May 22 - Professor Daniella Tilbury Appointed Commissioner For Sustainable Development - Steps Down From University Role
The Government has announced that Professor Daniella Tilbury will be Gibraltar's first Commissioner for Sustainable Development working closely with the Minister for Heritage, Environment, Energy and Climate Change. Professor Tilbury will no longer serve as the University of Gibraltar’s Vice Chancellor.
In her new role she will be leading on the embedding of sustainable development principles across government as well as overseeing the new sustainable development framework, which is currently being finalised.
Minister John Cortes said: "Professor Tilbury is well placed to take up this role given her qualifications and expertise in sustainable development. We are excited by what can be achieved through these plans and with an experienced expert at the helm. There are some major initiatives planned and we require Daniella's leadership and expert knowledge. It is vital that Professor Tilbury take up this appointment as soon as possible given the urgency of some of these initiatives."
Daniella was named as a Marie Curie International Professor by the European Commission in 2009 and has been the recipient of several awards for her work in higher education, learning quality and innovation as well as sustainable development.
She was the Founding Director of the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES) where she advised on greening of government initiatives and national responses to climate change, core curriculum initiatives and the establishment of a sustainable schools framework. In the UK she established the UN Centre of Expertise in Sustainable Development and was recognised for her institutional change efforts with various Green Gown Awards. Daniella chaired the UN Global Monitoring and Evaluation Expert Group on Education for Sustainable Development for a decade (2005-2014).
She organized Gibraltar's first Environment Day in June 1993, its first Environment in Business Forum in 1994 as well as a national environmental education and awareness campaign in partnership with The Chronicle, NGO and Government stakeholders between 1993-1995. She has remained actively engaged in sustainability initiatives locally mostly supporting many individuals and groups.
As an education expert, she led the UK's Quality Assurance Agency project on quality leadership, governance and management of education (2010-12). She was lead evaluator for educational programmes funded by the European Union, United Nations, World Conservation Union (IUCN), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and British Council and is currently the UK government nominee on the United Nations Economic Council for Europe (UNECE) Expert Group on Education for Sustainability. She is recognised for her research into teacher education frameworks and development of national teacher development programmes.
Professor Daniella Tilbury is the inaugural Vice-Chancellor and currently CEO of the University of Gibraltar.
The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: “I would like to congratulate Daniella on her new role and thank her for the important part she has played in the establishment of the University of Gibraltar over the last five years. Daniella first became involved in December 2013 when she developed the feasibility study. She has been instrumental in the construction of the University’s offering, the development of the University's first strategic plan as well as the establishment of financial viable pathways for the institution. I also look forward to Daniella using her extensive contacts throughout the Commonwealth to assist us in the promotion of Gibraltar as we leave the European Union and expand into those markets.”
The University of Gibraltar has stated that it is proud of the significant progress made, and the numerous achievements attained, since its opening in September 2015, and “gratefully acknowledges” the contribution towards this progress and these achievements by Prof. Daniella Tilbury who has led the University during this important initial phase.
The University says it is now well established to serve its community and looks forward to continuing its commitment to high quality teaching and learning, and world-leading research adding that Prof Tilbury's new challenge, as Gibraltar's first Commissioner for Sustainable Development with HMGoG, is an “exciting next step in her career and one for which she is uniquely qualified.”
The University has thanked Prof Tilbury for her commitment and leadership as its first Vice-Chancellor and wishes her every success in her new role.
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