Council Member
Appointed by Council.
Term expires 13 June 2029.
Emeritus Professor Joan Cooper was appointed as an external member of Council in June 2025. Joan is also a member of the Risk Audit and Compliance Committee. Prior to joining the Council Joan was a TEQSA Commissioner for five and half years. She was previously a Higher Education Consultant and her work included delivering a variety of Higher Education Consultancy services for higher education private providers. Her role and services include chairing governance committees; reviews of operational areas and reviews and preparation for TEQSA registration, re-registration, and accreditation.
She has extensive experience in senior executive positions in Australian Universities, serving as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Students) & Registrar at UNSW and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at Flinders University. She is a former Dean of Informatics at the University of Wollongong, where she served as Chair of the University Senate, and has held senior positions at two other Australian Universities.
Professor Cooper has wide ranging experience both nationally and internationally in tertiary education accreditation and quality audits. She is an international auditor for agencies in Hong Kong and the Middle East. She specialises in Higher Education Quality Assurance, audits, reviews and compliance assessments.
Council committee memberships
Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee
Current: June 2025 - June 2027
