Scholar of Organisational Behaviour, Flâneuse, Work Futures, Ethnographer, Social Innovator, Botanist

I came to JCU in 1998 as a graduate of Hospitality Management, to continue my business studies, progressing to completion of a PhD in Organisational Behaviour in 2004. During that time, I worked in the hotel industry and developed a strong appreciation of the challenges faced by workers, employers and organisations in service industries. My PhD extended understanding of service predispositions, human relations in the workplace and organisational culture, and developed a fascination for the nature of work, the notion of occupation, the construct of occupational culture and the skills, knowledge and attitudes of constituent workforces. I also developed an interest in ontologies, epistemologies, paradigms, and methodological approaches to research.

My research interests in methodologies have seen me develop expertise as a qualitative researcher with knowledge and know-how of a range of methodologies and methods that bring rigour and innovation into associated paradigms. i am an expert user of NVivo with strong capabilities in thematic analysis.

While at JCU, I have served and continue in various leadership roles including as Academic Head of Management and Tourism (2014-2019 and 2022-2025), ADRE (2025), Australian Director of the Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA) (2026 onwards) and Chair of CBLG's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA) Committee (2026). Equally, I serve as a member of JCU's Gender, Equity, Advocacy and Reference (GEAR) Team. 

In these roles I seek to create value and impact through fostering a workplace culture that supports and empowers people, informs policies and practices, and contributes to educational, institutional and societal needs.

My teaching and research interests lie in the area of organisational behaviour, with a focus on the sustainability of working lives' and capture many aspects of work. Through my research work, I explore meaningful work, voluntary work and the notion of occupation. My research enables me to learn about people from all walks of life, quality of working life for workers, and the work that occupies people with disabilities. This work includes research relating to the lived/living experiences of people with long-term mental health issues and their carers; FIFO workers; tradespeople; youth; volunteers; older workers; and educators in higher education. Through this research, I seek to understand the individuals and the broader systems that contribute to making a difference in the everyday activities/occupations and working lives of people and their well-being. I further seek to contribute to sustained labour markets and, engage with workforce trends and the future of work.

In recent years, I have had the opportunity to pursue my research interests in teaching and learning, well-being, mental health, occupational communities, job satisfaction, industrial/railway heritage and travellers' affinity experiences. I have sought to contribute to the literature in these domains through working on collaborative projects, with colleagues in Australia and overseas.

My scholarship looks beyond the world of employment and the centrality of work to economies. Rather, it seeks to challenge assumptions about work. It values people. It values the space beyond workplaces and asks people, especially Business Leaders to address the three Ps - People, Planet and Profit. Through my teaching and my research, I endeavour to empower people through activation of self-awareness and development of an understanding of themselves and their worth as they work with others, within organisations, institutions, and society and more broadly, as global citizens. Hence, I explore avenues whereby individuals can enhance their well-being and worth and that of others as we work collaboratively toward a sustainable and regenerative future.

I have substantial business and management experience, with my portfolio including management of a post office on a RAAF base for nearly five years, where I turned that business from a non-profitable one into a thriving enterprise that was a focal hub for that Defence Force community. In addition, I have over ten years' experience working in the hospitality industry, especially in the Tropical region of Far North Queensland. 

My endeavours at JCU have and continue to contribute to inclusive and collaborative approaches that foster transformative education, multidisciplinary research, and authentic engagement locally and beyond.  

While at JCU, I have realised my passion for transforming student lives, the role of experiential learning, the idea of ‘developing professionals’ and bridging of the gap for students as they transition from learner to practitioner. I have undertaken research which examines the nexus between being a student and becoming a Human Resource Management Professional. This research was supported by a WIL@JCU Grant 2011.

  CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Meaningful work and/or occupation for people with ongoing mental illnesses, including the role of organisations delivering associated services.
• Teaching and Learning in Higher Education with a focus on Communities of Practice
• The role of gardens in communities and society and in relation to people's well-being.

RESEARCH RELATED BOOKS

November 2020: Public Webinar on How to Build a Resilient Economy

Work, Occupations, Volunteers, Organisational Behaviour, HRM, Hospitality/Tourism, Well-Being, Industrial Heritage, Railways, Gardens, Methodologies, Sustainability, Social Enterprises.

Organisational Behaviour, Research Design & Methods, HRM, Work Integrated Learning

Read my Statement of Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching:

Recognition of diversity is at the cornerstone of my approach to teaching. It encompasses an approach that is mindful of the differences in the classroom and that those differences need to be respected, valued and embraced. It also means that I employ teaching-related activities that are designed in ways that allow for inclusivity and equity. My inclusive teaching strategies include:

• creating of learning environments where students feel safe, valued and empowered to explore and express their perspectives and ideas
• recognising that students are diverse in a range of ways and that these can include visible, known and unknown ways
• establishing spaces where students are afforded flexibility and adaptability 
• delivering through a variety of instructional methods that allow for a range of abilities and capabilities, whether visible, known and/or unknown.
• adopting of universal design for learning (UDL) principles to enable all students to participate, including presentation of the curriculum through a range of mechanisms and techniques, provision of various mechanisms through which students can present their work, and enabling of multiple means for student engagement
• nurturing learning environments where opportunities are available for students to enact responsible and respectful practices to connect with one another and demonstrate their own inclusive principles and practices. 

The emphasis of my approach is for students to be able to achieve their potential and become thoughtful and ethical professionals. I aim for students to understand diversity, inclusivity and equity and be able to themselves enact actions that demonstrate valuing of associated principles and practices.