About the Centre

The Centre for Creative and Authentic Leadership is one of three major areas of research at ACU providing scholarship, policy advice and leadership for the wider community. In its unique role the Centre engages in academic and scholarly reflection on organisational leadership in contemporary human service organisations.

The Centre's research addresses the challenges confronting individuals, organisations and systems in increasingly complex and competitive environments and resources many organisations to develop performance measures grounded in a clear set of values.

The major focus areas of leadership research for the Centre are:

•  Moral and Ethical Leadership
•  Leadership for Social Justice and Social Responsibility
•  Leadership Capabilities
•  Indigenous Leadership
•  Intercultural Leadership
•  Leadership for Learning
•  Multi-level Leadership

Overview of Centres Activities for 2005-2008 (PDF, 227kb)

2009 Annual Report (PDF,1891kb)

Centre aims

The Centre for Creative and Authentic Leadership will:

• promote and support a creative research agenda developed in partnership with key stakeholders in leadership at all levels
• conduct quality and high-impact research and scholarship in leadership which is nationally and internationally competitive
• facilitate organisations to analyse their leadership challenges using values-based and ethical frameworks in order to integrate values and culture into future policy and decision making
• provide a forum for timely and informed comment on critical leadership issues
• assist organisations in general, but especially values-orientated human service organisations, to develop improved leadership practices for mission effectiveness
• design and deliver short course and renewal programs on leadership
• act as a clearinghouse for the development, collection, evaluation and dissemination of contextual examples of theory and best practice in leadership
• create a focus within ACU which is recognised nationally and internationally for critical research and debate about leadership.

Centre personnel

•  Associate Professor Michael Bezzina, Director
•  Mr Soma Nagappan, Manager
•  Dr Jack Frawley, Senior Research Fellow (Joint appointment with Centre
   for Indigenous Educational Research)
•  Mrs Patricia Kench, Administrative Assistant

Emeritus, Honorary and Adjunct Staff:

•  Emeritus Professor Patrick Duignan, (Director until January 2008)
   Emeritus Professor Tony d'Arbon
•  Dr Deirdre Duncan, Adjunct Professor
•  Dr Kelvin Canavan, visiting Professor
   Dr Toni Noble, Adjunct Professor
   Dr Leoni Degenhardt, Honorary Fellow 

Staff from the School of Educational Leadership involved in Research and Consultancy Projects:

•  Dr Anne Benjamin, Adjunct Professor 
•  Associate Professor Charles Burford
•  Associate Professor Denis McLaughlin
•  Dr Helga Neidhart
•  Professor Michael Gaffney
•  Dr Chris Branson
   Ms Judith Norris

Other staff involved in Research and Consultancy Projects:

• Associate Professor Paul Chesterton: Retired Director, Institute for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (IATL), ACU (since established as the Learning and Teaching Centre, ACU)
• Mr Michael Fagan: Retired Head, School of Business ACU
• Dr Shukri Sanber: School of Education NSW
• Professor Jude Butcher: Director Institute for Advancing Community engagement (IACE), ACU
• Dr Jan Long, School of Education NSW
• Janeen Lamb, school of Education QLD.