MURAT DIZDAR PSM

As the NSW Department of Education Deputy Secretary, School Operations and Performance, Murat is responsible for over 2,200 primary, secondary and special schools. With a clear focus on people and a commitment to students being at the centre of all decision making, Murat is driving a culture of change to individualise school improvement for ongoing system improvement in NSW.

Murat has been a key contributor to the development of vibrant, sustainable and inclusive school communities throughout his career. This includes time as Principal of Punchbowl Boys High School and Yuzyil Isil International High School in Istanbul, Turkey, as a Senior Principal across Punchbowl and Belmore Boys High Schools, in senior executive roles in Granville and South Western Sydney and most recently as the Executive Director of the Ultimo Operational Directorate.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to educational leadership, Murat was awarded the Australian College of Educators' Alan Laughlin Perpetual Award in 2015 and the Australia Day Public Service Medal in 2016. Murat is also:

• an adjunct professor in the School of Education, Western Sydney University
• a member of the University of Sydney's Alumni Council, Teacher Education Advisory Board and STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy
• an alumni of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government Executive Fellows Program
• a graduate of the Public Service Commission Delivering Business Results Executive Leadership Program.

Education is his life's passion and he champions the work of highly effective school leaders to achieve a 'level playing field' for all public school students in NSW so that every student, every teacher and every school can improve every year.