Gary Thomas

Professor Gary Thomas was the inaugural Dean Indigenous Education and Engagement at the University of the Sunshine Coast and responsible for leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues related to the student experience, learning and teaching, research and community engagement. Professor Thomas has worked at the University of Southern Queensland, the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University, the Queensland University of Technology and the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. He has held academic, professional and senior executive roles. He has contributed to national and international Indigenous education agendas as an office bearer within the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium and the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium. He currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board to the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education. Professor Thomas was an Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) Honorary Auditor and is currently a Registered Expert for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Authority (TEQSA). In 2016, Professor Thomas became the first Indigenous Australian to be awarded Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK).