Posted on 3 March 2020
The Open Polytechnic Council has appointed two new community representatives to Council.
Open Polytechnic Council Chair, Graeme Hall, says new members Glenis Philip-Barbara and Sue Sutherland bring a wealth of tertiary education relevant sector experience and specialised skills to their new roles.
Glenis Philip-Barbara is currently the Chief Executive of the Māori Language Commission. Previous to this she was the Director of Business Development at Tairāwhiti Polytechnic in Gisborne. Glenis has held teaching, research, student support and leadership roles in the tertiary sector since 1998 spanning university and polytechnic organisations. She has served Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori and community organisations as Board Chair and Board member in Palmerston North, Auckland and Gisborne.
Sue Sutherland is a consultant, having just completed a term as the Acting Chief Executive and National Librarian for the National Library of New Zealand. Previous senior management roles at the National Library include as Deputy Chief Executive, and Director Policy and Information Democracy. She was also the Libraries Manager for Christchurch City Council, and was an elected Council Member at CPIT from 2003-2008. An Associate Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management, Sue is also an honorary life member of LIANZA and a former trustee of the 2020 Communications Trust.
Mr Hall also thanked retiring community representatives Neville Baker and Cliff Daly for their valuable contributions to the Open Polytechnic Council during their terms.
The Open Polytechnic is New Zealand’s national provider of open and distance learning, enrolling an average of 29,000 part-time students each year. The majority of students are adult learners combining work and study, making the Open Polytechnic one of New Zealand’s major educators of people in the workforce.