Academic Board
The Board of Directors delegates responsibility for academic policymaking, academic administration and oversight of the educational process pertaining to the operation of higher education courses to the Academic Board. The Academic Board is made up of a majority of external members and staff, with students as invitee to ensure that they have the opportunity to participate in academic governance.
Sally Robertson (Chair)
Professor Sally Robinson is an experienced academic leader who most recent focus has been on learning and teaching and student engagement. She is a registered nurse who served as the Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Notre Dame Australia in Sydney for a number of year and prior as Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching). She successfully led the development and accreditation of the School’s curriculum for both internal and external accreditation. Notre Dame is recognised as having one of the best nursing schools in the country.
Sally served as Chair of the University Learning and Teaching Committee and the internal accreditation committee responsible for accreditation of courses and units for all disciplines at the University. As a result of her work, Sally was awarded Senior Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy in the UK.
Sally is currently serving on Academic Boards/Counsels at a number of institutions.
Elly Thomson
Eloise Thomson is the Head of Program and senior lecturer for the Bachelor of Education programs at Melbourne Polytechnic in Melbourne, Australia. She has over 20 years experience in Higher Education and the delivery and governance of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs. Her research interests encompass early childhood, primary, and ITE contexts. Specifically, her work delves into early childhood education, collaborative practices, the use of technology in educational settings, and the development of initial teacher education programs
Kate Tran
Associate Professor Kate Tran has been a lecturer, educator and academic leader in higher education for over two decades. Her work in academia focuses on enhancing teaching and learning quality and academic integrity, and facilitating student development of language, academic, research and professional skills. She particularly interests in working with and supporting international students, especially those from countries where English is learnt as a foreign language (EFL) or second language (ESL). Kate has served and contributed to the Learning and Teaching Committees and Academic Boards at a number of Institutions. At PIA, Kate is the Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching).
Associate Professor Elaine Evans
Elaine is a Higher Education Consultant with over 30 years’ experience in the sector. She is both a FCPA and a CA. Currently Elaine is a member of academic boards of Higher Education Private Providers (HEPPs) and is an external reviewer of curricula for accounting specialisations in undergraduate degrees. In addition, she chairs Course Advisory and Review Committees. She has held academic positions at Macquarie University, UWS (now WSU), ANU and UNSW. She has taught both undergraduate and postgraduate subjects in the accounting discipline. Her roles at Macquarie University included Higher Degree Research Co-ordinator and Research Co-ordinator for which she won the Faculty of Business and Economics Dean’s Award for Research Leadership. Elaine is the recipient of a Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Education Award, from Macquarie University. She has received Outstanding Reviewer and Outstanding Paper Awards from international accounting and accounting education journals. She has been an invited guest editor for themed editions of Accounting Education and Accounting History journals and a plenary speaker at the British Accounting Association Education Special Interest Group Annual Conference, at the University of Essex. She was a member of the Editorial Review Board of several international accounting journals.
Dr David Baxter
Dr David Baxter was a secondary school English teacher, head of department and North West regional consultant for the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education from 1975-1995. He then became a lecturer in English and literacy education for the University of New England until 2007 before moving to the Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE) in 2007 as Associate Dean and Acting Dean in 2012. His responsibilities there included chairing the Teaching and Learning Committee and serving on Academic Board. Since retiring from ACPE in 2013, he has done consultancy work with a range of private and public higher education providers in areas such as policy development and review, TEQSA registration and course accreditation and governance reviews. He has been Chair of the PIA Learning and Teaching Committee since 2018.
Mr Mohammad Akbar
Associate Professor Mohammad Akbar brings extensive experience in higher education, focusing on enhancing teaching quality and supporting student development in accounting and professional skills. Holding dual MBAs in Professional Accounting from UTS, Australia, and Marketing from North South University, Bangladesh, he brings a unique and comprehensive perspective to his roles. Mohammad is dedicated to improving classroom education quality by aligning it with industry demands to enhance the employability of fresh graduates. With a wealth of experience in marketing and sales across various industries, he actively contributes to the academic community at PIA. He is also pursuing research in accounting education at the University of Southern Queensland. Mohammad currently holds the positions of Associate Dean (Academic Operations) and Chair of the Board of Examiners at PIA.
Email: mohammad@pia.edu.au
Professor Geoff Morris
Dean Professor Geoff Morris has an extensive background in both the business world and in academia. Prior to his appointment at PIA he has spent almost 13 years in senior academic roles including Dean of Business at the University of Notre Dame and the Dean and Director of Learning & Teaching at Asia Pacific International College. Before joining academia, he had a successful business career involving senior leadership positions in public and private organisations including Sydney Water, Commonwealth Bank, HCF, Medibank Private, TAB and Australian Water Technologies. He has managed and delivered a number of large projects in Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Geoff’s home discipline is economics with a bachelors degree from Sydney University. This was followed by postgraduate qualifications in management, leadership and higher education teaching.