Professor Janine O’Flynn appointed Director of ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy

ANZSOG’s Professor Janine O’Flynn has been appointed to the senior position of Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU, commencing in early 2023. 

ANZSOG Dean and CEO Ken Smith said that Professor O’Flynn has made a major contribution across ANZSOG’s education, thought leadership and research activities, both nationally and internationally, since her secondment from the University of Melbourne in 2018. 

“Whilst it is always difficult saying farewell to a close colleague and friend of ANZSOG, we can be proud of Janine for securing this important and prestigious academic position in Canberra,” Professor Smith said. 

“Since joining ANZSOG she has played such an important role in leading the delivery of our foundation subject in the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA), Delivering Public Value (DPV), as well as throughout the EMPA and other executive education programs. Janine has also played a major role in masters’ program reviews in the UK as well as our own recently completed comprehensive EMPA academic review.  

“She has also maintained a prolific research and publication record and made a positive contribution to ANZSOG’s strategic positioning. As the co-author of one of the major pieces of research commissioned from ANZSOG by the Thodey Review, she has helped shape deliberations on the future of the Australian Public Service. 

“Her international experience and depth of expertise in public management will add to the Crawford School’s already high reputation for scholarship and providing expert, independent advice to governments. We look forward to Janine’s ongoing involvement with ANZSOG as the Director of the Crawford School with which we have long-term close working relations.” 

Dean of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Helen Sullivan congratulated Professor O’Flynn on the appointment saying she was ‘delighted’ to welcome her back.  

“A passionate educator, Janine has led education innovation throughout her career, always striving to combine academic rigour with practical application, with the aim of improving the competence and confidence of those working in and with the public sector,” she said. 

Professor O’Flynn is the winner of multiple prestigious academic awards, most notably the best book award at the Academy of Management for the book Rethinking Public Service Delivery: Managing with External Providers (with John Alford). She is also the recipient of a national citation from the Australian Teaching and Learning Council for her excellence as an educator.   

She has advised public service institutions in Australia, Chile, Bhutan, Aotearoa New Zealand, the United States of America, Vietnam, Canada, China and Singapore. In 2019, she co-authored a major research paper to inform the work of the Independent Review of the Australian Public Service (Thodey Review); 2030 and Beyond: Getting the Work of Government Done. Janine’s wealth of experience and depth of expertise in public management will add to Crawford’s outstanding reputation in providing expert and independent advice to governments and public service bodies in Australia and the region.