Former University of New England SMART Region Incubator founding director Dr Lou Conway has been announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Country Universities Centre, taking up the role from 9 March 2026.
Dr Conway brings extensive experience in regional innovation, higher education and community-led infrastructure, with a career focused on expanding opportunity across regional Australia. She joins the CUC after eight years leading the UNE SMART Region Incubator, where she designed and delivered programs supporting young people and founders from diverse backgrounds to build businesses across the region.
CUC chair Dean Lynch said Dr Conway’s appointment marked an important step for the organisation as it enters its next phase of growth.
“Dr Conway’s track record in building community-led infrastructure and translating local ambition into lasting impact makes her exceptionally well placed to lead the next phase of the CUC,” Mr Lynch said.
“Dr Conway will bring a renewed focus on our Centres strengthening the value of the national network and ensuring CUC continues to grow in a way that is driven by communities and responsive to their needs.”
Dr Conway said she was delighted to be joining the CUC, having seen first-hand the influence Centres have had on students’ lives and on building capability within regional communities.
“The CUC has proven itself as a genuine game-changer for regional access to higher education. The model is impressive. It is strongly supported by communities and governments, each Centre is locally led and meets a real need. That combination is rare, and it’s critical to the success of the network,” she said.
She said her immediate priority would be connecting with Centres and their communities across the national CUC network.
“I’m looking forward to meeting with each Centre to understand what they value, what’s working well, and how CUC Central and the network can do more to support them,” she said.
“Regional, rural and remote communities are navigating both pressures and opportunities on many fronts, and higher education is a powerful lever that build capability and allows locals to shape their own futures.”
Dr Conway also pointed to the strong alignment between the CUC model and the priorities outlined in the Australian Universities Accord.
“The Australian Universities Accord has made clear that regional, rural and remote Australians must be central to our national efforts to grow participation in higher education,” she said.
“The CUC model is exactly the kind of community-led infrastructure the Accord calls for and I am excited to help ensure students can remain in their own communities while gaining the qualifications of their choice.”
“I’m committed to ensuring continued growth, that the CUC network brings genuine value to Centres and that together we build something bigger than any one of us could deliver alone.”
Dr Conway grew up on a family farm in country Queensland before studying occupational therapy at the University of Queensland. She has since completed an MBA and a PhD in regional development governance. After living and working in Tasmania, she has spent the past 35 years in the New England region of NSW. She stepped down last year as founding director of the University of New England’s SMART Region Incubator after eight years in the role.
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