Val is a member of the Curtin University Senior Executive Team and has been with Curtin in various senior general management roles since 1998.

Val is responsible for the following areas:

· Advancement, including Alumni Relations

· Marketing, student recruitment, lead generation, brand and web

· Future Students and customer relationship management;

· Public Relations, including strategic planning, media and events

· Corporate and recruitment publications

· Strategic communications (internal communication and crisis communication)

· Curtin FM community radio

· The John Curtin Art Gallery

She has particular expertise in marketing, crisis management and critical incident communications.

Prior to joining Curtin, Val was State Manager and Director of the Perth office of an international public relations company, IPR Shandwick, for 12 years.

Prior to migrating to Australia in 1986 Val was a journalist on a major daily newspaper in South Africa.

Val has a Diploma in Journalism (S.A.) and a Bachelor of Arts from UWA.

She is a graduate member of the AICD and holds memberships of various organisations such as PRIA and AIM. Val has been a board member of the CEDA WA State Advisory Council since 2014 and a member of the John Curtin Gallery Board since 2015.

She was appointed a Trustee of the American Australian Chamber of Commerce (WA) in 2019, and to the Board of the Harry Perkins Institute in 2020.

In 2017 Val was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Universities Australia for her outstanding contribution to the Australian university sector.