Professor Shelda Debowski is recognised for her long history of service and commitment to HERDSA, ICED and for the contribution she has made to the to the profession and practice of academic development nationally and internationally.

Shelda has made a substantial and sustained contribution to HERDSA as President of HERDSA from 2005 – 2009 and 2011 – 2013 and the International Consortium for Educational Development (ICED) from 2008 – 2011.  Shelda provided high-level leadership of international higher education networks. Under her guidance, these two networks strengthened and consolidated their reach and reputation across the sector. During her time as ICED President, she was involved in the drafting of ICED’s Memorandum of Association which led to ICED being incorporated as a company and a registered charity in the UK. This provided the formal structure under which ICED operates today. She also guided the expansion of ICED into Asia to support new network members.

Shelda was involved in the WA Branch and guided the 2006 HERDSA Conference as Conference Convenor at the University of Western Australia. She developed the sponsorship package for conferences that is still being used today.

Shelda led or was a member of several international delegations to China and Japan, including the HERDSA teamvisit to  Teikyo University in Japan in 2017, led by Allan Goody.

Shelda is a leading international expert in educational leadership and tertiary education development. She has a long history in higher education as a Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor of Higher Education Development and academic within the disciplines of business and education. She continues to work as a senior consultant to the sector.

Shelda holds a PhD in Organisational Psychology, Masters and Bachelor degrees in Education and a Bachelor of Arts. She was a professional member of the Australian Psychological Society and a certified member of the Australian Human Resource Institute and a graduate of the Australian Institute for Company Directors. She has been recognised as a Fellow by  Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA),the Australian Institute of Management (AIM), the Association for Tertiary Education Managers (ATEM) and the. Shelda is also a Churchill Fellow.

A number of large collaborative projects have been led by Shelda Debowski. These include the Future Research Leaders Program and the Professional Skills for Research Leaders, an initiative hosted by Epigeum, Imperial College, London. These innovative online programs have provided academics with much needed guidance on managing their research roles.

She has a notable publication track record in the field of learning and development.Shelda has published several books on higher education development. Her earlier publication, The New Academic: A Strategic Handbook, offered a holistic view of academic work that recognises the integrated nature of teaching, research and engagement. Her subsequent publication, Developing Academics: The Essential Higher Education Handbook, provided guidance on the role that developers and leaders play in building academic capabilities and success.  She also developed a HERDSA guide: Leading Academic Networks to capture the insights she developed as President of HERDSA and ICED.

Her innovative approaches have been recognised nationally through the Telstra Business Women’s Awards (State Finalist, 2009 and 2012) and as a national finalist in the AHRI awards (2009 and 2012).