Staff profile
Ms Sheila O’Sullivan BA, FPRIA
Adjunct Professor
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
School of Communication, Arts and Critical Enquiry
Qualifications
BA (Monash); Teachers Cert (Primary) 1962
Membership of professional associations
Victorian Honour Roll of Women 2004; Honorary Life Fellow, Museum Victoria 2009; Life Member and Fellow, Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) 2009; Honorary Member of Media Arts and Entertainment Alliance 2010
Area of study
Strategic communication
Brief profile
Ms Sheila O’Sullivan was appointed adjunct professor for the Bachelor of Strategic Communication at La Trobe University on 23 July 2012 for a period of three years. Ms O’Sullivan has won many awards for her communications campaigns which have been acclaimed in Australia and around the world for the past 20 years. She has received the 2004 United Nations Communication Award for her work in guiding the campaign to secure support for East Timorese refugees to become permanent residents in Australia. Much of Ms O’Sullivan’s career has centered on encouraging local communities, including women in particular, to participate in political life. She has worked extensively in political communication with a wide range of government and community groups, including the Municipal Association of Victoria and local governments. In these roles, she has focused on programs to encourage women to participate in local government, as well as developing models of community engagement.
She has also been instrumental in raising the standing and professionalism of the industry. Ms O’Sullivan was involved in developing the Public Relations Institute of Australia course accreditation program for universities and has been Chairman of the Examination Board of the PRIA nationally since 1994. In 2003 she was awarded a Centenary Medal for outstanding services to local government.
