Dorothy Lucardie
Hall of Fame Class of 2014
Dorothy Lucardie is a well-known practitioner, researcher, and administrator in the field of adult education in Australia. Her commitment to leadership in adult education has resulted in a range of significant achievements, perhaps most notably, her work with Adult Learning Australia (ALA).
As president of ALA, she led the group through challenging times, including a period when several adult education bodies lost their government funding. She was able to maintain relationships with the Australian government and receive funding while still lobbying effectively for learning opportunities for the most marginalized Australians. While serving on the ALA board, she observed a deterioration of relationships between ALA and many of its international allies and supporters such as Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE) and the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE). She started rebuilding those relationships through reinstating communication, becoming involved in the Australian Council for Education and Development and ASPBAE. She has been responsive to the changing demands on the organization and has ensured that the organization maintained its relevance and contributions to educational debate.
Lucardie is also active in community education. She was the co-convener of the Basic Leadership Development Course of ASPBAE that trained adult education leaders in the Asia- Pacific region. She developed a new graduate diploma through her current role at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. She also hosted a range of research-based conferences for ALA, the University of New England, and the Continuing Professional Education Network. She serves on the editorial board of the Australian Journal of Adult Learning (AJAL) and was part of the team that secured a coveted A-rating for the AJAL in the Australian government’s research ranking process. She has been a successful chief executive officer of two high profile adult education institutions: Albury-Wodonga Community College and Central Australian Remote Health Development Services.
Lucardie’s work is global, reaching into numerous countries. She has presented internationally on adult education and taken part in a range of international gatherings, thus raising the stature of adult and continuing education. She is an active member of the Australian Coalition for Education and Development, a partnership between a range of aid and education bodies working to improve Australian adult education aid. Other projects include representing the Australian Older Persons Adult Learning Project at the United Nations regional conference, the ASPBAE East Asia Forum, and the Australian Flexible Learning Framework Capability Building Program.
She is a supporter of new entrants into the field and nurtured young participants into the ASPBAE Basic Leadership Program and encouraged new researchers to contribute to the AJAL. She has organized and effectively managed numerous conferences and events to showcase best practices in the field. In addition to her work in adult education, she has been a significant contributor to her local community through board participation at the Albury-Wodonga Volunteer Resource Centre and Albury-Wodonga Legal Aid service. Lucardie’s passion for adult education has been reflected in her infectious enthusiasm for lifelong learning.