Emeritus Professor Lesley Johnson AM FAHA was elected as President of the Australian Academy of the Humanities at the Annual General Meeting of the Fellows of the Academy on 19 November 2011. Professor Johnson is only the second female President since the formation of the Academy in 1969.
“I am honoured and delighted to be appointed to the role of President of
this prestigious institution”, said Professor Johnson. “The humanities
disciplines enrich and inform our national culture and the Academy plays
an important role in providing independent policy advice to government,
supporting humanities researchers early in their careers, and building international connections to foster and encourage international
collaboration for Australia’s humanities researchers”.
Professor Johnson was elected to the Academy in 1999. Her fields of expertise include cultural studies, Australian cultural history, and gender studies. She has published a number of major books and over forty articles in key refereed journals, alongside numerous edited collections, and other reports and monographs.
Well known in higher education circles, Professor Johnson became Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in 1995, a position she held for 9 years. In 2004, she was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at Griffith University, a position she held for just over 5 years until her retirement. Since 2009, Professor Johnson has undertaken a number of part-time consultancies for a range of Australian universities.
Professor Johnson also served on various Australian Research Council committees for over 12 years, including 3 years as a member of its Council. She was awarded the status of Emeritus Professor by UTS in 2004 and Professor Emeritus by Griffith University in 2011 and is a Conjoint Professorial Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales.
Professor Johnson was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for service to Australian society in history, cultural communication and university administration, and the Order of Australia in 2010 for her contribution to Australian higher education.
“I wish to note the significant contribution of my predecessor, Professor Joseph Lo Bianco AM FAHA, to the Australian humanities community”, said Professor Johnson, “most notably around languages policy and building support networks for tertiary language teachers in Australia, but also more broadly in supporting emerging fields of research in the humanities, forging new links internationally, and steering the Academy very capably during the 2010-11 Review by the Federal Government. His colleagues in the Academy regard him with great respect and affection”.