Keynote Speakers

Professor Verity Firth AM is the inaugural Vice-President Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement at the University of New South Wales. Prof. Firth has over twenty years’ experience at the very highest levels of government and education sectors in Australia. Prior to her role at UNSW, Prof. Firth was the Pro Vice-Chancellor Social Justice and Inclusion at UTS (2015-2022), the CEO of the Public Education Foundation (2011-2014) and the NSW Minister for Education and Training (2008-2011). Verity is a member of the Commonwealth Government’s Implementation Advisory Committee for the Universities Accord.

Morgan has been our Manager Ōritetanga Learner Success since November 2019 and is now DCE. The team is responsible for supporting the organisation to deliver system-level equity in participation and performance for all learners.

Since completing her PhD in 2010, Morgan has spent the majority of her professional career at the TEC, working in a variety of roles: from working with the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics and wānanga sector, to implementing the Tertiary Education Strategy and delivering the 2018 PBRF Quality Evaluation.

Morgan briefly worked in the non-profit sector in the US, where her work focused on how social needs, like food and housing insecurity, should be considered a part of basic healthcare.

Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau is responsible for implementing the University’s strategy regarding Pacific staff, students and communities. She plays a critical role in advising the Vice-Chancellor and the senior leadership team on matters concerning Pacific peoples, communities, and the broader Pacific region.

In addition, Jemaima leads and supports the development of relationships between the University and Pacific staff, students, communities, and organizations. She also oversees the University’s engagement and relationships with predominantly Pacific high schools, with support from the Schools and Community Engagement team.

Furthermore, Jemaima is tasked with managing the Fale Pasifika complex, ensuring it serves the needs of the Pacific community within the University.

Grant has worked in the health. disability and education sectors for over 30 years at governance, senior leadership and practitioner levels.  With lived experience of disability from birth, Grant uses a wheelchair for mobility and brings both lived and professional experience to his work.

For 9 years Grant was the Chief Executive of Workbridge, a large employment agency for disabled people. He was also a member of the Ministerial Group that developed the EGL principles.

His governance appointments include: The NZ Qualifications Authority, Workforce Development Council for Community, Health, Education and Social Services, and chair of various disability-related boards and groups. 

In 1997 Grant established Creative Solutions. He provides disability-related strategic advice, coaching and training for organizations, and the disability community.

Grant has worked extensively in tertiary/vocational education supporting disabled ākonga (learners).

He managed disability support at Lincoln University. He co-wrote the Kia Orite Toolkit, a framework developed with TEC and Achieve to assist tertiary and vocational providers with their Disability Action Plans, and the Te Pūkenga Te Rito Report about the experiences of Disabled Ākonga in vocational education. He has also worked with various providers on their Disability Action Plans.

Rosalie Atie is the Acting Director on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti-Racism Framework Strategy, funded by the Australian Government to develop a proposal for Australia’s first Anti-Racism Framework. The project takes a human-rights based and anti-racist approach, centreing First Nations truth-telling and sovereignty, the voices of those with lived experience of racism and takes a systems change approach. 

Before joining the Commission in June 2021, Rosalie was an academic and researcher based at Western Sydney University. Rosalie’s doctoral research investigated racialisation and belonging in Sydney’s literary and creative arts scenes, with a focus on Western Sydney.