Ken Davies

In September 2020, Ken was appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer of Territory Families, Housing, and Communities. This new agency is a multi-functional human services and community-focused agency that works to provide responsive, safe, and quality services and programs that empower communities and improve social outcomes for Territorians.

In January 2020, Ken was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding service to children and families.

Ken previously served as Chief Executive of the Department of Education from April 2013 to September 2016 and has a strong background in education. Ken began his career in the Northern Territory as a teacher at Papunya in 1978. He became a school principal in Alice Springs and Katherine and regional superintendent in Tennant Creek. In 1999, he moved from Central Australia to Darwin, taking a position in the Department of the Chief Minister, and was soon appointed General Manager, Indigenous Education in the Department of Education.

More recently, he has served as Chief Executive of the Department of Lands, Planning, and Environment, the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Regional Services, and as Deputy Chief Executive of the Department of the Chief Minister. In these roles he implemented a significant restructure of the Department of Lands, Planning, and Environment, established the new Northern Territory Planning Commission, the Environment Protection Authority, and as Chief Executive of the Department of Housing, drove one of the largest housing programs ever undertaken in remote Australia. He has worked extensively with local government to deliver good governance and services in the Northern Territory.

Ken is a former chair of the Northern Territory Board of Studies, and former Northern Territory Principal’s Association President. He has also held appointments to the boards of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, the Waterfront Development Corporation, and the Land Development Corporation. He is a current member of the Menzies School of Health Research Board and the Charles Darwin University Council.

Ken has degrees in education and public sector management.