Rate My Professor Cherie McConville

Cherie McConville is the Director of Divisional Services and Administration at the University of Otago, leading the team that provides operational and strategic management support to the university's divisions and administrative services across New Zealand. This division comprises the university's largest professional workforce with staff located nationwide. McConville joined the University of Otago in 2018 on a part-time basis within the Division of Health Sciences while completing her doctoral thesis, advancing to her current role in 2020. Prior to this, she held senior leadership positions including Head of Client Services at the University of Otago and Director of Performance at the Southern District Health Board. Her academic qualifications include a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from the University of Otago, earned as part of the inaugural cohort of the programme launched in 2017; an MBA from Otago completed in 2008; a Master of Arts; a Bachelor of Nursing from Otago Polytechnic awarded in 1994; and a Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing from Otago Polytechnic in 1990.

McConville's DBA research examined business models for developing a New Zealand-first inclusive adventure park in Dunedin catering to people of all abilities. Her study involved visits to adventure businesses across New Zealand, Area 47 in Austria, and Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas, culminating in prototypes for an outdoor hub near the city centre featuring bushland, high ropes, tree canopy walks, and mudslides. She lectures on leadership and change management in the DBA programme at Otago Business School and mentors students in the MBA programme. McConville serves ex-officio on the Distance Learning Advisory Committee as Head of Divisional Services and Administration and has presented on Foundations of Leadership. In 2022, she was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award by Otago Polytechnic.