Nominations for the 2023 Tracy McCabe Future Leader Fellowship are now open and will close on Friday 18 August 2023. You can find the nomination form here

The Award

The Tracy McCabe Future Leader Fellowships provides an up-and-coming leader in Australian international higher education with a AUD7,000 fellowship to be used toward a leadership program or other professional development activity that will support their career progression as an international education leader.

Applicants must be currently working in an Australian university in a role directly or indirectly connected with international education, and have shown demonstrated potential to become a future leader in the sector.

The annual Fellowship is supported by the Australia Universities International Directors’ Forum (AUIDF).

Fellowship Criteria

The fellowship will be offered to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding contributions in international education against at least two of the following three criteria:

1. Conceptualisation and implementation of a successful international education program or activity, within or outside of their institution.

2. The fostering of collaborative relationships between individuals within an organisation or between organisations that have led to demonstrable improvements in service delivery for international students or internationalisation outcomes in general.

3. Demonstrating excellence in leadership values through teamwork and collaboration using diverse ideas and approaches.

Nomination Guidelines

Applications may be made by the nominee or by an individual who is familiar with their work.  Nominees must be currently employed in an Australian university.

The nomination must include:

• Brief overview of the individuals achievements and leadership capability

• Up to 500 words describing the individuals achievement and their contribution against two of the three selection criteria

• A statement from the nominee, as to what they would use the fellowship funds for if they are the successful recipient

• Names and contact details of two referees; and

• A digital photo of the nominee

2020 Recipient

Ms Luika Bankson
Associate Director, Sydney Global Mobilty
The University of Sydney

Luika was recognised for her leadership in Study Abroad and engagement with the wider sector. At the University of Sydney Luika has led a team to triple the number of US study abroad students by fostering and continuously improving the University’s relationships with their partner institutions. Her collaborative approach to managing internal and external relationships has been noted by past and present managers, partner institutions and colleagues from across the sector. Luika has nearly 10 years of international education experience in Australia, the United States and China. She is passionate about providing a high quality and supportive student experience from enquiry all the way through to alumni and is continuously seeking ways to improve the experience. One of Luika’s skills highlighted in her application was in bringing people together coupled with her skill at public speaking will mean that any of her industry learnings will be shared with others for many years to come.

Luika plans to use her fellowship to pursue an Executive Education program in Data Analytics. She hopes to apply the skills learned from this program to incorporate more data driven decision making into the strategic planning within her team.

2019 Recipient

Ms Paula Soon
Assistant Director, Pathways and Operations
RMIT University2017 Recipient

Paula was recognised for her commitment to improving the international student experience. She will be use the fellowship funds to increase her expertise in improving the automation of admissions .

2018 Recipient

Ms Joanna Shaw
Manager International Student Services
La Trobe University

Joanna has made a significant contribution to the international education industry in Australia, particularly in respect to improving the international student experience.  Joanna is passionate about improving the experience for all international students who select Australia, regularly presenting at AIEC and ISANA conferences.  Joanna’s commitment to supporting the professional development of colleagues in the industry is well-regarded and she is an excellent role model for future leaders. 

Joanna will be using her fellowship in 2019.

2017 Recipient

Ms Sonia Chan
Associate Director Partnership and Articulation
Swinburne University of Technology

Sonia has made significant contributions within the industry and with external stakeholders including institutional partners and government departments, including through her role as Deputy Convenor of IEAA’s Mobility Special Interest Group for two years.  The selection panel recognised her role in innovative initiatives over a sustained period of time.

“The Tracy McCabe fellowship has enabled me to have the confidence and resources to invest in a professional development course that I would otherwise not have pursued. To have the support and means in undertaking further leadership development has meant a lot to me, and it has come at a critical time in my career where there has been significant transition and change in my responsibilities within my organisation. The fellowship has helped me adapt and build new skills, fulfil new goals and reach a better potential.”

2016 Recipient

Ms Bri Johnstone
Senior Project Officer, International Projects
RMIT University

Bri was recognised for her leadership of innovative projects, including Bright Sparks and RMIT's Global Entrepreneurial Internship Program.  Bri was a finalist in the Australian Women’s Weekly Women of the Future Award for the development of the Bright Sparks program, a formal leadership program for women and was successful in gaining significant Victorian Government funding for the initiative.  Bri has shown sector engagement by leading  IEAA's Third Party Provider Guidelines project and presenting at international education conferences within Australia and overseas.

Bri utilised her fellowship to participate in an innovation study tour to Israel and completed a service design course.  Bri continues to be involved in education through her role as the Digital Learning Designer, Organisational Development at Deakin University and is also a Project Manager at #StartWest

2015 Recipient

Ms Bronte Neyland
Associate Director International Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions
Victoria University

Along with her demonstrated achievements at Victoria University, Bronte’s expertise in delivering high quality professional development programs and her understanding of the importance of participating and sharing the broader debate in Australian international education outside of her role at VU were recognised in awarding her this fellowship.

Since receiving the fellowship, Bronte has been appointed as the Director, Victoria University International at Victoria University.  Bronte used her fellowship to complete the Company Directors Course delivered by the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  The course has assisted Bronte greatly in her role on Victoria University and in her more recent roles as Chair of the Australian International Directors’ Forum (AUIDF) and as a council member of her children’s school.

2014 Recipient

Dr Kirilee Hughes
Deputy Director – Indonesian Affairs
UNSW Australia

Kirrilee’s involvement with international education began as a high school student when she undertook a one-year AFS exchange in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.  She began working in international education at The University of Newcastle in 2004 and was recruited by Tracy McCabe.

Kirrilee now works as Deputy Director – Indonesian Affairs at UNSW Australia where she leads the University’s engagement in Indonesia across student mobility, student recruitment and partner development. She is also a non-executive Director for AFS Intercultural Programs Australia, the organisation that first sparked her interest in Indonesia.

Attended the Harvard Kennedy School’s residential, executive education program Global Change Agents: Leading with Commitment, Creativity, and Courage.

2013 Recipient

Matthew Taverner
Associate Director, Development & Partnerships
Flinders University

Matthew has been an outstanding and respected contributor to Flinders University and the tertiary international education sector.  At Flinders University he developed transnational quality assurance practices including partnership and agent management and expanded the marketing communications and mobility objectives.

In 2007, Matthew was the successful recipient of Arthur Keain Scheme funding for a study tour in Latin America. In 2009, after completing a Graduate Diploma in Spanish, he took a year off to live in Chile, to fully immerse himself in a non-English speaking culture.  Matthew has presented at international fora including APAIE in Taiwan and has further demonstrated his expertise and leadership qualities as a member of the IEAA Special Interest Group on Transnational Education.

2012 Recipient

Emma Lincoln
Associate Director, Compliance and Quality
Swinburne University of Technology

In 2012 Emma was a tireless and prominent campaigner for the rights of institutions and has regularly represented the sector with expertise and professionalism to regulators and government departments.  The panel were particularly impressed with Emma’s leadership and contribution to the sector as a whole in relation to Australia’s Tuition Protection Scheme (TPS) and Streamlined Visa Program, which is unmatched.  Emma represented the sector at the TPS Senate Hearing and was co-opted by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Research, Science and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) and Universities Australia to join the national roadshow to outline the practical aspects of the implementation of the TPS to providers. Emma managed and led various quality and compliance aspects of international education at Swinburne, with the interests of students her primary concern. 

Emma used the award to undertake two postgraduate units at the University of Melbourne to further her understanding of the regulatory regime that applies to international students and of consumer protection generally. One of my research papers was concerned with what extent universities are appropriate bearers of regulatory responsibility under the streamlined visa processing regime. Having found these studies deeply rewarding, Emma went on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Law. The fellowship broadened Emma’s understanding of the regulatory frameworks in which universities operate, which has been extremely beneficial in her role as Director of Governance and Integrity/University Secretary at Swinburne University. 

2011 Recipient

Mr Simon Davies-Burrows
Manager, Internationalisation
Edith Cowan University

When awarded the awarded the inaugural fellowship, Simon had been championing international education within his institutions for a decade.  Simon is currently Vice President of the Council for International Students of Western Australia, a position he has held since 2009.

As part of the fellowship Simon undertook the LH Martin Institute’s Tertiary Education Leadership program. This program provided great insight into skills required for leading institutions as well as enabling a greater understanding of strategic leadership and the skills required.