Each year UNE is proud to applaud the achievements of outstanding alumni through a series of prestigious awards. Our Distinguished, Community and Rising Star award winners are recognised for performing with distinction in their professional and personal lives across a range of professions and communities.
This year we recognise five Distinguished Award winners who have made significant contributions during the course of their careers, displaying outstanding leadership and embodying UNE’s values of creativity, innovation, risk-taking, access and inclusion. Winners this year include:
- Barry Buffier, AM, former senior public servant and environmental consultant, in recognition of his significant public service contribution in the areas of environmental protection and agriculture.
- Emeritus Professor Ronald Leng, AO, educator and international agricultural consultant, in recognition of his significant contribution to agriculture in the area of ruminant nutrition and improving livestock productivity in developing countries.
- Romlie Mokak, policy-maker and Australian Government Productivity Commissioner, in recognition of his significant contribution to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and his systematic reform of medical education in Australia to increase the number of Indigenous medical graduates.
- Inaam Tabbaa, AM, lawyer, consultant and volunteer, in recognition of her significant contribution to educating and inspiring young people and for her services to the community.
- Professor John (Charlie) Veron, OAM, internationally renowned coral biologist and conservationist, in recognition of ground-breaking coral reef research revolutionising the understanding of coral evolution and his leadership in the conservation of coral reefs against the effects of climate change.
Our Community Award recognises significant contributions (through paid or unpaid work) in the community sector, philanthropic or public life or through support for not-for-profit organisations. Our sole recipient this year is Alan Gilmour, in recognition of his significant contribution to supporting the arts community, specifically in the areas of not-for-profit music, song-writing, media and community radio.
UNE Rising Star Award winners display outstanding leadership in accordance with UNE values and will inspire future generations of UNE graduates. This year, our winners are:
- Shonelle Gleeson-Willey, environmental consultant, in recognition of her professional leadership in the environmental industry and her innovative approach to fostering a work-life balance.
- Jolynne Rydz, facilitator and organisational development consultant, in recognition of her leadership and inspiring approach to improving workplace relations and professional development.
Chair of the awards selection committee, UNE’s Interim Vice-Chancellor and CEO Professor Simon Evans, said the winners reflect the calibre of graduates UNE produces each and every year.
"My warmest congratulations to the eight UNE Alumni Award recipients for 2022," Professor Evans said. “Each demonstrates UNE’s values of community engagement, respect, access and inclusion and integrity. They highlight the power of a UNE education and the impact that our alumni have – at the community, national and international level.
“Each year we receive a strong field of nominations and I commend all those who shared their experiences and achievements with us. It is a daunting task for our selection committee to choose winners but also a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the reach of our alumni community.”
We will share the inspirational stories of all award winners in the weeks to come.
