Interim Commissioners

Professor Barney Glover AO began his five-year term as Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia on 15 April 2024. As JSA Commissioner, and given his extensive experience as Vice-Chancellor of two Australian universities, he will provide advice to the interim ATEC on national skills priorities, the operation of the ATEC, and tertiary harmonisation during the establishment phase.

Professor Glover is a distinguished academic leader, an accomplished mathematician and mathematics educator with significant experience in developing strong relationships with the vocational education sector. He is well respected for his engagement with First Nations Australians and disadvantaged communities.

He was Vice-Chancellor and President of Western Sydney University for ten years, from 2014-24, and in 2019 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to tertiary education, professional associations and cultural organisations. In 2015, Professor Glover was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor for his outstanding leadership whilst Vice-Chancellor of Charles Darwin University from 2009 to 2013.

Professor Glover previously held the roles of Chair of Universities Australia from 2015 to 2017, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Newcastle and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Development at Curtin University.

Professor Glover is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE), a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW (FRSN), and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD).

He has served on the boards of a diverse range of corporate organisations and several state and national centres covering areas such as health and medical research, energy, mineral exploration, and telecommunications.

The Hon Fiona Nash grew up in Sydney and has spent the last three decades living and working in regional Australia. For many years she was involved in a family farming enterprise in the central west of NSW, which her sons Will and Henry are now running.

Ms Nash spent 12 years in the federal parliament as a Senator for NSW and also held ministerial positions including Rural Health, and in Cabinet the positions of Regional Development, Regional Communications and Local Government and Territories. She also held the position of Deputy Leader of the Nationals. From 2018 to 2021 Ms Nash was the Strategic Adviser, Regional Engagement and Government Relations for Charles Sturt University.

Ms Nash was appointed by the Australian Government as the Regional Education Commissioner in December 2021.

In 2022, Ms Nash was appointed to a panel of experts to develop the Australian Universities Accord, chaired by Professor Mary O’Kane. As Regional Education Commissioner, Ms Nash brought to the role her expertise in regional education and commitment to improving education outcomes for people from regional Australia.

Prof Calma is an Aboriginal Elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja and Woolwonga tribal groups whose traditional lands are south-west and east and southeast of Darwin.  He has been involved in Indigenous affairs at a local, community, state, national and international level and worked in the public sector for over 50 years and is currently on a number of boards and committees focusing on rural and remote Australia, nicotine and tobacco control interventions, health, mental health, suicide prevention, all levels of education, culture and language, justice reinvestment, research, reconciliation and economic development. In 2010 after a distinguished career of 38 years in the Australian Public Service, that included six years as a TAFE academic (1980-86), Professor Calma retired and currently works as a consultant, volunteer and academic.

From October 2008 to 31 December 2023 Professor Calma was a member of the University of Canberra Council including 2 years as Deputy Chancellor and 10 years as the 6th Chancellor of the University of Canberra and the first Indigenous male Chancellor of an Australian university. He served on the University Chancellors Council Executive Committee for 10 years and since mid-2024 has been a Fellow of the University of Sydney Senate (formally taken leave while acting Interim First Nations Commissioner).

Professor Calma is a Professor of Practice (Indigenous Engagement) at the University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health and performs the role of Chair and Patron of the Poche Indigenous Health Network. Poche Indigenous Health Centres are established in five Australian universities.

Professor Calma represented Australia's education and training interests as a senior diplomat in India and Vietnam from 1995 to 2002.

Professor Calma was awarded honorary doctorate appointments from Charles Darwin University (2010), Curtin University (2011) Flinders University (2014) the University of South Australia (2023) and the University of Canberra and University of Sydney in 2024.
In September 2019 Professor Calma was appointed a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) and Patron of the Winston Churchill Scholarship Trust.

Professor Calma has Honorary academic appointments at ANU, the University of Queensland and Macquarie University and is a member of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB) since September 2021.

In May 2022 Professor Calma was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the first Aboriginal person to be honoured in this way, and is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA) and a Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA) and in February 2024 was appointed a Professor Emeritus at the University of Canberra.

On 9 November 2022 Professor Calma was announced ACT Senior Australian of the Year 2023 and on 25 January 2023 was announced the national Senior Australian of the Year 2023.

Professor Calma is an accomplished public speaker, a published co-author of numerous academic journal articles and Investigator and Chief Investigator on eight current and past research projects.

In 2024, Professor Calma was appointed as a member of the Accord Implementation Advisory Committee (IAC). Chaired by Tony Cook PSM, the IAC was responsible for undertaking further engagement with the sector to inform the legislative design of the ATEC and the new Managed Growth Funding System, including Needs-Based funding.