Divonne Holmes à Court is an experienced corporate attorney and executive producer. She is the mother of two sets of twins — boys aged ten and six-year-old girls. She actively supports translating early childhood and education research into practice and innovation that enhances educational and harm prevention opportunities for parents and children in Australia.

Divonne was an associate with the law firm Winston & Strawn in New York, with a focus on corporate and securities law, and thereafter, in-house counsel to the Falconwood Financial Group, specialising in commodities and banking work.

Divonne has a BA in psychology from Columbia College, Columbia University in New York (1987), a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law (1990) and is a current member of the New York Bar Association.

Originally from New York, Divonne immigrated to Australia in 2000 and since then she has been an active supporter of local research into child development and early intervention strategy, founding the Smart Population Foundation ((SPF)) in 2002. Growing up in Germany and living most of her life in New York, she became an Australian citizen in January 2004.

Divonne recently joined the Cape York Partnerships' Australian Aboriginal Academy Board with Noel Pearson overseeing the management of a new educational model for remote indigenous public schools.

Along with her husband, Peter Holmes à Court, Divonne sponsored the inaugural Australian Museum's Eureka Prize for Science Teaching recognising secondary school teachers who encourage curiosity-driven learning in their students.  She recently served on the Health Department’s Youth Mental Health Foundation headspace board and is a former member of the Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) Department’s Australian Council for Children and Parenting (ACCAP).

Smart Population Foundation is a founding member of the Raising Children Network (RCN) consortium which includes the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute's Centre for Community Child Health and the Parenting Research Centre.   RCN was appointed by the Australian Government to develop and manage the National Parenting Website, raisingchildren.net.au.   Commissioned by FaCSIA at $4 million over four years, the Raising Children website has become the definitive, online early childhood and parenting resource in Australia. 

SPF recently produced an international first, the Raising Children DVD. Launched by the Prime Minister on 20 August 2007, it is a comprehensive, interactive parenting resource distributed by the Federal Government to all parents in Australia upon the birth of their child. To find out more, or to order a copy, go to www.raisingchildren.tv

Click here to email Divonne.