Sharyn O’Neill PSM was appointed Commissioner on 30 July 2018 following 12 years as Director General of the Department of Education. She is the first woman to undertake the role. Ms O’Neill’s priority as Commissioner is to strengthen and unify the public sector to better serve the needs of the community. She is leading a major reform agenda with a focus on leadership, talent, diversity, data, workforce, integrity and capability.
Ms O’Neill began her career as a teacher and deputy principal in country schools before moving to policy, governance and system leadership positions in education. She has a Master of Education (Education Administration and Policy). She was awarded the Institute of Public Administration Australia (WA) Patron’s Award in 2016 and the Australian College of Educators (WA) Medal in 2019. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.
