The Governor-General has announced the King's Birthday 2025 Honours List, with several members of the Griffith University community recognised.
The list includes people recommended to the Governor-General by the Council of the Order of Australia and organisations responsible for recommending meritorious, gallantry, distinguished and conspicuous honours.
Among the 830 Australians recognised in the Order of Australia, meritorious awards and recognition for distinguished and conspicuous service, the University was proud to see 11 members of its community honoured.
Former Griffith University Deputy Chancellor Mrs Rachel Hunter PSM DUniv was just one of the esteemed recipients, awarded an Officer of Order of Australia (AO) in the General Division for distinguished service to public administration, to tertiary education governance, and to the community of Queensland.
Mrs Hunter served as Deputy Chancellor from 2015-2021, but was also a Vice-Chairperson of the Finance, Resources and Risk Committee, Governor-in-Council Member from 2000-2013, named an Honorary Doctor of the University in 2010, and the founder of the Rachel Hunter Refugee Scholarship, established in 2021.
Since then, she has progressed to other high-profile roles, including Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet from 2021-2023, and has been an Independent Reviewer for Queensland Homelessness Responses since 2024.
Other notable recipients include:
- Professor Kate Galloway, Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for significant service to the law, to education, and to the community. Professor Galloway has had a remarkable impact on the University in the roles of Director, Career Readiness, Arts Education and Law; Education Lead, Climate Action Beacon; Deputy Chair, Equity Diversity and Inclusion, Arts Education and Law; Committee Member, Equity Committee; and Associate Professor of Law, Griffith Law School.
- Professor Stuart Howden, Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the General Division for eminent service to environmental science, to the global response on climate change and adaptation, to agriculture, and to tertiary education. Professor Howden is an alumnus completing his PhD (ENS) at Griffith in 1990.
- Mr Jeremy Heathcote, Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to indigenous community health. Mr Heathcote is an alumnus who completed a Master of Employment Relations (2018).
- Mrs Erika Gleeson, Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the disability sector. Mrs Gleeson is an alumnus studying a Graduate Certifate in Autism Studies (2015)
- The late Mr Ian Cousins, Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for service to the community of the Gold Coast. Mr Cousins was a former member of the Griffith Business School Steering Committee.
- Dr Nur Shkembi, Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for service to the visual arts. Dr Shkembi was curator of the Destiny Disrupted exhibition, shown at Granville Centre Art Gallery and Griffith University Art Museum from 2022 to 2023.
- Mr Nigel Miller, Public Service Medal (PSM) for outstanding public service to child protection litigation in Queensland. Mr Miller is an alumnus having completed a Bachelor of Laws/BBus in 2003.
- Ms Anita Summers, Public Service Medal (PSM) for outstanding public service in leadership, program delivery and management in relation to services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Ms Summers is an alumnus graduating with an MA Public Sector Leadership (2012).
- Mr Gregory Toman, Australia Fire Service Medal (AFSM) – Alumnus, GDip Outdoor Education (1993).
- Major Julie Doherty, Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM) for meritorious achievement in blood preparedness and clinical leadership as the Senior Medical Officer of the 2nd Health Battalion. Major Doherty is an alumnus who graduated with a Doctor of Medicine (2015)
Recipients announced in the list will be invested with their awards in the coming months, either by the Governor-General at Government House in Canberra, or by the State Governors or Administrator of the Northern Territory.
