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Alumni inspire at ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ Awards
The life-changing impact that a group of exceptional ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ graduates continue to have across both Australia and the world has been celebrated at last Friday's Outstanding Alumni Awards.
Six inspiring alumni representing a wide range of fields spanning conservation, biosecurity, education, public service, veterinary care, and drone technology were recognised during a ceremony at ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ’s Engineering and Innovation Place on the Bebegu Yumba campus in Townsville.
Now in its 14th year, the Awards recognise graduates of the University, and its predecessor institutions, who have made an outstanding contribution in their field of endeavour at a local, state, national or international level, and celebrate their successes and achievements.
Award categories range from the Chancellor’s and Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Awards, which recognise alumni who demonstrate distinguished and significant excellence in their career, industry or community, to the Rising Star Award, which celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments of younger alumni in their shorter career spans.
General Manager of TAFE Queensland North, Susan Kinobe, was named as the recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Award in recognition of her career and community contributions, which epitomise excellence and leadership.
Born with Erb's Palsy, Ms Kinobe overcame her early life challenges to graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce from ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ before going on to hold a number of senior finance roles, including as Deputy Director of Finance at ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ.
Appointed as the first Townsville-based General Manager for the Northern Region of TAFE, Ms Kinobe’s trailblazing leadership has driven significant improvements for TAFE locally, including $10 million in revenue growth, a nine per cent increase in student enrolments, and securing over $100 million in funding for infrastructure projects.
Receiving the Rising Star Award was Dr Joshua Daskin, a distinguished ecologist and conservationist known for his significant contributions to wildlife and ecosystem protection.
Dr Daskin earned his Master of Science in Zoology as a US Fulbright Scholar at ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ in 2011, with his research excellence since reflected in 23 peer-reviewed publications, including notable papers in the journals Nature and Science, which have been cited over 1400 times.
In 2021, Dr Daskin became the inaugural Director of Conservation at Archbold Biological Station in Florida, where he uses science to inform protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor - a 7.3 million-hectare statewide land corridor prioritised for conservation.
His leadership has helped secure significant public funding and fostered collaborations that drive large-scale conservation initiatives.
¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ Vice Chancellor Professor Simon Biggs said the university was honoured to recognise the remarkable achievements of each recipient.
“The Outstanding Alumni Awards remind us of the important role ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ has played and continues to play in shaping our graduates,” he said.
“We are immensely proud of the impactful work our graduates go on to do in their respective fields and they should all be congratulated for continuing to inspire others along their journey.
“From humble beginnings, each recipient has gone on to forge their own impressive careers across such a diverse array of fields.
“It goes to show that ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ is giving our future leaders the tools they need to succeed anywhere in the world.”
Full list of recipients
Chancellor's Distinguished Award
Ms Sarah Corcoran, CEO, Plant Health Australia.
Vice Chancellor's Distinguished Award
Ms Susan Kinobe, General Manager, TAFE Queensland North.
Rising Star Award
Dr Joshua Daskin, Director of Conservation, Archbold Biological Station.
Outstanding Indigenous Alumni Award
Ms Claire Sainsbury, senior executive, Commonwealth Department of Education.
Spirit of ¾Ã²ÝÊÓƵ Award
Dr Abigail Gurthrie, veterinarian, AG Veterinary Services.
Trailblazer Award
Media enquiries: michael.serenc@jcu.edu.au