Dr Mary Sue Richardson is a Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University.
Mary received a BA degree from Marquette University, a PhD degree in counseling psychology from Columbia University, and a Certificate in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy from the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr Richardson teaches predominantly in the counseling programs in the Department of Applied Psychology where she has served at various times as the Director of the PhD program in counseling psychology and as the Director of the MA programs in counseling. Her major interests are in the area of vocational psychology where her work has focused on the development of conceptual and theoretical approaches to counseling that are appropriate and relevant to the changing work and relationship contexts of contemporary adult lives. A current qualitative research project extends this theoretical work into an examination of processes presumed to be central in counseling for work and relationship over the lifespan. Dr Richardson also is interested in pursuing the relevance of vocational theory and practice for the later stages of life.

Ellen Fanning is a journalist.
An occasional reporter on 60 Minutes and a regular presence on ABC Radio, Ellen Fanning was the last presenter of the Nine Network’s prestigious Sunday program. She spent the first ten years of her career at the ABC. In 1992, she was appointed the presenter of the PM program, and later hosted AM. In 1998, Ellen served as the ABC’s Washington correspondent. In 2004, as a freelance documentary maker she completed a six part series Fine Line, which dealt dealing with the ethical dilemmas of journalism. Broadcast on SBS Television, the program is now used by media students at secondary schools and is required viewing for journalism students around the country. In her 20 years as an award winning journalist, she has reported from locations as diverse as the North Pole to the White House, from an airliner refuelling fighter jets over Bosnia to a Collins Class submarine deep in the Indian Ocean. She has had encounters with many world leaders including US President Barack Obama and has interviewed every Australian Prime Minister from Julia Gillard to Sir John Gorton. She is married with two sons and lives in Sydney.

Chris Warhurst is Professor of Work and Organisational Studies at the University for Sydney.
Prior to this recent appoint he was director for eight years of the Glasgow-based Scottish Centre for Employment Research, which undertakes applied research for policy-makers in government and across business, including trade unions and employers in the public, private and voluntary sectors. He has sole and co-authored and edited over a dozen books including Workplaces of the Future (Palgrave 1998), The Skills That Matter (Palgrave, 2004) and Work Less, Live More? (Palgrave 2008). One of his books was nominated for the Saltire Award for the Scottish Book of the Year. He has also published in leading international journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Organisational Behavior and the British Journal of Industrial Relations. In 2008 be became co-editor of the leading international journal Work, Employment and Society and a series editor for Palgrave’s Critical Perspectives on Work and Employment book series. He regards the task of sociology as contributing not just to understanding but also the improvement of work and employment. To this end he has been an expert adviser to HM Treasury in London on skills and public sector pay polices, the National Employability Training Programme in Scotland, the Scottish Living Wage Campaign, the Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform in the UK on the national minimum wage and the Scottish Government on its economic policy. His current research projects focus on skill utilisation and job quality.

Margaret Allison, Chief Executive, Queensland Public Service Commission.
Margaret was appointed Commission Chief Executive (CCE) for the Public Service Commission in October 2009. As CCE, Margaret provides strategic guidance and support to the Premier and the Queensland Government on various service-wide initiatives. Margaret has had a 32 year career in the public sector which started with her employment as a social worker in the then Department of Children’s Services in Brisbane. After several positions here in Queensland in the early 1990’s in the Public Sector Management Commission; Legal Aid Queensland and subsequently the Deputy Director-General, Department of Families, Youth and Community Care, Margaret then moved to NSW as the Chief Executive Officer of the Legal Aid Commission where she led reforms to grants administration and legal services. In 2001, Margaret was appointed as Director-General, Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care in NSW where she managed $13,000 staff and had a budget in excess of $1.3B. In 2004 Margaret returned to Brisbane to take up a senior role at the Brisbane City Council before her current appointment as head of the Public Service Commission.

Spencer Niles is Professor and Department Head of Counsellor Education, Counselling Psychology, and Rehabilitation Services at Pennsylvania State University.
Spencer is the recipient of the National Career Development Association’s (NCDA) Eminent Career Award, a NCDA Fellow, an American Counselling Association (ACA) Fellow, ACA’s David Brooks Distinguished Mentor Award, the ACA Extended Research Award, and the University of British Columbia Noted Scholar Award. He served as President for the National Career Development Association and Editor for The Career Development Quarterly. He is Editor of the Journal of Counselling & Development and has authored or co-authored over 110 publications and delivered over 120 presentations on career development theory and practice. He is an Honorary Member of the Japanese Career Development Association, Honorary Member of the Italian Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, and a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Ohio Career Development Association.