GERMAINE, Sae Ra

2022 Distinguished AlumnaSae Ra Germaine

Degree

Bachelor of Computing, Multimedia and IT Project Management

Graduation year

2006

Sae Ra Germaine is an Information Technology (IT) professional and passionate advocate for internet and technology accessibility. She graduated with a Bachelor of Computing, Multimedia and IT Project Management from the University of Ballarat in 2006 and a Bachelor of Computing (Honours), Education & IT in 2008.

Sae Ra has worked in numerous high-profile companies and academic institutions where she’s been recognised for her ability to lead projects, think innovatively and to motivate. In 2010, she joined not-for-profit online library service CAVAL which provides specialised services to university, public, special and government libraries in Australasia, and was soon elevated to Manager, Member & Academic Services.

Sae Ra is known internationally as a fierce advocate for free and open source initiatives. The open source social movement, rejects secrecy and the centralised control of creative work in favour of transparency, and the unrestricted sharing of information.

She voluntarily served as Vice President of VALA Libraries Technology and the Future Inc, and is a member of the General Advisory Standing and Technical Advisory Standing Committees of .au Domain administration Limited.

Sae Ra is heavily involved with Linux Australia, one of the most successful technology organisations in the Southern hemisphere and the peak body for open source communities in Australia, serving as President for three years. During her four-year tenure as Secretary, Linux Australia auspiced the GovHack initiative connecting 6,000 competitors across the country who vied for more than $500,000 in prizes.

As an advocate for internet accessibility within Australia, Sae Ra has assisted not-for-profit, Internet Australia, as Vice-Chair (Infrastructure) since 2016. In this role, Sae Ra re-introduced the Internet Governance Forum to Australia and was invited to provide evidence on behalf of internet users at the NBN Joint Parliamentary Committee hearing in 2018.

Sae Ra’s desire to motivate, educate, mentor and enable access to technology makes her a worthy recipient of a Federation University Alumni award.