Thérèse Mercader is manager of languages education within the Department of Education and Training for the State of Victoria, Australia. She is responsible for the development of school language education policy and program implementation, including bilingual education, indigenous languages and the delivery of after school programs in 50 community languages to support the maintenance of heritage or community languages. She has extensive experience as a teacher, an education administrator and policy adviser, and has led significant languages education reform programs. She works with a wide range of stakeholders to inform the development of languages policy and to gain buy-in and support for the delivery of school language programs. She has contributed to the development of national and state languages education policies that respond to changing political, social, economic and educational environments, including the needs of Australia's dynamic and increasingly multicultural society.