Community Alumna Award

Suzanne Bosanquet is an Architect, Artist, Educator, Mother of four boys, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Active Citizen and Philanthropist.

She graduated with an Architecture degree in 1999, and in 2001 became the youngest graduate to become a registered practicing architect in Queensland.

Suzanne travelled and worked overseas in sport stadiums and indoor arenas, such as Wembley, China Olympics, Suncorp Stadium and the MCG. She established her own architectural company in 2004 and has won multiple industry awards, and has published in the broad media, local and internationally.

Over the years, Suzanne has been involved with numerous grass roots community, institutional and professional body organisations, brokering partnerships to bolster and enrich communities and leading positive change and innovation through architecture, art and design.

• B. Architecture (Hons), UQ (1999)

Alison Kubler has over 25 years’ experience as a curator in museums and galleries in Australia, and on major public art commissions. Alison worked as Arts Adviser to the Federal Minister for the Arts and Sport, held full-time curatorial positions at the QUT Art Museum and Gold Coast City Art Gallery, and worked as Associate Curator at The University of Queensland Art Museum.

Alison is the Editor of VAULT (vaultmagazine.com), a journal of art and culture and is a regular contributor to art magazines and journals. She is a Member of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia, sits on the Advisory Board of the Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas (SCCI) and is a Director of Renshaw & Kubler Art Consultants.

She co-authored Art and Fashion in the Twentieth Century published by Thames and Hudson UK (2013), which has subsequently been translated into German and Japanese.

Moved by the plight of so many at-risk women and Australia’s domestic violence crisis, Alison joined the Second Chance Programme in February 2020, and immediately had an impact, contributing her arts and culture skillset.

• B. Arts, UQ (1993)
• M. Arts, Manchester University (England; 1996)

Leigh McCready pivots daily between her roles as a mum and wife, business leader and, what she refers to tongue-in-cheek as, her work as a ‘professional volunteer’. Leigh is the Head of Fundraising and Partnerships at Katie Rose Cottage Hospice and has previously worked for Sheraton Noosa, Altum Property Group, BP, Telstra, and HeliMods. She has also started her own HR consulting business. Leigh has a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Monash and undergraduate degrees in Commerce and Arts from UQ.

In her volunteer roles, Leigh was elected to lead the revival of the Peregian Beach Surf Life Saving Club and for this work won the 2022 Volunteer of the Year award. In 2021, Leigh was elected to Chair the LNP Noosa Branch, the first female to hold this position in Noosa’s history. Leigh is also a Director of the Sunshine Coast 2032 Olympics board, local peak body Tourism Noosa, the President of the Tewantin-Noosa CWA, and founder and President of Peregian Family & Friends, Peregian’s resident’s association.

• B. Arts / B. Commerce, UQ (1998)
• Grad Cert. Business (Human Resource Management), QUT (2007)
• M. Human Resource Management, Monash University (2019)

Dr Kay Strom is Co-Director of Iris Education, which she co-founded in 2015, and teaches in UQ’s Faculty of Medicine.

Kay graduated in 1986 and subsequently completed a Fellowship of General Practice and National Certificate of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH).

In addition to SRH, Kay has longstanding interests in communication, medical education and leadership. She has developed and delivered training programs across Queensland and Australia for three decades. Kay has specific expertise in Human Papilloma Virus and has played statewide and national roles in the education of health professionals around prevention of cervical cancer.

Since 2014, Kay has found immense joy in her role as a teacher and mentor to medical students at UQ. In 2020 she received the John Pearn Medal for teaching excellence in the Faculty of Medicine.

Kay also volunteers to assist refugee doctors on their journey to practice in Australia.

• B. Medicine, B. Surgery (MBBS Hons I), UQ (1986)

Joanne Bergamin is a seasoned communications and sustainability professional with expertise across the resources and energy sectors in Queensland – most notably with critical minerals company QEM Limited, Arrow Energy, and as a Non-Executive Director of ASX-listed gold company Sunshine Metals.

Seeing a space for women to drive women’s visibility and leadership in energy and resources, with a keen eye to sustainability, Joanne co-founded and chairs the national WISER (Women in Sustainable Energy & Resources) network. This role builds on Joanne’s experience of serving on the board of not-for-profit community organisation Sports Gold Coast.

Taking a break from resources, she moved to Italy in 2007, living and working in Rome and the Vatican for 13 years, including as a journalist for the Pope’s newspaper. Joanne explored, photographed and wrote about her adopted countries, and she is published in various online and print publications.

In the run-up to the 2025 Federal Election, Joanne ran Senator Susan McDonald’s Office.

• B. Arts, UQ (1995)
• B. Commerce, UQ (1996)
• M. Business Administration, UQ (2000)
• Dip. Theology, Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Rome, Italy; 2010)
• Grad Cert. Sustainable Energy, UQ (2022)

As the CEO of Berries Australia, Rachel Mackenzie leads a $1.3 billion industry, navigating the “halls of power” to secure milestones like Vietnam blueberry market access and the $200 million Reef Rescue package. With 25 years of experience, Rachel excels in bridging the gap between farm-gate realities and national policy.

A proud alumna of The Women’s College, Rachel is a tireless champion for young women in agriculture, demonstrating that leadership in male-dominated spaces is built on collaboration and empathy. From managing national research projects at the Coastal CRC to leading the development the Fair Farms Initiative, Rachel’s career is defined by a commitment to teamwork and lifting others up. 

A recipient of the 2018 Women in Horticulture Award, Rachel serves as a powerful mentor, proving that women can lead with integrity and influence at the highest levels. Her journey inspires the next generation to transform the industry from the field to the boardroom.

• B. Science / B. Arts, UQ (1994)
• Graduate Diploma in Rural Systems Management, UQ (2001)