1. Meet our 2016 USQ Alumnus of the Year Finalists
We’re so proud of our USQ graduates and enjoy celebrating their success.
Presenting the Alumnus of the Year Awards gives us the opportunity to
acknowledge some amazing achievements and share our #usqpride!
2. David Fagan
Director of Corporate Transition,
Queensland University of Technology
Bachelor of Arts, 1978
For more than a decade David Fagan acted as the
voice of, and for, Queensland through his leadership
and editorship of The Courier-Mail. He also led media
company, News Corp’s 41 state mastheads through the
transition from print to multimedia publishing, during
which time he had an editorial staff of more than
700 people and a budget of AUD$70 million. David
now applies those formative skills at the Queensland
University of Technology (QUT), as Director of Corporate
Transition. He is also a Director of Carers’ Queensland,
a Deputy State Australian Republican Movement (ARM)
Convenor and an Australian Press Council Adjudicator.
David prides himself on his role in developing news and
media products that better told the story of everyday
Queenslanders.
Sharan Doyle-Berry
Team Leader and Leading Vocation Teacher,
TAFE Queensland East Coast
Graduate Diploma in Further Education and Training, 2007
Master of Education, 2008
Sharan Doyle-Berry’s dedication to teaching excellence
has not only seen her contribute to the careers of
thousands of students studying for the vocation of
hairdressing at TAFE Queensland East Coast, it has
also seen her win a number of professional awards
across her career. Sharan is currently a Team Leader
and Leading Vocation Teacher at TAFE Queensland East
Coast, a lead representative for the TAFE Queensland
Learning Community and Industry Advisory group,
TQEC, and she is the Director and proprietor of Inversion
Hair Consultancy. Sharan is an active participant in the
local community and she is a member of a number of
industry and professional groups including the Regional
Queensland Hairdressing Industry Advisory Committee
and the Women’s Business Awards.
PROFESSIONAL
Alumnus of the Year Finalists
3. Prof Sean Ryan
Head of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom
Master of Business Administration, 1999
For United Kingdom-based astronomer Professor Sean Ryan aiming for the stars when it comes to career achievements is literally what he does
best. He has worked in observatories in Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where he worked with the
Hubble Space Telescope. Sean is a Professor of Astrophysics and is currently the Head of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) at the UK’s Higher Education Academy. His research studies the formation of elements across cosmic history and focuses on the birth
of the Milky Way and the discovery of its oldest stars. In 2015 he published his 100th refereed research paper titled A three-dimensional
hydrodynamical line profile analysis of iron lines and barium isotopes in HD140283.
INTERNATIONAL
Alumnus of the Year Winner
4. Dr Keng-Boon Ooi
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Postgraduate
Studies, and Dean for the Faculty of Business and
Information Science, UCSI University, Malaysia
Bachelor of Information Technology, 1998
Master of Business Administration, 2000
Dr Keng-Boon Ooi is a Professor, current Deputy Vice-
Chancellor of Research and Postgraduate studies, and Dean
for the Faculty of Business and Information Science at UCSI
University in Malaysia. He is also an internationally published
and cited researcher, having authored and co-authored more
than 100 papers in refereed journals. He was acknowledged
as the Most Productive Author (by number of publications)
and the Second Most Influential Author (in terms of H-index)
globally in Thomson Web of Science for an article published
by Telematics and Informatics, Elsevier in the discipline of
mobile commerce and its application from 2000-2015. He
received the highly competitive international grant from
Sumitomo Foundation, Japan in 2002 and 2009 and CIMA’s
Centre of Excellence Southeast Asia Research Grant for
Malaysian small and medium sized enterprises in 2013.
Dr Rael Lange
Director and Senior Scientist for the Defense and
Veterans Brain Injury Center, Walter Reed National
Military Medical Center, Maryland, USA
Bachelor of Applied Science, 1994
Graduate Diploma of Applied Science, 1996
Doctor of Philosophy, 2000
Dr Rael Lange is an award-winning researcher in the field
of clinical neuropsychology, in both civilian and military
settings, at a national and international level. He is currently
the Research Director and Senior Scientist for the Defense
and Veterans Brain Injury Center at the Walter Reed National
Military Medical Center in Maryland, USA. Rael also serves
as the Scientific Director for a large-scale congressionally
mandated study into the outcomes of traumatic brain injury
within the first 15 years of injury. For the past 16 years he
has been an active clinical researcher and has published
more than 119 peer reviewed papers and book chapters, 172
published abstracts, and 232 conference presentations. He is
currently responsible for a national program of research (USA)
funded at more than USD$45 million.
RESEARCH/ACADEMIC
Alumnus of the Year Finalists
5. Abdulkarim Al Zarouni
Key Account Manager, Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates
Bachelor of Business, 2010
Abdulkarim Al Zarouni is an enterprising 29-year-old. He is an award-winning, Key Account Manager at Dubai International Airport where he has
been recognised for his contribution to the implementation of new safety practices and improving work performance within various departments
across airport operations. Abdulkarim is an entrepreneur, having launched several businesses under the banner of Al Zarouni Sons Group. He is a
real estate consultant who has won awards for his innovative ideas and passion relating to the United Arab Emirates property environment. Lastly,
but certainly not least, Abdulkarim is a humanitarian aid volunteer who has worked with several international aid organisation such as Doctors
Without Borders and IIRO in Africa and at the Syrian-Lebanese border, and with other Dubai-based not-for-profit groups whose goals are to
support local causes.
YOUNG
Alumnus of the Year Winner
6. Paul Ventaloro
Regional Coordinator, Partners in Recovery, Lifeline,
Darling Downs and South West Queensland
Bachelor of Social Science, 2010
Creating an inclusive and supportive community has
become a way of life for Paul Ventaloro. Paul works at
the Australian not-for-profit organisation Lifeline as the
Regional Coordinator for the Darling Downs & South
West Queensland Partners in Recovery initiative. Within
this role, Paul works tirelessly to ensure a high-quality,
consistent level of care and support is received by people
in need throughout the region. Despite this massive
task, Paul still felt there was more that could be done
and in 2015 he coordinated the development of the
Toowoomba Suicide Prevention Network and became
a safeTALK facilitator. Through this network Paul has
assembled representatives from 26 local organisations,
to form a group of 34 members and 38 affiliates who
actively participate in projects designed to increase
suicide awareness, prevention and support.
Sharon Boyce
Manager, Discovering DisAbility and Diversity
Bachelor of Arts, 1990
Graduate Diploma in Further Education and Training, 1993
Master of Education – Honours, 1997
Sharon Boyce is a true example of what can be achieved
with a determined attitude. Sharon was diagnosed with
Rheumatoid Arthritis when she was 11-years-old and is
confined to an electric wheelchair, but she has not let
her circumstances stop her from attaining her personal,
career and community goals. Sharon’s achievements are
impressively varied; she has written a children’s book to
help kids learn about physical disability, she is involved in
a number of local and state networks and organisations
including the Queensland Disability Advisory Council,
of which she is the current chair, and she developed
Discovering DisAbility and Diversity – a first-of-its-kind
experiential disability awareness program that travels
around the region informing the community about
people’s differences and how to celebrate them.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Alumnus of the Year Finalists
7. INDIGENOUS SERVICE
Alumnus of the Year Finalists
Dr Stephen Hagan
Executive Director, Regional Economic Solutions
Master of Business Administration, 2002
Doctor of Philosophy, 2016
Dr Stephen Hagan is a former diplomat, senior public
servant, academic and businessman. He is also a
proud Kullilli man from far south-west Queensland
and has been an active contributor to, and defender
of, Indigenous affairs nationally. His PhD The nexus
between judicial bias against Indigenous Australians and
community xenophobia was confirmed on 30 May this
year by USQ. Stephen has researched and written four
publications: The N-Word – One Man’s Stand, Magabala,
2005; Australia’s Blackest Sporting Moments: The Top
100 and Melly and the Bilby, both Ngalga Warralu,
2006; and Ngalga Mathematics, Oxford University Press,
2011. In addition to winning an award for his first book,
Stephen is also a multi-award winning filmmaker.
Dr Odette Best
Senior Lecturer (Nursing),
Queensland University of Technology
Doctor of Philosophy, 2012
Dr Odette Best is an Aboriginal woman who has had
a long and distinguished career as a Registered Nurse,
an academic and an historian of Aboriginal nurses and
midwives. Her PhD, titled Yatdjuligin: The Stories of
Queensland Aboriginal Nurses 1950-2005, explored
the journey of six Aboriginal Registered Nurses across
six decades. Odette has been acknowledged for her
work through a Churchill Fellowship in 2002 and an
International Council of Nursing Fellowship in 2009.
She was also awarded the 2015 Tertiary Teaching
and Learning Award from the Australian Educational
Publishing Awards for her textbook Yatdjuligin:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nursing and
Midwifery Care. She is committed to primary health
care within Aboriginal health, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender (LGBT) and women’s health services.
8. CHAPTER VOLUNTEER
Alumnus of the Year Winner and Highly Commended
Johnny Hung (Winner)
Chair, USQ Graduates Society
Hong Kong Alumni Chapter
Bachelor of Business, 1992
Johnny Hung is a Hong Kong Practising Accountant
and Chartered Secretary, and the owner of M.H.Hung
& Co, a Hong Kong-based accounting firm. He is also
the current Chair of the USQ Graduates Society Hong
Kong Alumni Chapter and was the driving force behind
the chapter’s restructure in 2010 and its subsequent
growth and success. Over the last six years, Johnny has
worked tirelessly to strengthen the chapter’s ties to USQ
and its relationships with local businesses and industry.
After serving as Vice-Chair for four years, Johnny was
unanimously elected as Chair in 2014, with his platform
of passion for promoting and fostering fellowship among
USQ alumni living and working in Hong Kong. Chapter
members meet regularly for social, volunteer and
professional events.
Leesa Soulodre (Highly Commended)
Vice-Chair, USQ Singapore Alumni Chapter
Master of Management, 2004
Leesa Soulodre is Chief Reputation Risk Officer and
Managing Partner at RL Expert Group. She has been
a member of the USQ Singapore Alumni Society
since 2013. During her membership, Leesa has held
the positions of Marketing and Communications and
Vice Chair – the position she currently holds. Within
her executive committee roles, Leesa has been at the
forefront of new initiatives implemented by the chapter,
predominantly those designed to increase engagement
and communication between alumni members. Over the
last 12 months, she has launched the USQ Singapore
Alumni Chapter website, a Google+ Asia Alumni
Clubhouse, and promoted the ‘Towards an Asia Century’
event series and a professional development webinar
series, all with the goal of growing a connected and
prosperous chapter within the fast-paced Asian alumni
landscape.