Cr Angela Toppin AM

Appointed Member

Positions

• Member, JCU Council
• Deputy Chair, Work, Health and Safety Committee

Biography

Cr Angela Toppin was appointed by the Governor-in-Council for a two-year term from May 2018 and was extended for a further four-year term from May 2020. She has been re-appointed for a four-year term in 2024.

Angela Toppin, is currently Mayor, Mareeba Shire Council and retired in 2016 as Principal, Cairns State High School in Far North Qld. She was a Business Teacher for 14 years at Mareeba State High School and was appointed Head of Department Business and Technology at Smithfield State High School in 1990. During that time she was able to ‘drive’ many innovations in the area of Business Education. She and her Team of very competent teachers were able to offer a very ‘dynamic’ curriculum which attracted enrolments from many other schools in the Cairns area. During this time she was President of the Peninsula Branch of BEAQ. During her presidency Angela focused very heavily on professional development for Business Educators and collegial support. It was an extremely active branch and very highly regarded by Principals’ and Executive Officers of Education Qld.

Throughout her Principalship, Angela focused very heavily on community engagement with her School Community and in so doing has improved outcomes for her students in a variety of ways. Her passion for education has seen her lead a very large school with enrolments of 1650 – Cairns State High School. A very complex school which offered a variety of unique Programs of Excellence and the International Baccalaureate as well as maintaining International Accreditation through the Council of International Schools.

In June 2016 Angela was awarded the very prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the Qld Secondary Principals’ Association in Brisbane by Director General of DETE, Dr Jim Watterston. The Award is in recognition of the significant contribution Angela has made to state education, and the work of Qld Secondary Principals’ Association over an extended period of time The Award honours and recognises the great contribution Angela has made to education throughout her professional career. Recently appointed as a member of the James Cook University Council.

Angela Toppin sees herself as ‘Someone who makes a difference for young people’. She continues to mentor and coach young people in leadership positions and is very passionate about expanding opportunities for students in rural and regional areas. She is passionate about continuing her work for youth as a Councillor – ‘they are the leaders of the future’ and we must invest in that future!