Professor Cobie Rudd is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures) and Vice-President at Edith Cowan University (ECU) with the key responsibility to build ECU’s presence in the regions with a focus on the South West, given ECU South West’s Bunbury campus is the State’s largest regional campus supported by a range of learning hubs. In this role she’s secured the State Government’s first regional innovation hub, the WA Creative Tech Innovation Hub as well as a new Commonwealth Government funded University Department of Rural Health for the South West.

Professor Rudd has provided leadership for a diverse range of capacity-building and research projects on a national scale and has also lived, and worked, in Queensland and Canberra in senior management, and policy making and advisory roles for both state and commonwealth governments.

Professor Rudd also holds the ECU portfolio for institutional accreditation in gender equality and was inducted into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame in March 2023. Previously, she was ECU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Partnerships), ECU’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Advancement), ECU’s inaugural Chair in Mental Health, and one of five National Teaching Fellows appointed by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching in 2011; the first in simulation-based learning. She’s worked across all sectors in her career, including as a Federal Ministerial policy researcher, State Government policy advisor, CEO in the private sector, and clinician.

She has served as a Non-Executive Director on over 14 boards of governance and holds the degrees of Bachelor of Health Science in Nursing, Master of Public Health, and Doctor of Philosophy. Additionally, she is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Registered Nurse.

Captain Bond was the Commanding Officer at HMAS Stirling and the Senior Naval Officer of Western Australia prior to transferring to the Naval Reserve in March 2017.

In 2020, Captain Bond joined the ADF COVID-19 Joint Task Group in WA as the RAN Liaison Officer. In February 2021, Captain Bond has continued with Reserve Service as the Defence Lead for the Defence Industry Pathways Program. 

Captain Bond has extensive experience in executive positions and human resource management. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management WA and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Captain Bond is the Warden at the Fremantle War Memorial and the Patron of the Ex WRANS and RAN Women’s Association. Captain Bond has achieved a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Defence Studies (Management) degree from the University of Canberra.

Ms Fran Kirby was born in Northern Ireland. She immigrated to WA in 1987 having completed a Bachelor of Hospitality and Business from the University of Ulster. Having gained significant hotel operational experience in Ireland and Australia, Fran was appointed Human Resources Manager at Observation City Hotel in 1992 until 1999. Thereafter she spent 3 years as Human Resources Manager at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle. In 2003 Fran joined Accor Hotels as the Regional Human Resources Manager for Western Australia and the Northern Territory and was responsible for 18 hotels across the Regions. Fran was admitted to the Australian Hotels Association “Hall of Fame” in 2008 for services to the Hospitality Industry in Western Australia. After semi-retiring in 2020 Fran continues to work as a Consultant for Accor Hotels. She has also recently commenced a role as Senior Workplace Relations Advisor at The Australian Hotels Association in WA.

Fran has been a member on the State Training Board since January 2018. She is a Board Member of Hospitality Group Training and Deputy Chair of the Tourism and Hospitality Consultative Committee for Edith Cowan University.

Professor Juli Coffin is an Aboriginal woman, with traditional ties to her grandparents’ Nyangumarta country in the Pilbara region. She is recognised as a prominent Aboriginal researcher, with expertise in cultural security, education and research across a diverse range of settings including chronic diseases, community development, health promotion and equine assisted learning.

Professor Coffin has been awarded numerous competitive grants throughout her career, with the most recent being awarded in 2020 from Healthway and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Professor Coffin has worked in the Aboriginal youth space for many years and while in this role, Professor Coffin designed the Yawardani Jan-ga Equine Assisted Learning research program, which is the first of its kind in the Kimberley, Australia and the world.

In 2022, Professor Coffin commenced a new position as Ellison Professor Aboriginal Young People’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing at Murdoch University’s Ngangk Yira Institute for Change.

Mr Stephen Moir is the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Motor Trade Association of Western Australia (MTA WA), a position he has held since February 2010. The MTA WA is the peak representative body for the automotive retail and services sector. The automotive sector in WA consists of approximately 7,000 businesses, which employ 35,000 people.

Prior to joining the MTA WA, Mr Moir was the Managing Director of the Small Business Development Corporation where he had responsibility for

the development and sustainability of the State’s small business sector. He was also responsible for the management of the State’s skilled and business migration program and established one of the most respected, innovative and successful programs in Australia. Stephen was a member of the Federal Minister for Immigration’s Consultative Panel, which determined the future shape of Australia's skilled migration program. Mr Moir has held senior management positions in the retail sector, industrial relations, marketing and human resource professions.

Ms Lisa Judge is the Assistant Secretary of UnionsWA, the peak representative body for trade unions, where she is responsible for sector development, training, procurement, and worker entitlements. Before joining the union movement, Ms Judge worked to promote social inclusion and equality as an advisor to state and federal governments.

A graduate of the Australian National University, Ms Judge holds a BA in Political Science and Government and a Master of Teaching. She is passionate about strengthening public services by empowering the workforce who deliver them. In her most recent role as the Coordinator of Communications and Engagement at the CPSU/CSA Ms Judge coordinated worker responses to COVID policy and drove the digitisation of union services to respond to remote work.

Ms Judge now serves on the newly formed Building and Construction Consultative Committee and pursues the protection of worker entitlements on the MyLeave Board. 

With more than two decades’ experience in the health and community service sectors, Debra is a natural leader and passionate advocate for practical and decisive action to disrupt cycles of social disadvantage.

Debra is currently chief executive officer of Ruah Community Services. Ruah is a leading Western Australian community organisation that provides services supporting people experiencing homelessness, family and domestic violence, and mental health challenges.

She has worked in senior roles in specialised drug and alcohol services, Catholic hospital executive management, and other related health and community services.

Debra has extensive governance experience. She is currently a Council Member of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (WA), Board Member and Treasurer of the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness and Board Member at Nollamara Primary School. She has served as a Board Member of the East Metropolitan Health Service and Chair of their Audit and Risk Committee, Member of the National Centre for Social Impact Advisory and as President of the Western Australian Council of Social Services. Debra is a founding member of the WA Alliance to End Homelessness.

Debra has post graduate qualifications in Arts, Education and Counselling and has taught in both secondary and tertiary education settings. She is passionate about lifelong learning and the role that education, training and development play in creating more equitable societies.

Ms Lena Constantine is an executive leader at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCIWA) who has been driving workforce development policy and initiatives for WA industry for over a decade.  

Holding a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University, she has responsibility for leading CCIWA’s services focussed on supporting WA businesses to build local skills through connecting with the school, VET and university sectors to develop the workforce of the future.  

Lena is passionate about getting people the skills that WA industry needs and has strong knowledge of the apprenticeship system from overseeing WA’s largest Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider since 2015.  

Prior to her current role, Lena worked in Canberra on industry policy for the Federal Government; and led the CCIWA policy team, amassing extensive experience in policy development and government program implementation.