From a background in farming, Hendy Cowan became one of the long-serving and most accomplished parliamentarians in the history of Western Australia. For 27 years he was elected a member of the WA Legislative Assembly in the seat of Merredin, including 23 as Leader of the National Party and eight years as Deputy Premier of Western Australia. During his two terms in Government , Hendy held the portfolios of Commerce and Trade: Regional Development and Small Business. His achievements included the establishment of nine regional development commissions across the State and major advances in WA's export capacity and infrastructure in areas such as manufacturing, science and technology. Following his resignation from Parliament in 2001, Hendy again pursued his interest in farming whilst undertaking appointments to various boards (including the Cancer Foundation and Notre Dame University) along with being a Director of the Exports Grain Council and IBC Australia New Zealand Pty Ltd. Hendy Cowan is a recipient of the Federation Centenary Medal and holds Honorary Doctorates in Commerce (Edith Cowan University) and Science (Murdoch University). He chairs the board of the National Tele-Testing Facility, run out of ECU, and is a director of the ECU Foundation. He was welcomed to the University Council in April 2004

A Fellow Certified Practicing Accountant and Fellow of the Tax Insitute of Australia, Steve Abbott spent 20 years in public practice with Duncan McPhail & Co, until 1984 when he established what is now known as Abbott Business Consultants.

Steve has contributed to various committees and was state councillor for CPA Australia and the Taxation Institue of Australia. He has delivered many papers at state and national levels to accounting and legal professions and continues to contribute to the small business and local community. Steve is also a Board member of The Arthritis Foundation of WA and a Director of Arthritis Australia.

Danielle has been on Council since October 1997 and Pro Chancellor in 2003. She is Managing Director of Gosh Leather Ltd, a highly successful Perth company, which export quality leather products to USA and Asia. The company's accolades include the 1998 Western Australian Industry & Export Awards. Danielle is also Director of Schaffer Corporation and Australian Leather Holdings Limited and she is a valued member of several committees within that associated industry. She completed her Bachelor of Arts at UWA and has contributed many years to the St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls community in several voluntary positions for more than 10 years.

From a background in farming, Hendy Cowan became one of the long-serving and most accomplished parliamentarians in the history of Western Australia. For 27 years he was elected a member of the WA Legislative Assembly in the seat of Merredin, including 23 as Leader of the National Party and eight years as Deputy Premier of Western Australia. During his two terms in Government , Hendy held the portfolios of Commerce and Trade: Regional Development and Small Business. His achievements included the establishment of nine regional development commissions across the State and major advances in WA's export capacity and infrastructure in areas such as manufacturing, science and technology. Following his resignation from Parliament in 2001, Hendy again pursued his interest in farming whilst undertaking appointments to various boards (including the Cancer Foundation and Notre Dame University) along with being a Director of the Exports Grain Council and IBC Australia New Zealand Pty Ltd. Hendy Cowan is a recipient of the Federation Centenary Medal and holds Honorary Doctorates in Commerce (Edith Cowan University) and Science (Murdoch University). He chairs the board of the National Tele-Testing Facility, run out of ECU, and is a director of the ECU Foundation. He was welcomed to the University Council in April 2004

A Fellow Certified Practicing Accountant and Fellow of the Tax Insitute of Australia, Steve Abbott spent 20 years in public practice with Duncan McPhail & Co, until 1984 when he established what is now known as Abbott Business Consultants.

Steve has contributed to various committees and was state councillor for CPA Australia and the Taxation Institue of Australia. He has delivered many papers at state and national levels to accounting and legal professions and continues to contribute to the small business and local community. Steve is also a Board member of The Arthritis Foundation of WA and a Director of Arthritis Australia.

Karen Macdonald is the former owner and operator of Bookcaffe; which is one of the largest independent booksellers in WA. She has a degree in Engineering and a Master of Business Administration. With twenty five years in small business and industry, Karen is seeking to utilise her financial and general management skills on government and industry boards. She is involved in her family business, operating a substantial cattle and olive farming enterprise in Cowaramup, where they produce superfine wool and award winning olive oil.

Liz Prime is Director of Nursing at Joondalup Health Campus and has previously held a number of senior management and executive roles in the public and private health sector.
She is a Member of the College of Nursing and the Australian Nursing Federation. Active in the local community for many years, she has contributed to a number of community advisory panels and working parties concerning the development of social infrastructure in the northern suburbs and has been active in the local primary and high school P&C Associations.
Liz is a member of the Statewide Clinical Reform Group Paediatric Services Review and The Government Reference Panel for Review of Practice Protection for Regulated WA Health Practitioners.

Norman Ashton is currently, working part-time as required through Horos his consultancy business. In 2004 he returned to Western Australia after having retired from the position of General Manager of The Smith Family in South Australia. Immediately prior to that he was for two years Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Adelaide, having had particular responsibility for Internationalisation and Development. Before taking up that appointment in July 1999, he was Chair of the Academic (Professorial) Board and of the Academic Council at the University of Western Australia, and an erstwhile Head of the Department of Classics and Ancient History there. His BA (First Class Honours) is from UWA, and the PhD was done at UWA and Oxford. He is now a Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia.

Neil Douglas joined McLeods Barristers and Solicitors as a Partner is 2006. Prior to this he was a Partner with Minter Ellison, Lawyers and was head of the Government Division. For almost 25 years he has practised predominantly in the public law field, dealing with constitutional and administrative law issues affecting federal, state and local governments, statutory authorities, agencies and employees. Before joining Minter Ellison in 1991, Neil worked in various senior legal positions in the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department in Canberra and in the Crown Solicitor's Office in Perth. He was a part-time legal member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal from 1992 to 1997.

Neil has honours degrees in Jurisprudence and Law from the University of Western Australia and Master of Public Law from the Australian National University. He is a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the High Court of Australia and is an accredited mediator. He has taught constitutional and administrative law subjects at the law schools of the Australian National University, the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University.

Alan Needham is a Senior Lecturer in biological science and teaches across a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including the biological and environmental sciences and nursing. His research and community interests include work in the biology and conservation of marsupials. Alan has served on a number of faculty and university committees and is currently a member of the Academic Staff Representatives Group and the Academic Staff Joint Consultative Committee.

Ron Oliver is the Professor of Interactive Multimedia and Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Communications and Creative Industries at Edith Cowan University. He has a background in multimedia and learning technologies and actively researches in these fields. He teaches in both undergraduate and post-graduate program in the School of Communications and Multimedia. He is a member of a number of University Committees and is Chair of the Academic Board at ECU.

As Business Manager of the Finance and Business Services Centre, Human Resources Service Centre, Marketing and ECU (International) Nerissa has had the opportunity to meet with a wide variety of employees throughout ECU. She also has had the benefit of working with senior executives of the University at both the planning and implementation stages of specific initiatives, giving her valuable insights into changes and intended improvements. Coupled with her time in the Office of Research and Innovation, she brings an understanding and appreciation of research administration, the student journey and financial and business practices at ECU to the Council.

Helen Charlesworth has been involved in higher education for most of her adult life, since completing her Teachers' Certificate, Bachelor of Education and Graduate Diploma. She also supported her children through Degrees in Nursing, Science, Commerce and Engineering, and her experience of University life; its needs and demands, is extensive, both on campus and externally. During the 1990s she was a level 3 classroom teacher/deputy principal and developed management skills in human and financial resources and applied department policies and procedures. Helen was a school councillor and financial committee member for 10 years. She enjoys tennis, golf, family and assisting in the management of Australian Veterans' Hockey Teams.

Dick gained his Teachers' Certificate from Claremont Teachers College, an antecedent institution of ECU. He has BEd and BA degrees from the University of Western Australia. He was employed in the Education Department's Secondary Division successively as a Teacher, Head of an English department, Deputy Principal, Principal and Regional Superintendent. About half of his years of service were spent in rural schools. After his retirement, Dick worked in several capacities for the Association of Independent Schools. One of his positions was acting as Principal at Yiyili, an independent aboriginal community school between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. His recreational interests include reading, travel, fishing and membership of the WACA and the Claremont Football Club.

On 7 March 2006, Kerry Cox started as Vice-Chancellor and President of Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. Prior to joining ECU, Kerry Cox had been Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Ballarat for five years, after being Deputy Vice-Chancellor (at Ballarat) and Pro- Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Head of Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Dean of Biological Sciences (all at Flinders University of South Australia). He has been a research scientist at leading institutions in Stockholm, London and Melbourne in his field of microbiology/immunology.

Kerry Cox has a strong record of establishing linkages with government, industry, business and research partners. He has broad community interests and involvement. As a University Head, he promotes a pronounced service orientation and high standards of integrity. Committee/Board/Council memberships include the National Council of Environmental Education in Australia; the Business-Higher Education Round Table; the Australian Society for Microbiology (former President); the Australasian Society for Immunology; the Victorian Education Research Network; the Grampians Rural Health Alliance Network; the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee and the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association (President).

Dr King is ECU's Executive Director (Governance & Planning). She has responsibilities relating to governance processes, policy and planning, executive support, as well as line management of the Equity & Quality Unit.

Dr King joined ECU in 2000, after early experience as a school teacher and then an academic, followed by a wide-ranging public sector career. The latter spanned policy roles with the Commonwealth Office of Youth Affairs, Commonwealth Schools Commission and the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET), and resource management roles with DEET and the WA Department of Training.

This mix of policy and resource management experience and experience in the schools, vocational education and training (VET) and higher education sectors is an advantage in the diverse role Dr King now holds at ECU.

Prior to joining ECU in 2003 David was Director of Research and Performance for the WA TAFE System and Deputy and Acting Chair of the national forum responsible for performance analysis and reporting in the Australian Vocational Education and Training System. David has 17 years experience in educational administration in the higher education, TAFE and industrial training sectors.