1. RESUME:Michele CottonBVSc,BSc (Vet) (Hons),MVPHMgt,CMAVA
Email:micheleksa@gmail.com
Personal:
AustralianCitizen,BorninOberonNSW
Mother to three children
Englishismyonlylanguage,althoughIcan speaka small amountof German andFrench and have
some rudimentary Levantine conversational Arabic.
Qualifications and Awards:
 1973 Batchelorof Science (Veterinary)(BScVet) withsecondclasshonours.(clinical
biochemistry)Universityof Sydney
 1974 GraduatedBatchelorof VeterinaryScience (BVSc). Universityof Sydney(USYD)
 2006 AwardedBelle Bruce ReidMedal asone of Australia’s 100 most influentialwomen
veterinarians http://boardtalk.vpb.nsw.gov.au/page/Belle_Bruce_Reid_Medal
 2009 GraduatedMaster of VeterinaryPublichealthManagement.Universityof Sydney
 Veterinarianregistration:NSWBoardof VetSurgeons:# 1876, ongoingsince 1974
 Charteredmemberof AustralianVeterinaryAssociation(CMAVA) awardedonannual
accumulationof continuingeducationinexcessof 30 creditpoints.
 2013/15 Completed twoyearsof enrolment(toDiplomalevel)inMastersof International
Animal Health.Universityof Edinburgh.
 2015-16 have beengranteda year toattendto familyandworkmattersin Australiaandto
selectadissertationtopicforthe final yearof the EdinburghMastersdegree.
Past work and experience:
 1972 – DuringBSc Vetyearacted as Demonstratortoundergraduate veterinarystudentsin
practical veterinaryparasitology.
 1972 - Workedindiagnosticclinical pathologylaboratory,Facultyof VeterinaryScience,
Universityof Sydneyprovidinggeneral microbiological,clinical andgrosspathologyservices
withclinical pathologystaff.
 1974 to 1977 - EmployedasveterinarypractitionerinBathurst VeterinaryHospital,NSW.
General practice,70% cattle,30% sheep,horses,small animalsandwildlife.

2. Qualified(TBtesting) andworked forNational BrucellosisandTuberculosisEradicationCampaign
(BTEC ),TB testingandBrucellatestingandvaccinatinginCentral westernNSW.
Duringthat time establishedandrana small in-house diagnosticveterinaryclinical pathology
laboratoryprovidingbacteriological,cytological,parasitological,autopsy,biochemical service forthis
and selectedneighbouringpracticesinCentral NSW.
 1977-79 – JoinedUSYD as researchassistantandlateras assistantto ProfessorKenJohnson
at Camdencampuswhere I provided diagnosticnecropsy, macropathological,
microbiological services (majorbovine mastitisdiagnosticcentre) tothe clinic.Thisincluded
teachingresponsibilitiesforundergraduate veterinary studentsin clinical biochemistry,
clinical diagnosticpathologyandautopsytechniques. Mainlycattle andhorses,alsopoultry,
large cats, cetaceans,deerandcompanionanimals.
 1979 – AftermarryingI accompaniedmy (humanendocrinologyspecialist) husbandto
Seattle Washington.Became amemberof Facultyinthe Divisionof Animal Medicine inthe
Universityof Washington,involvedinprovidingdiagnosticservicesforlaboratoryanimals,
plusdevelopinganELISA testforearlydetectionof Sendai virusantigeninmice. Inaddition
to providing general bacteriological diagnosticservicesbenchexperience extendedto
creatingcell cultures(BHK, BMKcultures) anduse of HeLa cellsforculture,culturingand
harvestingSendai virusineggs, various immunological techniques(geldiffusionetc).
 1982 – 2000 accompaniedhusbandtoRiyadh,Kingdomof Saudi Arabia(KSA).Workedina
varietyof jobsinKSA – a private home-basedveterinarypractice,performingmedicineand
surgeryon petanimalsincludingawide variety of dogs,cats,birdsand huntingfalcons.
Duringthistime my husbandwasemployedasheadof the endocrinologydepartmentatthe
RiyadhAlKharj (ArmedForces) Hospital (RKH).
 1982 – Assisted DrRossWilliamsontosupportracingequine practice throughRiyadh
Equestriancentre,providingclinical pathologyandmicrobiological services.
 1982-4 ConsultanttoMasstock Dairiesduringworldwide E.colimastitis“outbreak”.
 1983-5 – VeterinariantoRiyadhairportdetectordogprogram.
 1985-92 – ConsultantveterinariantoRiyadhMunicipalityzoo.Dealtwith all speciesof zoo
animals– native ArabiananimalsincludingGazelle,fox,oryx,ibex, sandcats,reptiles.Aswell
the zoo housedlarge primates,lions,tigers,leopards,cheetahs,caracals,servals,rhinos,
giraffes,elephants,camels,hippos,seals,manyspeciesof birds –responsible for
maintenance of healthof over500 animalsat the zoo. Asnative Arabianungulateswere
housedatthe zooand I workedinclose communication withthe National Commissionfor
WildlifeConservationandDevelopment(NCWCD) zoologists,veterinariansandbotanists
centredat Thamama Wildlife CentreoutsideRiyadh. IndoingsoIwasprivilegedtolearn
more about Arabianecology.
 1997-2000 CommutedbetweenAustraliaandKSA due to children’s educational
requirements.Casual lectureranddemonstratorinVeterinary ParasitologyatUSYD, withDrs
HenryCollinsandNickSangster.
April 2000-Nov 2007 –Employedtoact as Associate Director(1year) thenDirectorof the
PostGraduate FoundationinVeterinaryScience (PGF) (USYDemploymentLevel10).URL:
http://www.cve.edu.au

3. o Duringthistime an average of 15 people were employedundermyleadership.
o Instigatedandfacilitatedthe provisionof awide range of continuingveterinary
educationtoveterinariansworldwide,mainlyAustralians.Variousmedia including
online,seminar,workshop,lectures,publications were usedforthis.
o DesignedStrategicandMarketingplansforPGF.
o Liaisedandnegotiated withvariousstakeholdersincludingthe Facultyof Veterinary
Science,Universityof SydneyAdministration toVice Chancellorlevel,anda
membershipbase of approximately3500 veterinarians,mostlyinAustraliabutalso
worldwide.
o Engagedexternal presenters,tutorsandspeakersforourannual continuing
educationprograms.
o Oversawandwas responsible forapproval andachievementof annual budgetsthat
resultedin financialstabilisation.
o Providedriskanalysisfordonationof $1,000,000 to the Facultyof VeterinaryScience
for the buildingof the ValentineCharltonCatCentre withinthe University.
o Major private donor($10,000) to the Valentine CharltonCatCentre
o Developednewonline distance Educationcourses.
o Conceived,plannedanddeveloped highlysuccessful shorton-line continuing
education coursesnamed“TimeOnLine”,
o Securedfinancial andHRturnaroundof PGF duringthistime,leavingitin excellent
financial shape.
o Engineeredcorporate change forthe PGF, communicatingplans, managingexternal
membership,liaisedandnegotiatedwithUniversityof Sydney,andfacultyof
veterinaryscience regardingthe securityof external membershipinachievingthis
change of name,structure andpositionwithinthe university.
 2001 - AttendedandcompletedAGSMAcceleratedDevelopment Programcertificate for
ExecutivesatUNSW. Subsequentlyappliedthistrainingto deliverextensive successfulHR
and financial managerialachievements.
 2000-2009: USYD Facultyof Veterinary Science TeachingandLearningCommittee.
 2000-present;Providedlecture seriesonParasitesof NativeAnimals,BirdsandfishtoVet3
undergraduate studentsinthe Facultyof veterinaryscience atUSYD.
 2006-2009: lecturedin Parasitologyof wildlife,birdsand FishestothirdyearAnimal
bioscience UndergraduatestudentsatUSYD.
 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 guestlecture onexoticdisease “surra”tothirdyear Veterinary
Science Microbiologystudents.
 2008 Successfullycompletedcourse onRiskBasedSurveillance in HongKong,conducted
throughRoyal VeterinaryCollege,London.
 2009 – Completedacourse inGeographicInformationSystems(GIS) throughthe Facultyof
GeosciencesatUniversityof Sydney (GIS5001)
 2009 – Capture andhandlingof wildanimalscourse (withcertification) atUniversityof
Sydney .(Includestrainingandqualificationinuse of firearmsfordrugdelivery)
 2009 Graduatedas Master of VeterinaryPublicHealthManagement throughFacultyof
VeterinaryScience,Universityof Sydney

4.  2010 Completed single unitof studyVETS7014 “Aquaticanimal epidemiology”inFacultyof
veterinaryscience Universityof Sydney
 2011 Completedsingle Unitof StudyVETS7012 in WildlifeEpidemiologyinFacultyof
VeterinaryScience Universityof Sydney.
 2009-2012 memberof the governingboardof the AustralianVeterinaryAssociation.
(Appointedin2009 for a three yearterm)
 2011 - Actingas peer-reviewerof submittedscientificpaperstothe AustralianVeterinary
Journal
 2012 – ReviewedPublication:“Australia’s PoisonousPlants,Fungi andCyanobacteria”by Dr.
Ross McKenzie.Review publishedinAustralianVeterinaryJournalandalsoinNewsletterfor
ContinuingVeterinaryEducation,Universityof Sydney
 2012-2014 VolunteerforAustralianVolunteersInternational.Positionof VeterinaryAdviser,
Oryx ConservationProject.Wadi RumandAqaba,Jordan.
 2014 Lecture to International BuiatricsConference inBrisbaneonruminanthealthand
welfare inSouthernJordan
 2015 completeddiplomalevel of MastersinInternational Animal Healthviadistance
courseworkfromthe Universityof Edinburgh.
 May 2015 Lecture to AustralianVeterinaryAssociationconference onanimal healthand
welfare inJordan,Brisbane
Interests and Hobbies:
Wide ranging,includesnatural history, art– (watercolourpainting,botanical illustration, intaglio
etching,photography,majolica, Arabic/Islamicartand design).Ienjoy cooking, horse riding,
swimming,bushwalking, botany, listeningtoclassical music,travelling,collectingwines, stamps.I
have studiedthe botany of Central Saudi Arabiaforover20 years,gaininga goodgrasp of the
floweringplantsinthe region. Iam interestedin wildlife conservation.Ihave astrong interestin
local community.Ihave contributedtoonline forumssuchasAustralianScienceForum, Facebook –
variousbranchesincludingAustralianVeterinariansinPublicHealth). Memberof manysocieties,for
some of whichI sit ongoverningCouncils.Allvoluntary, see examples below.
2012 GainedPADISCUBA DivingqualificationstoAdvancedlevel.
FirearmsLicence/Permit.CategoryA.(Forwildlife capture)
Current Membershipand office-bearing positions ofsocieties and
interest groups.
Office Bearing Memberships:
 RiyadhNatural HistorySociety – editorof Journal 1990-1993

5.  AustralianVeterinaryAssociation(AVA) –member#493: 1967-2015 continuous
o CurrentSpecial interestGroup(SIG) memberships:ASAVA,AVPMA,AVBIG,AVAWE,
AVPH, AVCB,ACV
o Committee membershipof above:AVBIG(to2009),AVPMA,representingAVPMA on
AVA PolicyCouncil atlastmeeting in2009, AVPMA – stooddowninMay 2011
o AVAWEPolicycouncil subcommitteeforWildlifeandzooanimal policydevelopment
2007-2009
o 2009 to 2012 ElectedGoverningBoardmemberof AVA
o 2009 to 2012 Memberof the executivecommittee of the AustralianSmall Animal
VeterinaryAssociation (ASAVA),aSpecial InterestGroupof the AustralianVeterinary
Association
 NSW LinnaeanSociety Board2003-present,elected president2008 and 2009 twoyear term,
2015 Presidentelectfor2016/17 term
 NearEastern Archaeological Foundation(Universityof Sydney) –councillorsince 2003 to
present
 Sancta SophiaCollege withinUniversityof Sydney –memberof Boardof Governorsfor three
yearsfrom 2003-2006
 SydneyRoyal Agricultural Show Society.Councillorsince 2002 to present
 Memberof Facultyof VeterinaryScience SteeringGroupforAlumni association.
Memberships,(current unless otherwise stated):
 OberonShowSociety
 Art Galleryof Sydney
 AustralianMuseum
 Powerhouse Museum (1995to 2009)
 PostGraduate FoundationinVeterinaryScience (Now ContinuingVeterinaryEducation )
(1982-2010)
 Liberal Partyof Australia
 National TertiaryEducationUnion 2003-2009
 Friendsof the Royal BotanicGardens(Waratah member) (1995 to 2009), 2015
 Iraq – Archaeological Society(London)
 St JamesEthicsCentre
 Royal AutomobileClub,Sydney
 Life MemberUniversityof SydneyUnion
 Life MemberAbbotsleighOldGirlsAssociation
 Life Member WomensCollege Association (USYD)
 AMRRIC to 2014
 NSW AustralianInstitute of InternationalAffairs
 WildlifeProtectionSocietyof Australia
 AustralianVolunteersInternational
 NeareasternArchaeological Foundation,Universityof Sydney.
 Nature ConservationCouncilof NSW

6. Software Proficiencies
I have a workingknowledgeof andunless otherwiseindicatedhave extensivelyusedthe following:
Microsoftprograms:Word, Excel,Visio,PowerPoint,(MicrosoftProject –needupskilling,haven’t
useditfor a while)
Reckon“Quicken”
Clarke Labs “IDRISI”taiga GeographicInformationSystem(need upskilling,haven’tuseditfora
while)
EndNote libraryreferencingsystem
MindjetMindManager
Epidemiological programs:SurveyToolbox,Freecalc,Epicalc,Herdacc. (Epi-Info:needupskilling,
haven’tuseditfora while)
Adobe Photoshop5.5