Staff
Pete Ekstedt
Executive Officer
Pete Ekstedt is Executive Officer of Macpherson Smith Rural Foundation Limited (MSRF).
Appointed in 2011, he is responsible for all operations of MSRF, including strategic planning, program development & implementation, communications & brand management, partnerships and administration.
Prior to his appointment, Pete spent 13 years with Hewlett Packard (HP) where he led a broad range of functions across the Asia-Pacific region, including environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, crisis communications, employee engagement and merger & acquisition communications.
Pete’s 20 year career has also included management positions with ANZ Banking Group and NRMA.
Pete holds a B.A. in linguistics and history, a postgraduate diploma in applied linguistics (both from Monash University) and a graduate diploma in education from RMIT University. His areas of academic interest include cross-cultural communication, online communication, and technology in education.
Based in Trentham, Victoria, Pete enjoys spending time with his family, travel, music and tennis.
Maryann Brown
Senior Education Advisor
Maryann Brown is Senior Education Adviser at the Macpherson Smith Rural Foundation (MSRF).
Appointed in 2011, she is responsible for developing mentoring and leadership programs and the research base of the organisation.
Prior to her appointment, Maryann worked extensively in the education sector. She has worked as a secondary English and Special Education teacher and as a Curriculum and Professional Development Coordinator in non-government and government schools.
She has strong connections with rural and regional education through her work at the University of Ballarat where she was a Senior Lecturer and coordinator of the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary). She was responsible for developing the Virtual Mentoring Program, a joint project between the University of Ballarat and the Department of Education.
Maryann holds a BA from Monash University and a post-graduate diploma in Special Education from the University of Melbourne. Masters and doctoral qualifications were gained from the University of Ballarat. Her doctoral work explored contemporary ways of teaching and learning. A Senior Researcher at the University of Ballarat, Maryann is also a regular volunteer workshop leader in Cambodia with Teachers Across Borders. Her research interests are in professional and online learning, mentoring, leadership and cross-cultural learning.
Based in Ballarat, Victoria, Maryann enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, reading and walking.