The Directors of NEAS are pleased to advise the membership, that Patrick Pheasant, Director at the University of Sydney Centre for English Teaching has accepted an invitation from the NEAS Board, to act as the NEAS Advisory Council Convenor.  In accepting the invitation Patrick stated that:

“I am excited to continue to be of service to the NEAS Advisory Council, Board and NEAS members. In the last year the Advisory Council has contributed greatly to both the Board and the ELICOS sector and I look forward to working with the council as Convenor.”

As an active NEAS Advisory Council member, Patrick’s 23 years’ experience in applying drama, TESOL and teacher training methodologies across ELICOS, high school, vocational education, higher education and corporate sectors in Japan, the Netherlands, the United States and Australia has added value to NEAS and its strategic interventions in the ELICOS sector.

Patrick’s experience in strategic planning includes development of multiple five-year strategic plans for organisations in higher education, ELICOS, VET and corporate sector through both expansion and contraction cycles.

Patrick’s approach to problem solving is informed by a dynamic systems perspective with a global outlook.  Patrick has held senior management positions in education for fifteen years and has extensive experience in change management, including a graduate management qualification from Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM).

His recent doctoral research at the University of Sydney is in using process drama in TESOL. Patrick is the current Vice-President and Secretary of the University English Centres of Australia (UECA) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He has helped developed the UECA committee over the past four years to increase membership from 19 to 27 members in 2015.  His effort in government and public relations include liaison between UECA and AUIDF, Universities Australia, NEAS, multiple Austrade posts internationally and with English Australia.  With promotion and profiling, Patrick has been integral in introducing a benchmarking survey with the UECA membership in the last two years and presented at national conferences about the results.

In his role with the University, he has had management over the fiscal, strategic and operations of a $23 million budget per annum and delivered a 40% operating margin in 2014.

Patrick Pheasant brings enthusiasm and a healthy pragmatism to boards, projects and teams he engages with and represents a new approach to ELT in Australia.