Dr Mark Rose is Director of the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Indigenous Education.

Traditionally linked to the Gunditjmara Nation of Western Victoria, Mark has spent most of his life in education – in administration and in teaching every level from prep to PhD supervision.  

Prior to his appointment as Director of the Centre for Indigenous Education, Mark was Assistant General Manager – Koorie Strategy Branch, Research & Innovation Division, at the Department of Education and Training Victoria. He is also a former principal of Koorie Open Door Education (KODE) and has been an active member of VAEAI (Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc.).  

With strong support from the Indigenous community in Victoria, Mark was invited to become a member of the Federal Government’s Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC) which advises the Commonwealth Education Minister Julie Bishop. He also sits on the AVCC Indigenous sub-committee.  

Mark was a member of Victoria’s task force on the Stolen Generations in 2002 and, between 2004 and 2005, he co-chaired the whole-of-government implementation review of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

As an academic at RMIT University’s Faculty of Business, he taught predominately in postgraduate programs in Australia, and also in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

Highly committed to community development, Mark believes that good management, sound business practice and the entrepreneurial spirit are important elements in the quest for personal and community self-determination. Over the last couple of years, he has been involved in 15 national leadership programs, including the 2003 State Training Award and the 2003 ANTA national award for innovation.  

As chairperson of FAB (First Australians Business) in Brisbane and a director of IEP (Indigenous Enterprise Partnerships), Mark spends many weekends working with Indigenous youth across the nation.  

His four academic qualifications include a PhD which centred on issues of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander management education. He also holds a Diploma of Teaching, an Arts degree and a Master of Educational Administration.