Dear Colleagues,
Firstly, as the new TEFMA President I would like to say a big thank you to all our members for instilling your confidence in me. I am very excited to steer this ship for the next two years. I would like to announce that Jo-Ann Riley from Deakin University was voted in as Vice President for 2022/23 at the Board meeting on Thursday, 15 September. I will be working closely with Jo and the rest of the Board to ensure the priorities identified in TEFMA’s Strategic Plan are delivered effectively. I look forward to working with you all and welcome your feedback on TEFMA’s current offerings and any opportunities we can provide to add further value to our members.
I am reflecting on the past week in which I attended the TEMC in Hobart. Hobart brought out the sun to welcome us for a fantastic week and I loved the city. You could feel the energy throughout the sessions and I enjoyed catching up with colleagues and meeting new ones. The plenary sessions were thought provoking and I was amazed at the impressive work happening both in Australia and NZ. It was great to see peers from our strategic partners APPA in the US and HEFMA from South Africa. We learn so much from these relationships.
TEFMA was excited to announce our 2023 TEFMA Conference at the ICC in Sydney on 11-13 September. If you are interested in assisting with the conference we would be pleased to hear from you via info@tefma.com. Being part of the organising committee is a great opportunity to contribute to the sector and build relationships with others from different institutions.
Did you know that each member University institution can have unlimited associate members? I encourage you to reach out within your division and more broadly within your institution to encourage new members. The bigger our network, the more effective we can be. To have your employees join your university as an associate:
- go to www.tefma.com/join-us
- click 'sign up for an account to connect'
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follow the prompts to create an account
- click the link in the email to continue the process
- choose a password
- select your institution in the 'find your business' search
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have the Institutional Member of the University accept the request to join via their administrative login
I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank two outgoing Board members. The outgoing President Glenn Mowbray has contributed so much time to TEFMA and through his leadership has set us up for success. His passion for TEFMA and what we can achieve as a sector has provided us with a strong foundation. I feel fortunate to be following in his footsteps. Secondly, Dominic Marafioti is also finishing up his time on the Board. Dom has driven improvements within the Benchmarking tool and his passion for data and its usefulness has resulted in the introduction of further surveys. Dom also implemented the TEFMA Community tool which is fantastic for connecting our members. Jo and I wish them well and know they will still be contributing to TEFMA through their memberships and connections.
We ask all members to take the time to jump online and view the TEFMA Community portal. The aim of the TEFMA Community is to foster a culture of collaboration through sharing and engaging with the resources available in the library. The information is intended to generate discussion, build relationships with peers and learn from one another. Members are encouraged to join Special Interest Groups to share knowledge and influence continual improvement opportunities across the sector. You can access the portal via the TEFMA website here.
I would also like to congratulate the TEFMA Clever Campus Awards and Scholarship winners, awarded at the 2022 Awards Dinner during TEMC 2022 in Hobart:
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AUDE Summer School Scholarship: Matt Lee, University of Newcastle
- TEFMA Travel / Research Scholarship: Brooke Jacobson, Curtin University
- TEFMA Maurie Pawsey Scholarship: Blair Daly, Auckland University of Technology
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TEFMA GJK Facility Services Conference Scholarship: Danika Head, Southern Cross University
- TEFMA GJK Facility Services Diversity Award: Geoff Murray, University of Canberra
- TEFMA Practitioner of the Year Award: Ennis La Torre, La Trobe University
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TEFMA Emerging Professional of the Year: Yemurraki Egan, University of Melbourne
- TEFMA AECOM Innovation Award: Stephen Jackson, University of Tasmania