The passing of Board Chair Trish Crossin AM

2026-04-14

The Gordon mourns the passing of Board Chair Trish Crossin AM

The Gordon community is deeply saddened by the passing of Board Chair Trish Crossin AM, a respected leader and passionate advocate for public education.

Trish joined The Gordon Board in August 2022 and served as Board Chair from September 2024. During that time, she made a valued contribution to the organisation through her strong governance, sound judgement and deep commitment to public education.

Image of Board Chair Trish Crossin AM at the recent The Gordon Graduation Ceremony.

Trish brought to The Gordon a distinguished career spanning education, public life and community leadership. She held a Diploma of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education, and built deep expertise in Technical and Further Education and higher education. This included her work with the National Australian Education Union TAFE Executive and as Director of the Northern Territory Institute of TAFE.

A former Senator and the first woman to represent the Northern Territory in Federal Parliament, Trish also brought significant public policy and governance experience to her role at The Gordon. During her time in the Senate, she served as Chair of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee, Deputy Whip and Temporary Chair of the Senate. She also established the NT Working Women’s Centre and was its Founding Chairperson.

Her broader governance and community leadership included board and director roles across education, community, sporting and statutory organisations. In 2023, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the Parliament of Australia and to the community of the Northern Territory.

Her contribution has left a lasting impact on the organisation and the communities it serves.

Quote attributable to The Gordon Chief Executive Officer Joe Ormeno:

"Trish Crossin brought exceptional experience, integrity and genuine care to her role as Board Chair. She played an important role in shaping our strategic direction and was deeply committed to the power of public education to change lives and strengthen communities.

She will be greatly missed. On behalf of The Gordon, I extend our sincere condolences to Trish’s family, friends, colleagues and all those who had the privilege of working with her."