Stephen’s more-than 30 years of experience in education and the public sector means he has rich insights into how organisations and individuals adapt to change and thrive in times of transition. He is a former senior public servant and educator in the education systems of Victoria and Queensland. The Brisbane-based leader is passionate about enhancing individual and organisational performance.

He is the founder of global professional services company, ‘The Brown Collective’ – a professional community of world experts in the school sector that specialise in policy and strategy, capacity-building and sustainable change. Stephen is highly regarded nationally and internationally for his work in leadership development in the education sector.

He holds a Doctor of Education from the University of Southern Queensland, and a Master of Arts from the University of London. Stephen is a graduate of ANZSOG Executive Fellows Program, a participant in Victorian Leadership Development Centre’s Executive Leadership program for future deputy secretaries and secretaries.

Stephen was awarded the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) Nganakarrawa Award. He is a Scholar-Practitioner Fellow at the Asia Centre for Leadership and Change, Hong Kong University of Education; former external expert advisor to the Scottish College of Educational Leadership;  a National and State Fellow of ACEL; a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders,  a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors program; a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, and a former Foundation Board Director.

Stephen is a former Rotary Foundation Scholar, the recipient of the prestigious Miller-Grassie (ACEL Qld) and Australian Institute of Management (Qld) Professional Manager of the Year (2000).