Janet Dore

Originally from England, Janet was one of the first students to complete an MBA at Deakin in 1984. She went on to work at a succession of municipal councils after graduation.

She served on the then Victorian Planning Appeals Tribunal and led the City of Ballarat as CEO, Newcastle City Council as General Manager and more recently was CEO of the TAC based in Geelong. Janet has held board-level roles with NIB, Newcastle Airport, NSW Heritage Council, NSW Sustainability Advisory Council and the Victorian Planning Appeals Tribunal.

She is currently Chair of the Committee for Ballarat and the Lantern Legal Group, and board member of the recently formed Geelong Development Authority. She is also a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and an advisory board member for Deakin's personal injury management course.

I studied...
Town planning at RMIT and business management at Deakin. I chose business management because I wanted to develop a career in senior management in local government and felt that a broader based business-oriented degree would be the key to achieving that.

I graduated...
In 1984.

I'm currently... 
CEO of the Transport Accident Commission Victoria, whose mission under its legislation is to prevent accidents in land-based transport, rehabilitate people who have accidents, compensate people appropriately and ensure the Victorian community receives value for money from the motor registration fees, which fund our operations.

I chose Deakin because...
It offered external studies on a part-time basis and it was a brand new and exciting program.

After leaving Deakin I... 
Lectured in urban planning and management at Footscray Institute (now Victoria University), then returned to management positions in local government, including CEO at the City of Ballarat and Newcastle NSW.

Looking back, I wish...
Opportunities for women were made available much earlier.

At university, I was inspired...
By my fellow students, who had a variety of experiences and responsibility.

Today, I am motivated by...
Serving the Victorian community because I have been in public service for most of my working career, which now extends over 40 years. I believe the original notions of service to the community are highly principled and necessary. Unfortunately, all too often I see examples of public servants around the world who have perhaps not adhered to the principles that I hold dear.

In my profession it is important...
To communicate clearly and often.

Professionally, my proudest achievement has been...
To be appointed to my current position after a career in local government.

I never dreamed I would...
Lead a state government agency.

I feel a strong connection with... 
Regional Victoria. Since I was appointed CEO of the City of Ballarat in 1994, I have embraced the regional lifestyle. I also spent nine years in Newcastle in New South Wales and it was interesting when my partner and I discussed where in Victoria we wanted to live when we returned. We discussed this for a long time before we realised we were trying to identify Melbourne suburbs that fitted regional criteria. We have become so accustomed to and so spoilt by the regional lifestyle that we just could not live anywhere else now. So working in Geelong and living between Geelong and Ballarat has been a great opportunity.

Success to me is...
Clients who return to independent living after traumatic experiences with a vehicle accident.

In the future I'd like to…
See no deaths on our roads.

The single-most important issue in the world is...
International peace and understanding.