were fascinating journeys of exchange and mutual learning.  My experiences encouraged deep reflection on how we build academic capacity and support and led to the writing of two new books: The New Academic and Developing Academics, which reflected my work at UWA but also my larger insights from this leadership experience. 

Inner workings of the HERDSA presidency:

The role of President is complex. The committee is large (up to fifteen) and diverse (from all across Australia and New Zealand). While we had occasional face to face meetings, the majority of the work was via email, conversations and sub-committees.

The President needs to have a helicopter view of the various workings, contributing a vision that can take the Society forward, and the energy and skills to weave the many strands of activity together.  The ability to dive down and be present and active to address risks or critical tasks is a particularly important skill that this role requires.  But it also requires the capacity to empathise and work with many different parties within the network.  Executive members come with particular passions they wish to pursue, and particular strengths they can offer. The president role requires sensitivity to the talents each person brings and a tolerance for the diverse personalities that can be present! The interactions aren’t always smooth and sometimes there are very divergent opinions as to the directions a volunteer society should pursue. So, I did find that my skills as a facilitator and leader were regularly needed to ensure we remained cohesive and future-focused.

Highlights of the presidency term:

In my time as President we reviewed and revamped the Fellowship scheme; selected a new editorial team for HERD and increased its issues and size; renewed the constitution (with a particular concern of mine to make sure HERDSA could be a broad church that reflected the diversity of academics in the sector), and focused on building more viable financial strategies, as HERDSA is self-funded. 

I convened the 2006 HERDSA conference in Perth and then wrote guidelines to capture the learning more effectively for future conference committees. We introduced the new members breakfast, the Fellows dinner and new awards, and continued to think about ways we could strengthen the branches and encourage new members. These are but a few of the many initiatives that our committee guided over that eleven year period.

Of particular note is that a society like this is not static.  I was struck by the ongoing evolution that HERDSA continues to evidence when I attended the AGM last week.  It constantly responds to the emerging opportunities (and needs) that best support its members. I also sought opportunities to work with other networks in Australia so that we were collaborative and complementary. This provided other avenues to build more mainline support for academics.

I can honestly say that being President of HERDSA was a transformative experience for me.  It taught me to lead with diligence and care, valuing the diversity of passionate individuals who seek to add value through their involvement. This role is not a directorial role, but rather, a facilitative and communicative role (although there are strong obligations as a non-executive director to ensure good management is evident).  The major work is based on relationships, respect and sharing.

My experiences in HERDSA shaped my identity and my capabilities. It offered me affirmation and a large canvas on which I could make a difference.  It also increased my visibility and presence across the sector, which was enriching. But most importantly, it firmly demonstrated that truly effective leadership is with and through others, an important part of the ongoing success that makes HERDSA so great. Now, in my work as a coach and mentor, I work to pass this learning on to others.

If you have the chance to step up to leadership in this or other societies - embrace it. It needs commitment and dedication, but it will reward you in so many ways. If you are planning to or currently leading networks, you may find my HERDSA guide: Leading Academic Networks to be a useful resource. It captures the learning and insights that I gained from this amazing journey.

Again, I thank HERDSA for this award and recognition. But more importantly, for the rich and transformational journey that it has offered.