Our leadership and organisation

Professor Krause, former Vice-Chancellor and President of Avondale University, will commence as TEQSA’s Chief Commissioner on 8 April 2025.
 

Professor Krause brings extensive higher education leadership and knowledge to TEQSA, with more than 30 years’ experience in public universities and independent institutions. The current chair of the Higher Education Standards Panel (until 7 April 2025), her leadership has focused on systemic institutional turnaround strategies through enhancing the quality of university learning, teaching and student experiences, particularly among diverse student cohorts. An Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education, Professor Krause’s most recent book, Learner-centred leadership in higher education, is a practical guide on strategic higher education leadership practices with learners at the heart.
 

Most recently, as Vice-Chancellor of Avondale University, Kerri-Lee successfully led Avondale’s transition from University College to University, applying lessons learned over many years of leading sector-level quality enhancement and university-wide organisational renewal and strategic improvement. Other executive leadership roles have included Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at Western Sydney University and La Trobe University and Provost at Victoria University where she led the introduction of the block model curriculum initiative and workforce renewal spanning the higher education and TAFE sectors. As Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Melbourne, she led the Student Life executive portfolio, partnering with students, heads of student residential halls and colleagues across the University to enhance the quality of student engagement, safety and wellbeing.
 

Her previous sector leadership includes four years as elected Chair of the Universities Australia Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) group and non-Executive Director on numerous boards. She led the national admissions transparency of higher education strategic priority on behalf of the Higher Education Standards Panel from 2017 to 2025. Professor Krause is internationally recognised for her contributions to higher education policy research and practice, including research on the evolving nature of higher education curricula, learners, academic work and implications for leadership, quality, standards and university governance.

Adrienne Nieuwenhuis was appointed Acting Chief Commissioner of TEQSA on 11 May 2024. 
 

Before her appointment as a TEQSA Commissioner in 2021, Adrienne was the Director of the Office of Vice-Chancellor at the University of South Australia. Prior to this, Adrienne was the Director Quality, Tertiary Education, Science and Research in the South Australian Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology.
 

Adrienne has provided strategic leadership, policy advice and investment direction to support tertiary education, science and research in South Australia. She was also responsible for the regulation of both higher education and vocational education and training (VET) in South Australia and worked closely with the Australian Government in the establishment of the national regulatory systems for both higher education and VET.
 

Adrienne was an inaugural member of the Higher Education Standards Panel (2011–14) and the National Skills Standards Council (2011–13). She was reappointed to the Higher Education Standards Panel for a further three-year term in 2018.
 

Adrienne has been a member of the South Australian Skills Commission since 2013 and has held several roles within the Commission, including Deputy Chair of the Commission (2013–14, 2019–20) and Chair of the Commission’s Traineeship and Apprenticeship subcommittee (2013 – present). Adrienne was also a member of the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (2019–22).
 

Adrienne has over 30 years’ experience in tertiary education and has been a member of various state and federal committees and working parties associated with tertiary education. She holds an honours degree in science and a master’s degree in education policy and administration.

Professor More was appointed to the TEQSA Commission in February 2025.
 

Prior to her appointment to the TEQSA Commission, Professor More held a number of senior academic and leadership roles in higher education. Most recently, Elizabeth has been Chair of the Academic Board of the SP Jain School of Global Management, Board Chair of Nexus Education, and on the Council and Academic Board of Kings Own Institute. Previously, she was the Chief Academic Advisor/Director of Research at Study Group and a member of its senior leadership team. She has also served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie and Canberra universities and Director of the Macquarie University Graduate School of Management (MGSM), Managing Director of MGSM Pty Ltd; Chair of the Academic Senate at Macquarie University; Foundation Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business at the Australian Catholic University; Professor of Management and MBA and Research Director at MGSM; and Academic Director of Macquarie University’s city campus. She was also the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Management and Wellness, incorporating the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) School of Business and the Australasian College of Health and Wellness.
 

A past president of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management, and of the Australian Communication Association, Elizabeth also has extensive experience in governance, and consulting to both private and public sector organisations. Before becoming a university academic, she worked as a classical ballet dancer in theatre and television, and in the advertising industry.
 

In addition to being a member of the 2019 Australian Qualifications Framework review panel, Professor More has been on the editorial boards of the Journal of Global Responsibility, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Australian Journal of Communication, Journal of Communication Management, Journal of International Communication, Knowledge and Process Management, and the Journal of Corporation Transformation.
 

Professor More’s academic achievements were acknowledged in the Queen’s Birthday 2005 Honours List, when she received the award of Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to education, particularly in the fields of communication, management and organisational change. Her most recent research presentations and publications have been focused on change management in the non-profit sector, highlighting the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Her latest publication with co-editors Associate Professor David Rosenbaum and Mark Orr, Journeys through the Disability and Mental Health Nonprofit Sector – The Theory and Practice of Leadership, will be published in April 2025 by Springer UK. Her academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) (UNSW), Graduate Diploma in Management (Central Queensland University), Masters of Commercial Law (Deakin University), and a PhD (UNSW).
 

Her recent work in the nonprofit sector has been as Chair of Flourish Australia, a Director of the Symphony for Life Foundation, and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ NFP Chairs’ Forum.

Steve Somogyi was appointed a TEQSA Commissioner in November 2021. He has extensive global experience in the financial services, health care, higher education and prudential regulation sectors and has chaired boards and audit and risk committees.
 

Steve served as the Chief Operating Officer at RMIT University for 10 years from July 2006 until July 2016. He then became a Strategic Adviser to Monash University, Victoria University, the University of Melbourne, the University of Adelaide, Siemens, Queensland Investment Corporation and Energy Trade.
 

He has chaired complex projects including the Queen Street Precinct project to improve student experience for Victoria University. He also helped create the Net Zero Program for Monash to achieve energy savings and zero net carbon emissions by 2030 and developed a strategic approach to the Higher Education and Health Care sectors for the Siemens Smart Cities Business Unit.
 

He was a member of the Expert Review Group for the Australian Council for Educational Research.
 

Steve has held a range of senior roles in government and industry at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Trowbridge Consulting, Mayne Nickless, Bonlac Foods, IOOF and the CPI Group. He worked at National Mutual for 27 years and ended his career there as Chief Finance Executive and Chief Actuary.
 

His work on boards includes serving as a Commission Member of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission, former Chair of Guild Group, Director of UniSuper including Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, former Chair of Higher Ed Services, Chair of Course-Loop and former Director of Study Loans.
 

Earning a Master of Science in High Energy Physics from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Science in Management (Sloan Fellow) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Steve is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and of the Financial Services Institute of Australia.

Dr Mary Russell is CEO at TEQSA. She was appointed to the role in May 2024, having led TEQSA as acting CEO since June 2023.
 

Mary joined TEQSA as the Executive Director of Regulatory Operations in 2022. In this role she led the regulatory teams which manage higher education provider registration, course accreditation, compliance and regulatory risk assessments.
 

Before joining TEQSA, Mary was Assistant Ombudsman for Dispute Resolution at the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. She held executive roles at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for six years, including as State Manager for Victoria, National Manager of Notifications and National Manager of Regulatory Risk Strategy. While at AHPRA, she led the development and implementation of a risk-based approach to managing concerns about the performance and conduct of health practitioners.
 

Mary has served as chair and member of regulatory boards, concurrently with roles as a health practitioner and a tertiary educator. She has extensive experience of university teaching, curriculum development and delivery, and has completed her PhD in Health Sciences.