Heads of department

Below is the full list of the heads of departments in NSW from 1848 onwards.

Title Name From To
Secretary of the Board William Wills 12/02/1849 10/1863
Secretary of the Council William Wilkins 10/1863 30/04/1880
Under-Secretary William Wilkins 01/05/1880 12/11/1884
Under-Secretary Edwin Johnson 13/11/1884 10/04/1894
Under-Secretary John Maynard 10/04/1894 01/10/1903
Under-Secretary Fredrick Bridges 01/10/1903 07/02/1905
Director of Education Peter Board 08/02/1905 31/12/1922
Director of Education Stephen Smith 01/01/1923 01/08/1930
Director of Education G. Ross Thomas 02/08/1930 21/09/1940
Director of Education John McKenzie 22/09/1940 29/11/1952
Director-General of Education Harold Wyndham 01/12/1952 31/12/1968
Director-General of Education David Verco 01/01/1969 03/07/1972
Director-General of Education John Buggie 04/07/972 18/02/1977
Director-General of Education Douglas Swan 21/02/1977 08/07/1985
Director-General of Education Robert Winder 10/07/1985 29/04/1988
Director-General of School Education Fenton Sharpe 30/04/1988 12/11/1991
Director-General of Education and Training
and Managing Director of TAFE 
Ken Boston 02/01/1992 12/07/2002
Director-General of Education and Training
and Managing Director of TAFE
Jan McLelland 22/10/2002 22/01/2004
Director-General of Education and Training
and Managing Director of TAFE
Andrew Cappie-Wood 22/01/2004 05/04/2007
Director-General of Education and Training
and Managing Director of TAFE
Michael Coutts-Trotter 10/04/2007 01/04/2011
Director-General of Education and Training
and Managing Director of TAFE
Michele Bruniges 07/09/2011 01/04/2016
Secretary of the Department of Education
and Communities 
Peter Riordan (acting) 04/04/2016 08/2016
Secretary of the Department of Education Mark Scott 09/2016 04/2021
Secretary of the Department of Education Georgina Harrisson 05/2021 14/04/2023
Secretary of the Department of Education Murat Dizdar 17/04/2023 current

Notes:

From February 2014, the title changed from Director-General to Secretary of the Department of Education and Communities, and from July 2015 the title changed to Secretary of the Department of Education.

Category:

  • School operations

Business Unit:

  • Office of the Secretary
  • Secretary
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