2019 Speakers

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Tracy Harris

Tracy Harris

Tracy Harris joined RMIT University in December 2017 as the Executive Director, Global Development and Performance.  In this role Tracy is responsible for driving the development of the University’s international partnerships including the management of risk, and the nurturing of collaborative relations with partner institutions and internal stakeholders. The role also manages the progressive implementation of the University’s International Plan and the University’s international relations more generally.

Prior to joining RMIT, Tracy was with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade).  Her roles included Trade Commissioner, Singapore and ASEAN Education Commissioner, based in Singapore, where she was responsible for the strategic direction of the marketing and promotion of Australian education and training within the ASEAN region; as well as Manager, Global Engagement and Promotions, leading a team responsible for Austrade’s global marketing and promotions of Australia’s international education and training industry.

Tracy was with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations from 2004 to 2010. During this time she held a number of positions, including the Director of Scholarships, managing the Endeavour Awards and outbound mobility programs, as well as the Director of Stakeholder Engagement.  Prior to joining the public sector, Tracy worked for the University of Canberra for nine years, spending most of that time in the International Office.

Session proudly sponsored by Bridging Translation:

Rebecca Hall

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Rebecca Hall leads Austrade’s engagement in promoting Australia’s international education sector. As the Senior Industry Specialist, International Education, Rebecca forms part of the Trade and Investment Senior Leadership team, engaging across the Austrade global network and sector. She oversees Austrade’s AIE2025 strategy and Austrade services to support international education sector sustainability.

Prior to joining the Australian Government Rebecca led international education strategy for both the Queensland and Victorian Governments.  Rebecca’s career in international education was sparked by her experience as a JET Programme participant in 1996. Since returning to Australia in 1998 she has contributed her skills and passion for international education through roles in economic development, international relations, strategy development and industry engagement. Uniquely, she has worked across local, state and federal governments, peak bodies and education providers.

Over the past decade, her not-for-profit board experience includes appointments to International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) Queensland Branch and the Queensland Overseas Foundation (QOF) and as board member and deputy chair of AFS Intercultural Programs Australia.  Rebecca holds a Bachelor of International Business Relations and a Master of International Relations and is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2017 Rebecca was awarded the International Education Association of Australia’s (IEAA) Leadership Award for her contribution to the sector. She is mum to Emi and Mia.

Melissa Banks

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Melissa Banks is the Pro Vice Chancellor International at James Cook University. Melissa provides leadership and oversight of JCU’s international engagement encompassing strategy development and implementation in the areas of inbound international student recruitment, international student support, outbound mobility and international partnerships and alliances. Melissa is also Chair of the Board of JCU College Pty Ltd, a wholly owned entity of James Cook University responsible for teaching English Language and academic pathways. Melissa was recently elected to the position of President of the International Education Association Australia (IEAA).

With over twenty-five years of experience in various roles and working across multiple education sectors and service providers with a focus on international education, Melissa is an experienced leader in the international education sector and has contributed to national and international forums and publications throughout her professional career.

Melissa is a recipient of the prestigious award for Distinguished Contribution to the Field of International Education (IEAA).

Chris Beard

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Chris is Executive Officer for ISANA NZ. Chris leads the association’s professional development programme and liaises with education providers, peak body partners and government agencies. In conjunction with a national education provider, ISANA NZ is working on the development of New Zealand’s first online micro-credentials in International Education. As a teaching fellow, Chris co-teaches an online postgraduate course in International Education for Victoria University of Wellington’s MEd programme.

Based in Wellington, Chris is Executive Officer for ISANA NZ and is responsible for the Association’s professional development programme. He liaises with education providers, partners and government agencies on ISANA NZ’s behalf, and is particularly interested in supporting innovative practice that enhances the international student experience.

PANEL CHAIRS

Arfa Noor

Arfa Noor

Arfa’s career in Australian international education spans almost 10 years. Starting as a founding member and the second President of the Council of International Students Australia (CISA), Arfa has since been working in international education marketing, policy and strategy development across institutes and state government departments.

She is currently the Associate Director, Sponsor Relations and Borderless Delivery at University of Adelaide and a Board member with the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA).

Fazal Rizvi

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Fazal Rizvi is a Professor of Global Studies in Education at the University of Melbourne Australia, as well as an Emeritus Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States. He has written extensively on issues of identity and culture in transnational contexts, globalization and education policy and Australia-Asia relations. A collection of his essays is published in: Encountering Education in the Global: Selected Writings of Fazal Rizvi (Routledge 2014). His most recent books include a co-authored volume, Class Choreographies: Elite Schools and Globalization (Palgrave 2017) and a co-edited volume,Transnational Perspectives on Democracy, Citizenship, Human Rights and Peace Education(Bloomsbury 2019). Professor Rizvi is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Social Sciences and a former Editor of the journal, Discourse: Studies in Cultural Politics of Education, and past President of the Australian Association of Research in Education.

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