Jeff Phillips wins the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award

Jeff Phillips has won the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award at the A4LE LearningSCAPES Conference in Philadelphia.

The distinguished professional award is bestowed upon an individual member for making significant lasting contributions to the educational facility planning industry throughout their career. Former winner Ronald Fanning described Jeff as the "heart and soul of what an international member should be".

In Jeff's role as a Principal Consultant in the Education Department of Western Australia, he was involved in the planning of over 100 K-12 schools, with several gaining national and international recognition as schools of the future.

Jeff is well known and highly regarded by many in the Learning Environments community throughout all levels: chapter, regional and international. In addition to the many positions and roles he held at the then CEFPI, Jeff was a prime instigator of some of the key milestones in the organisation and in particular CEFPI Australasia.

Some highlights of Jeff's enormous contributions and engagements include:
• Formation of the West Australian Chapter
• Creation of the Australasia Region in 2005
• Life Member, Council of Educational Facility Planners International 2013
• Director, International Board of CEFPI 2004 - 2010
• Past -president: Australasia Region of CEFPI 2003 – 2004
• Member, Australian College of Educators
• Member, Australian National Assessment Panel – Local Schools Working Together
• 2006 CEFPI Presidents Award for Service to International Educational Facility Planning.

According to former Australasian President and International Board Member Reverend Andrew Bunting, "Jeff's ‘international vision’ has seen our Region grow and prosper during the last sixteen years to be one of the largest Regions in the CEFPI organisation".

Whether it was in his role with the West Australian Education Department, or as the Australasian Region President, or now as a private sector education consultant, Jeff’s inspirational and innovative thinking challenges his clients, colleagues and collaborators to question the status quo and embrace new directions.

Ros Marsland, West Australan Chapter Chair said, “Jeff encouraged us all to continue to be learners and to take a risk, to create aspirational school designs that excite teachers, students and their communities.” 

The influence of Jeff's work is felt across the breadth of Australian schools, universities and kindergartens, from the hub of the nation’s capital to the far-flung desert of the Kimberley in remote Western Australia.

But it is also felt worldwide, as many of the award winning projects he spearheaded have been visited by planners, academics, educators, Ministers of Education, government planners and architects from across the globe.

Congratulations to Jeff from everyone in the Australasian Region.