Council

EMERITUS PROFESSOR CAROL DICKENSON AM
President

Carol Dickenson is a highly experienced professional who brings a combination of senior leadership and governance experience to the Boards she is involved in. Her Board Directorship and Chair positions span over seventeen years.

She is passionate about ensuring all people experience a quality life through good education, good health and making a positive contribution to the future.

JOANNA JENKINS
Deputy President

Joanna Jenkins is a Women’s College alumna (1982- 1984) and was a solicitor for 30 years, specialising in engineering and infrastructure.

She was a partner at Ashurst in the construction and infrastructure project group in Brisbane and recently retired. She has over 30 years of experience in construction and engineering law and specialised in contract drafting and negotiation, contract administration systems and alternative dispute resolution.

An integral part of her practice was advising and presenting to client boards and management committees on risk management, governance and strategy.

Joanna was elected as Deputy President of the College Council in October 2023.

OLIVIA WILLIAMSON
Secretary

Olivia Williamson has Arts and Law degrees from the University of Queensland and is an alumna of The Women’s College, holding the position of Senior Resident in her final year at college. Olivia is a practising solicitor specialising in town planning and environment law. Outside of her professional life, she is active within a number of organisations including the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, the Jane Austen Society of Australia and the Justice’s of the Peace in the Community program.

TAMRA SAAYMAN
Treasurer

Tamra Saayman is a Chartered Accountant and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has over 20 years of experience as a financial professional, specialising in the fields of internal audit, risk management, governance, and business process improvement.

Tamra has led the Internal Audit function at The University of Queensland since 2014 and during that time has also been involved in a number of projects and initiatives aimed at improving business processes, risk management and compliance. She has responsibility for the development and management of the Internal Audit function, co-ordination and collaboration with the Risk and Governance functions and reporting to the Senate Risk and Audit Committee.

Tamra has also served on the Audit Committee of the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) since 2016.  Prior to moving to Australia, Tamra worked in governance and financial roles for a number of large global organisations in South Africa.

FLO KEARNEY
Head of College & CEO

Florence Kearney has a distinguished career in the education of young women having been the principal of three leading independent girls’ schools over the past 20 years. With wider roles in the Not for Profit sector and sporting arenas, Flo brings an amazing range of skills to her role as Head of College and CEO of The Women’s College, to support the next generation of women.

JOHN DEICKE 
Council Member

John is an architect and Director of Deicke Richards Architects with more than 30 years experience. He leads the practice’s design for residential aged care and seniors living, working with commercial and not-for-profit providers on projects in Queensland and interstate.

He has a particular interest in the contribution architects can make to the evolving new models of residential design, care services and community building for retirement and aged care. John also guides many of the practice’s projects in the education sector, contributing to master planning and collaborative design workshops, and leading architectural projects for schools and universities. John is trusted by clients in the public and private sectors as a responsive and dedicated project partner.

PROFESSOR CRAIG FRANKLIN
Council Member

Professor Craig Franklin is the President of the Academic Board and a Professor in Biological Sciences at The University of Queensland (UQ). Professor Franklin is an animal ecophysiologist and is recognised as one of the leading proponents of the emerging field of conservation physiology. In conjunction with his role as President of the Academic Board, Professor Franklin oversees a large and productive research group, currently composed of three postdocs, eight PhD students and three Honours’ students.

Professor Franklin serves on a number of external professional bodies, committees and editorial boards. He is the Editor in Chief for the Journal of Experimental Biology (Company of Biologists, Cambridge UK) and past President of the Society for Experimental Biology (2019 – 2021). Professor Franklin is the Director of Research for the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.

Professor Franklin actively champions diversity and inclusion within all aspects of his life – at work, in his communities, and within society more broadly.  He is a ‘UQ ALLY’ in support of the LGBTQAI+ community and upholds the fundamental values of mutual respect, tolerance, and honesty.

KATIE PEACOCK
Council Member

Katie Peacock is a Senior Strategist who brings a wealth of experience from a diverse range of sectors both internationally and domestically. She has spent time working internally for clients as an extension of their marketing and innovation departments as well as in blue chip agencies. She is well versed in behavioural economics and behaviour change frameworks and their application to create impactful communication solution for clients.

GEOFFREY BROWN
Council Member

Geoffrey Brown is a member of The Women's College Council.