South Australian education power rankings: The leaders who shape our students, schools and universities

We’ve ranked the 20 most influential education figures in South Australia, from prominent principals to policy heavyweights and uni visionaries. See who tops the list.

Concerns about child safety and AI have dominated education headlines in 2025 – in South Australia and across the country.

Following revelations of horrific alleged abuse by a Victorian childcare worker, South Australia’s Education Minister Blair Boyer funnelled money into the state’s compliance watchdog, and put SA forward as a trial site for CCTV in childcare centres.

Next year promises major changes to the education landscape as the new Adelaide University launches, following the merger of the University of Adelaide and UniSA. Incoming vice-chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips faces the exciting but daunting task of establishing the nation’s newest tertiary institution, earning her second place on this list.

SA has embraced artificial intelligence (AI) in public schools, leading the way with a classroom chatbot designed in partnership with Microsoft. But there have been controversies, including a private school student suspended over the alleged creation of a deepfake image involving a teacher.

The ongoing debate about technology in schools is a major reason that St Ignatius’ College principal Lauren Brooks ranks so high on the list, given her national leadership in heavily restricting the use of digital devices at her college.

SA students improved, or maintained, their rankings in the latest literacy and numeracy results compared to peers interstate, and there have been small turnarounds in worrying trends on school suspension statistics and violent incidents on campus.

The state election on March 21 will also act as a magnet for a steady flow of education policy proposals at the same time as students return to classes after the summer break.

On a broader stage, it’s impossible to look past reforming juggernaut and federal Education Minister Jason Clare for top spot on our national power list.

Australian Education Union president Correna Haythorpe – a former head of the SA branch – flies the flag for South Australia in our national power rankings top 20.

Originally published as South Australian education power rankings: The leaders who shape our students, schools and universities