Meet our 2016 Alumnus of the Year Finalists
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We are so proud of all of our Alumni and love to celebrate their successes! Meet the finalists for the 2016 USQ Alumnus of the Year awards here.
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Meet our 2016 Alumnus of the Year Finalists
- 1. Meet our 2016 USQ Alumnus of the Year Finalists We’re so proud of our USQ graduates and enjoy celebrating their success. Presenting the Alumnus of the Year Awards gives us the opportunity to acknowledge some amazing achievements and share our #usqpride!
- 2. David Fagan Director of Corporate Transition, Queensland University of Technology Bachelor of Arts, 1978 For more than a decade David Fagan acted as the voice of, and for, Queensland through his leadership and editorship of The Courier-Mail. He also led media company, News Corp’s 41 state mastheads through the transition from print to multimedia publishing, during which time he had an editorial staff of more than 700 people and a budget of AUD$70 million. David now applies those formative skills at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), as Director of Corporate Transition. He is also a Director of Carers’ Queensland, a Deputy State Australian Republican Movement (ARM) Convenor and an Australian Press Council Adjudicator. David prides himself on his role in developing news and media products that better told the story of everyday Queenslanders. Sharan Doyle-Berry Team Leader and Leading Vocation Teacher, TAFE Queensland East Coast Graduate Diploma in Further Education and Training, 2007 Master of Education, 2008 Sharan Doyle-Berry’s dedication to teaching excellence has not only seen her contribute to the careers of thousands of students studying for the vocation of hairdressing at TAFE Queensland East Coast, it has also seen her win a number of professional awards across her career. Sharan is currently a Team Leader and Leading Vocation Teacher at TAFE Queensland East Coast, a lead representative for the TAFE Queensland Learning Community and Industry Advisory group, TQEC, and she is the Director and proprietor of Inversion Hair Consultancy. Sharan is an active participant in the local community and she is a member of a number of industry and professional groups including the Regional Queensland Hairdressing Industry Advisory Committee and the Women’s Business Awards. PROFESSIONAL Alumnus of the Year Finalists
- 3. Prof Sean Ryan Head of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom Master of Business Administration, 1999 For United Kingdom-based astronomer Professor Sean Ryan aiming for the stars when it comes to career achievements is literally what he does best. He has worked in observatories in Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where he worked with the Hubble Space Telescope. Sean is a Professor of Astrophysics and is currently the Head of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at the UK’s Higher Education Academy. His research studies the formation of elements across cosmic history and focuses on the birth of the Milky Way and the discovery of its oldest stars. In 2015 he published his 100th refereed research paper titled A three-dimensional hydrodynamical line profile analysis of iron lines and barium isotopes in HD140283. INTERNATIONAL Alumnus of the Year Winner
- 4. Dr Keng-Boon Ooi Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Postgraduate Studies, and Dean for the Faculty of Business and Information Science, UCSI University, Malaysia Bachelor of Information Technology, 1998 Master of Business Administration, 2000 Dr Keng-Boon Ooi is a Professor, current Deputy Vice- Chancellor of Research and Postgraduate studies, and Dean for the Faculty of Business and Information Science at UCSI University in Malaysia. He is also an internationally published and cited researcher, having authored and co-authored more than 100 papers in refereed journals. He was acknowledged as the Most Productive Author (by number of publications) and the Second Most Influential Author (in terms of H-index) globally in Thomson Web of Science for an article published by Telematics and Informatics, Elsevier in the discipline of mobile commerce and its application from 2000-2015. He received the highly competitive international grant from Sumitomo Foundation, Japan in 2002 and 2009 and CIMA’s Centre of Excellence Southeast Asia Research Grant for Malaysian small and medium sized enterprises in 2013. Dr Rael Lange Director and Senior Scientist for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland, USA Bachelor of Applied Science, 1994 Graduate Diploma of Applied Science, 1996 Doctor of Philosophy, 2000 Dr Rael Lange is an award-winning researcher in the field of clinical neuropsychology, in both civilian and military settings, at a national and international level. He is currently the Research Director and Senior Scientist for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, USA. Rael also serves as the Scientific Director for a large-scale congressionally mandated study into the outcomes of traumatic brain injury within the first 15 years of injury. For the past 16 years he has been an active clinical researcher and has published more than 119 peer reviewed papers and book chapters, 172 published abstracts, and 232 conference presentations. He is currently responsible for a national program of research (USA) funded at more than USD$45 million. RESEARCH/ACADEMIC Alumnus of the Year Finalists
- 5. Abdulkarim Al Zarouni Key Account Manager, Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates Bachelor of Business, 2010 Abdulkarim Al Zarouni is an enterprising 29-year-old. He is an award-winning, Key Account Manager at Dubai International Airport where he has been recognised for his contribution to the implementation of new safety practices and improving work performance within various departments across airport operations. Abdulkarim is an entrepreneur, having launched several businesses under the banner of Al Zarouni Sons Group. He is a real estate consultant who has won awards for his innovative ideas and passion relating to the United Arab Emirates property environment. Lastly, but certainly not least, Abdulkarim is a humanitarian aid volunteer who has worked with several international aid organisation such as Doctors Without Borders and IIRO in Africa and at the Syrian-Lebanese border, and with other Dubai-based not-for-profit groups whose goals are to support local causes. YOUNG Alumnus of the Year Winner
- 6. Paul Ventaloro Regional Coordinator, Partners in Recovery, Lifeline, Darling Downs and South West Queensland Bachelor of Social Science, 2010 Creating an inclusive and supportive community has become a way of life for Paul Ventaloro. Paul works at the Australian not-for-profit organisation Lifeline as the Regional Coordinator for the Darling Downs & South West Queensland Partners in Recovery initiative. Within this role, Paul works tirelessly to ensure a high-quality, consistent level of care and support is received by people in need throughout the region. Despite this massive task, Paul still felt there was more that could be done and in 2015 he coordinated the development of the Toowoomba Suicide Prevention Network and became a safeTALK facilitator. Through this network Paul has assembled representatives from 26 local organisations, to form a group of 34 members and 38 affiliates who actively participate in projects designed to increase suicide awareness, prevention and support. Sharon Boyce Manager, Discovering DisAbility and Diversity Bachelor of Arts, 1990 Graduate Diploma in Further Education and Training, 1993 Master of Education – Honours, 1997 Sharon Boyce is a true example of what can be achieved with a determined attitude. Sharon was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when she was 11-years-old and is confined to an electric wheelchair, but she has not let her circumstances stop her from attaining her personal, career and community goals. Sharon’s achievements are impressively varied; she has written a children’s book to help kids learn about physical disability, she is involved in a number of local and state networks and organisations including the Queensland Disability Advisory Council, of which she is the current chair, and she developed Discovering DisAbility and Diversity – a first-of-its-kind experiential disability awareness program that travels around the region informing the community about people’s differences and how to celebrate them. COMMUNITY SERVICE Alumnus of the Year Finalists
- 7. INDIGENOUS SERVICE Alumnus of the Year Finalists Dr Stephen Hagan Executive Director, Regional Economic Solutions Master of Business Administration, 2002 Doctor of Philosophy, 2016 Dr Stephen Hagan is a former diplomat, senior public servant, academic and businessman. He is also a proud Kullilli man from far south-west Queensland and has been an active contributor to, and defender of, Indigenous affairs nationally. His PhD The nexus between judicial bias against Indigenous Australians and community xenophobia was confirmed on 30 May this year by USQ. Stephen has researched and written four publications: The N-Word – One Man’s Stand, Magabala, 2005; Australia’s Blackest Sporting Moments: The Top 100 and Melly and the Bilby, both Ngalga Warralu, 2006; and Ngalga Mathematics, Oxford University Press, 2011. In addition to winning an award for his first book, Stephen is also a multi-award winning filmmaker. Dr Odette Best Senior Lecturer (Nursing), Queensland University of Technology Doctor of Philosophy, 2012 Dr Odette Best is an Aboriginal woman who has had a long and distinguished career as a Registered Nurse, an academic and an historian of Aboriginal nurses and midwives. Her PhD, titled Yatdjuligin: The Stories of Queensland Aboriginal Nurses 1950-2005, explored the journey of six Aboriginal Registered Nurses across six decades. Odette has been acknowledged for her work through a Churchill Fellowship in 2002 and an International Council of Nursing Fellowship in 2009. She was also awarded the 2015 Tertiary Teaching and Learning Award from the Australian Educational Publishing Awards for her textbook Yatdjuligin: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nursing and Midwifery Care. She is committed to primary health care within Aboriginal health, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and women’s health services.
- 8. CHAPTER VOLUNTEER Alumnus of the Year Winner and Highly Commended Johnny Hung (Winner) Chair, USQ Graduates Society Hong Kong Alumni Chapter Bachelor of Business, 1992 Johnny Hung is a Hong Kong Practising Accountant and Chartered Secretary, and the owner of M.H.Hung & Co, a Hong Kong-based accounting firm. He is also the current Chair of the USQ Graduates Society Hong Kong Alumni Chapter and was the driving force behind the chapter’s restructure in 2010 and its subsequent growth and success. Over the last six years, Johnny has worked tirelessly to strengthen the chapter’s ties to USQ and its relationships with local businesses and industry. After serving as Vice-Chair for four years, Johnny was unanimously elected as Chair in 2014, with his platform of passion for promoting and fostering fellowship among USQ alumni living and working in Hong Kong. Chapter members meet regularly for social, volunteer and professional events. Leesa Soulodre (Highly Commended) Vice-Chair, USQ Singapore Alumni Chapter Master of Management, 2004 Leesa Soulodre is Chief Reputation Risk Officer and Managing Partner at RL Expert Group. She has been a member of the USQ Singapore Alumni Society since 2013. During her membership, Leesa has held the positions of Marketing and Communications and Vice Chair – the position she currently holds. Within her executive committee roles, Leesa has been at the forefront of new initiatives implemented by the chapter, predominantly those designed to increase engagement and communication between alumni members. Over the last 12 months, she has launched the USQ Singapore Alumni Chapter website, a Google+ Asia Alumni Clubhouse, and promoted the ‘Towards an Asia Century’ event series and a professional development webinar series, all with the goal of growing a connected and prosperous chapter within the fast-paced Asian alumni landscape.
- 9. Are you our next USQ Alumnus of the Year? Make sure you keep in touch with us after you graduate; we would love to hear from you. Also, check out our ‘7 great reasons to stay connected to USQ’ www.slideshare.net/usqedu/7-great-reasons-to-stay-connected-with-us CRICOS: QLD00244B NSW02225M TEQSA: PRV12081 12.1.G 07.2016 Graphics © Shutterstock Photos © USQ Online Marketing usq.edu.aualumni@usq.edu.au Keep in touch with us!