Anthony Mackay

Tony Mackay is Executive Director of the Melbourne based Centre for Strategic Education, Australia, a Centre focused on leading educational thinking and practice at state, national and international levels. Tony is also an Honorary Fellow in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. Tony specialises in the areas of school and system leadership, improvement and innovation.

Tony’s work at state, national and international levels focuses on strategic thinking and facilitation for Government bodies, education agencies, think tanks, school boards and leadership teams. It encompasses the areas of school and system leadership, improvement and innovation, teacher professionalism and curriculum and assessment policy and includes the design and implementation of Research and Development Programs and Leadership Development Programs.

Tony is a founding member of the Governing Council of the National College for School Leadership in England and is a Visiting Fellow at the London Leadership Centre. He is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Innovation Unit Ltd. England; an OECD Senior Consultant for the Schooling For Tomorrow Project, Improving School Leadership Project, and Alternative Models of Learning Project and a DEMOS International Associate. He is currently working on a number of ‘Next Practice Projects’ on School Leadership and School Improvement and Reform in Australia, UK, Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Tony is President of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI).

Tony has a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Education from Monash University and a MA in the Economics of Education from the University of London. Tony is Deputy Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and Chair of the recently announced Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER); a Board Member of the University of Melbourne, Graduate School of Education; a member of the Advisory Board of the Asia Education Foundation (AEF); a Board member of the Foundation for Young Australians; a Committee Member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), and a Governing Body member of a Prep to Year 12 Melbourne school. He is immediate past President of the Australian Curriculum Studies Association.

Tony is a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators (ACE) and the College’s 2006 Medallist; a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL), the ACEL Leaders 2008 Nganakarrawa Award recipient and a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) (V).