Dr Sandra Cheeseman to head up C&K following Jane Bourne departure

Freya Lucas

Dec 07, 2021

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Following the retirement of previous longstanding CEO Jane Bourne, early childhood education and care (ECEC) provider C&K has announced the appointment of Dr Sandra Cheeseman to the position of CEO, effective immediately.

Dr Cheeseman is already well known to C&K through her previous role as Chief Operating Officer with the provider, a position which she held for the past three years.

The appointment was made following an extensive national recruitment process with Board Chair, Therese Mulherin, saying Dr Cheeseman was “the unequivocal choice for the role,” as a highly respected expert in ECEC who has dedicated her 35-year career to advocating for and pursuing excellence in the sector.

Dr Cheeseman has held a number of roles within the sector, including work as an early childhood teacher and centre director, as well as pursuing a career as an academic and researcher, along with being a board member of ACECQA as well as the Scientific Advisory Board for the Raising Children Network.

“She has also published in the areas of organisational leadership, early years curriculum and infant/toddler rights, and was a member of the core writing team who developed Australia’s first Early Years Learning Framework,” Ms Mulherin added.

Most recently, Dr Cheeseman was appointed as one of only eight members to the Australian Government Ministerial Advisory Group for the development of a preschool outcome measure.

Working collaboratively the Group will develop options to measure the impact of preschool for Australian children, and Dr Cheeseman said she is thrilled to be able to contribute to a vision where every child gets the support they need to succeed.

“I’m committed to ensure that C&K flourishes as a leading organisation that continues to put children first, nurturing and inspiring them to thrive in an ever-changing world”, she added.To learn more about the work of C&K please see here.

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