Director

Sharan Burrow Sharan Burrow is a Director of the ANSN Board. She was instrumental in the formation of the National Schools Network in 1993 and has demonstrated keen commitment to the principles and ideas of the Network since then.

In May 2000, Sharan Burrow became the second woman to be elected ACTU President. In October 2000, Sharan also became the first ever woman to be elected President of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Asia Pacific Region Organisation.

She comes from a family with a long history of involvement in unions and the struggle to improve the lives of working people. Her great, great grandfather participated in the shearers' strike of 1891/92, becoming one of the first organisers for the Australian Workers' Union and standing for the state seat of Cobar for the fledgling Australian Labor Party in 1896.

Sharan studied teaching at the University of NSW in 1976 and began her teaching career in high schools around country NSW. Sharan was elected Senior Vice-President of the NSW Teachers' Federation and became President of the Australian Education Union in 1992. She represented the AEU on the ACTU Executive through the 1990s.

Sharan was previously Vice-President of Education International from 1995 to 2000. Education International is the international organisation of education unions representing 24 million members worldwide. She is currently President of the International Centre for Trade Union Rights, a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation and a member of the Stakeholder Council of the Global Reporting Initiative.