Dr Laura Brearley

Dr Laura Brearley’s professional background includes working in Higher Education, Vocational Education and Training, Community Education and Private Enterprise. Her work is underpinned by a culturally inclusive philosophy which recognises multiple ways of knowing. Through her work with members of the Koori community at RMIT University, Monash University, Swinburne University and Federation University, she has developed strategies for undertaking and facilitating teaching, learning and research in the spaces between Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems.

Laura coordinates an international intercultural exchange between Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and musicians in Australia, Canada and the USA. This has resulted in a range of collaborative research projects and publications in the areas of culturally inclusive practice, creative approaches to research and organizational development. She has also established and coordinated community-based creative cultural events such as The Shearwater Festival, The Shearwater Education Program and Shearwater Short Tales. She was the Founding Editor of the journal Creative Approaches to Research and served as a member of the International Editorial Committee, Journal Applied Arts and Health.

Prior to becoming an independent consultant, researcher and creative cultural events coordinator, Laura was an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. This was preceded by ten years at RMIT University where, as a Senior Lecturer, she combined organisational development roles with academic responsibilities. Prior to that she worked at Barton Institute of TAFE (now Chisholm Institute), in a number of organisational development and commercial income generating roles. She has been an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University and is currently an Adjunct Professor, Research and Innovation at Federation University Australia.

Qualifications

PhD                                                                                                   (RMIT University)                             2001

M.Ed. (Educational Leadership & Management)                      (RMIT University)                             1996 – 1997

Bachelor of Arts                                                                             (Uni of Melbourne)                          1973 – 1975

Diploma of Education                                                                   (MSC /Uni of Melbourne)                1976

Diploma of Frontline Management                                            (RMIT University)                              2002

Certificate IV in Competency Based Training                           (Barton/Chisholm TAFE)                  1998

Grad Cert. in Training (Action Learning)                                    (Barton/Chisholm TAFE)                 1998