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Join us for an inspiring afternoon of ideas, conversation and connection at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Gold Coast.
Our 2026 Alumni Lunch and Learn event will bring together a panel of notable Southern Cross alumni to discuss and reflect on their professional leadership experiences through complexity and change, sharing the pivotal moments, challenges and values shaping their careers.
This year, our panel features four outstanding Alumni Impact Award winners from 2025, all with a diverse range of experience and moderated by Professor David Heilpern:
- Emily Williams: Consul - Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Emily's career spans crisis response, consular services, and international policy.
- Theresa Mitchell : Founder of Agape Outreach Inc, a Northern Rivers and Gold Coast-based charity tackling homelessness with dignity, compassion, and practical support.
- Grant Grierson: Award-winning educator and Southern Cross University Master of Education graduate and now head of Digital Learning at Xavier College, Melbourne.
- Dr. Kellie Wren: Executive Director of Medical Services at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital and Chair of the Queensland Clinical Senate.
- Professor David Heilpern (Moderator): Chair of Discipline (Law), Clinical Professor, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts, Southern Cross University.
Over a long lunch at one of the Gold Coast’s most stunning locations, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with fellow Southern Cross alumni and the wider university community, gaining fresh ideas and new connections.
Details
- Date: Wednesday 19 August 2026
- Time: 11:30am – 2:00pm
- Location: The Homestead, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Gold Coast, Queensland
- Tickets: $40 per person, includes a welcome drink, two-course lunch, tea/coffee, and return train ride to The Homestead. A proportion of your ticket price goes to the sanctuary to support animal rehabilitation.
Places are limited, so please get in early!
Panellists
Emily Williams
Emily is a Southern Cross University graduate in Law and Social Science and currently serves as Consul at the Australian Consulate in Noumea, New Caledonia. A Torres Strait Islander, Emily has represented Australia in high-profile international roles, including at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Her career spans crisis response, consular services, and international policy. Her Southern Cross education and scholarships have provided a strong foundation for leadership, advocacy, and making an impact both locally and globally.
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Grant Grierson
Grant is an award-winning educator and Southern Cross University Master of Education graduate. Known for turning curiosity into confidence, he inspires secondary students in robotics, engineering, and programming to design real-world solutions to global problems. Grant champions STEM education, creativity, and student-led innovation, shaping the next generation of thinkers and problem-solvers with imagination, mentorship, and purpose.
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Dr. Kellie Wren
Dr Wren is the Executive Director of Medical Services at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital and Chair of the Queensland Clinical Senate. A medical doctor and anaesthetist with more than 20 years’ experience in Queensland Health, she combines clinical insight with business acumen gained through her MBA from Southern Cross University. Named the University’s 2025 Alumni of the Year, Kellie is known for her humour, empathy and innovative leadership driving positive change across the health system.
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Theresa Mitchell
Theresa is the founder of Agape Outreach Inc., a Northern Rivers and Gold Coast-based charity tackling homelessness with dignity, compassion, and practical support. A Southern Cross University graduate in Psychological Science (Honours), Theresa draws on her lived experience and education to lead programs supporting over 1,500 people each week. Theresa is recognised for her resilience, advocacy, and commitment to transforming lives through care, policy, and education.
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Professor David Heilpern (Moderator)
Professor David Heilpern was a Magistrate and judicial trainer from 1998 to 2020. Prior to this appointment, David was a litigation lawyer on the North Coast where he co-founded the law school at SCU in 1992, David graduated with a Masters in Law from SCU and was the Alumni of the Decade in 2005. In August 2022 was appointed as a Dean and Chair of Discipline (Law) at SCU. David is passionate about legal education, seeking to ensure that students are stimulated, excited and fulfilled.
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Relive the highlights from previous Lessons in Leadership events.
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