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Associate Professor Alison Owens is the Chair of the Academic Board and
serves as a distinguished member of the Governing Council, Course &
Industry Advisory Committee and Learning & Teaching Committee at
Southern Cross Institute (SCI). She is the Academic Lead, Scholarship and
Professional Learning at the Centre for Education and Innovation at the
Australian Catholic University (ACU).
Associate Professor Owens has over twenty-five years’ experience in
teaching and researching in higher education. She is the recipient of
multiple internal and external research grants and publishes widely on
higher education topics. Her fields of interest and impact are the
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Creative Arts.
Associate Professor Owens completed her Doctorate in Education in 2006
(University of Technology Sydney) and completed a PhD in Creative Arts
(Central Queensland University) in 2018. In recognition of her commitment
to professional learning for academic staff and PhD supervisions, she was
awarded the ACU Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Postgraduate Teaching
Excellence in 2023.
Adjunct Professor Asif Iqbal has over twenty years’ experience as an
academic, most of it in academic management roles. Educated in several
continents, Adjunct Professor Iqbal’s initial commerce degree in Pakistan and a
degree from the UK was followed by employment as an academic at the
Assumption University of Bangkok and as the Head of the Marketing
Department at the Bradford University, Bangkok Campus/Centre.
In Australia, Adjunct Professor Iqbal lectured at the University of Wollongong,
Australian Catholic University, Central Queensland University, and the
University of Newcastle. He worked at the Central Queensland University for
six years as lecturer and the Sub-Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law. In
that role, Adjunct Professor Iqbal led a team of over 100 academics in wide-
ranging disciplines. As Sub-Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law, Adjunct
Professor Iqbal played a key role in the establishment of the new Sydney
campus of Central Queensland University.
In 2005, Adjunct Professor Iqbal was instrumental in setting up the Sydney
Campus of Curtin University of Technology where he worked as the Academic
Director leading a large team of academics until 2009. He managed the
comprehensive campus audits conducted by the Australian Universities
Quality Agency (AUQA) and was the Chair of the Academic Board at the
Sydney Campus of Curtin University of Technology.
Adjunct Professor Iqbal has been a member of various corporate and academic
committees at the Central Queensland University, Curtin University of
Technology, the University of Wollongong, the University of Newcastle,
Australian Institute of Business and Queensland International Business
Academy (QIBA Sydney).
As a member of the CPA Australia Universities Committee, he played a key
participant’s role in establishing a new membership pathway through the study
of foundation courses.
Following his role at Curtin University and prior to joining Southern Cross
School of Business (SCSB), Adjunct Professor Iqbal established the higher
education division of Williams Business College and led it successfully in
gaining the status of a non-self-accrediting higher education institution. The
College Governing Council then appointed Adjunct Professor Iqbal the
Campus Director and Dean of Williams Business College. Adjunct Professor
Iqbal served as the Chair of the Higher Education Executive Management
team and a member of the Governing Council and the Academic Board. He is
well-known for his expertise in higher education management and is widely
consulted in the areas of higher education registration and course
accreditation regulatory processes.
Honorary Professor Maypilama is a senior Yolŋu researcher and respected Cultural Authority from the Waramirri clan of Galiwin’ku, Elcho Island. She is a Principal Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University’s Molly Wardaguga Research Centre and the Northern Institute, with over 20 years of experience in Yolŋu-led research, community engagement, and education. A founding member of Yalu Marŋgithinyaraw (now Yalu Aboriginal Corporation), Honorary Professor Maypilama has played a pivotal role in developing culturally responsive health and education programs for Yolŋu communities. Her expertise spans maternal and child health, nutrition, chronic disease, hearing loss, and early development. Fluent in multiple Yolŋu Matha dialects, she has guided numerous collaborative projects that bridge Yolŋu and Western knowledge systems, championing ethical research practices and improved education outcomes for Yolŋu people.
Honorary Professor Maypilama is widely recognised for her exceptional ability to work between cultures and for her unwavering commitment to community-led approaches. She has mentored both Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, ensuring that research undertaken in Yolŋu communities is culturally grounded, respectful, and mutually beneficial. Through her leadership, Honorary Professor Maypilama continues to influence national conversations on Indigenous research methodologies and education, while actively supporting the next generation of Yolŋu leaders and scholars.
Dr David Newham is a respected Aboriginal cultural educator with over 25 years of experience across community engagement, public and not-for-profit sectors, and Indigenous education and training. A proud Aboriginal man with traditional connections to the Wiradjuri and Ngemba/Wongaibon peoples of New South Wales, he brings deep cultural knowledge, extensive community networks, and expertise in Traditional Aboriginal philosophy and culturally responsive practice.
Dr Newham’s academic work includes significant contributions to Indigenous pedagogies, cultural contexts, and Aboriginal Lore. His Master of Philosophy research developed a Traditional Aboriginal pedagogy grounded in Ancient Aboriginal epistemology and philosophy, informing ongoing action-based research projects co-designed with Aboriginal academics and Elders. He is further progressing this work through his Doctor of Philosophy, focusing on Traditional Aboriginal philosophy.
As a member of SCI’s Social Work Course Advisory and Development Committee, Dr Newham provides expert guidance on Aboriginal community needs, cultural safety, and Indigenous knowledge systems and practices. His contributions strengthen culturally responsive curriculum design, enhance student cultural capability, and support meaningful engagement with Aboriginal communities and organisations. Through this work, he plays an integral role in advancing SCI’s commitment to high-quality, culturally informed, and socially responsible social work education.
