Inspires a love for learning in everyone.
Encourages students to think critically.
Makes even the toughest topics accessible.
Helps students build confidence and skills.
Makes learning feel effortless and fun.
Dr. Jacqueline O'Toole is a Senior Lecturer in the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team and Capstone team within the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University. She possesses over twenty years of experience lecturing in leadership and management, work-integrated learning, human resource management, ethics, and governance. Her academic background includes a PhD in Leadership from RMIT University, awarded on 28 May 2019, with a thesis titled "Key competencies, skills, and attributes required of leaders in the residential aged care services," completed between 12 January 2014 and 10 September 2018. This doctoral research originated from her prior role as a Research Assistant at RMIT University, where she examined skill shortages and working conditions in the residential aged care sector, sparking her ongoing interest in compassionate leadership within this field.
O'Toole's research focuses on compassionate leadership, residential aged care, graduate employability, and the future of work, extending to leadership, employability, assessment and feedback, sustainable development goals (SDGs) in education, and innovation in learning. Her scholarly contributions include key publications such as "Residential aged care leadership in Australia—Time for a compassionate approach: a qualitative analysis of key leader skills and attributes" co-authored with L. Bamberry and A. Montague (Journal of Nursing Management, 2021), "Career planning and workforce preparation during economic downturn: perceptions of graduating business students" with K. Benati, S. Lindsay, and J. Fischer (Education and Training, 2023), "Embedding sustainable development goals (SDGs) in an undergraduate business capstone subject using an experiential learning approach: a qualitative analysis" with J. Fang (The International Journal of Management Education, 2023), "Accounting students’ internship experiences: an agentic perspective" with A. Khosa et al. (The British Accounting Review, 2026, accepted), and "Enhancing critical and creative thinking in sustainability education through reflective practice and project-based learning" with K. Benati et al. (The International Journal of Management Education, 2026). She has received recognition as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Her work has been featured in media, including contributions on leading with compassion and the challenges of compassionate leadership in aged care.