Dr Ciccarelli has held executive leadership roles in Australian international education, in both the Australian English Language and Higher Education sectors, over a 25 year period, in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.

She was Pro Vice Chancellor and Vice President International and Development at the University of South Australia from 2004-2010, during which time she made a significant contribution to the transnational quality and internationalisation agenda of UniSA. Prior to that, she was the Director International and Division Manager: Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences. She was the Principal of an English Language college in Sydney in the 1990s.

From 2010 to 2014 Dr Ciccarelli was Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (International) at The University of Queensland (UQ). During her time at UQ, she supported broad and deep global research and education engagement, including the establishment of a joint venture in Chile with the Universidad Catolica del Norte, of an English Language Institute delivering English language training for professionals; opening a UQ office in Washington DC to support UQ’s advancement agenda in North America, and establishing an office in Jakarta as UQ’s base in Asia. As Chair of the UQ Confucius Institute, she positioned the Institute to contribute significantly to UQ’s China engagement.

Dr Ciccarelli is the 2014 recipient of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) Excellence in Leadership in International Education award. The award recognises her contribution to the international education sectors in Australia and her work as the IEAA inaugural Vice President in the establishment of the association, as well as her mentoring of
young leaders in the field.

Dr Ciccarelli has co-authored a number of publications in her field of expertise. She continues her international education and higher education interests through a range of advisory projects.