Membership biographies 2020

Nicholas Abbey

School Governance Network

Nicholas Abbey has worked as an executive officer, policy adviser, community organiser, researcher, and stakeholder representative.

He is the co-creator of the School Governance Network, co-creator of the Great Schools Network, and president of the Yarra Me School council. He was president of the Macleod P-12 College and Kingsbury Primary School councils, a council member of the Victorian Institute of Teaching, and chairperson of the Country Education Partnership P-12 education research project.

Nicholas is passionate about pedagogy, partnerships, governance, personal and social change, and the practical ‘how’ of improving outcomes.

Lionel Bamblett

Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated

Lionel Bamblett is the General Manager of the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI) and has been involved in Koorie education for over 20 years.

Lionel has provided advice to successive governments in Victoria on measures to improve education and training opportunities for Koorie people in Victoria and has played a prominent role in promoting Indigenous education and training issues at a local, State and National level.

Lionel has been instrumental in formalising the key policies and strategies in Koorie education including the Partnership in Education: Koorie Education Policy (1990), the Koorie 2000 strategy, the Yalca policy (2001), the Wurreker (2000) strategy and the Wannik strategy (2008) and more recently the Marrung Education Plan 2016-2026.

Tom Bentley

RMIT University

Tom has worked with institutions around the world on how to renew education systems along with economic and community life.

From 2007-13 he was Deputy Chief of Staff and senior adviser to Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia 2010-13 and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Education and Employment 2007-2010. Previously he was a special adviser to David Blunkett MP, UK Secretary of State for Education, and Executive Director for Policy and Strategy Victoria’s Department of Premier and Cabinet.

From 1999-2006 he was Director of Demos, an independent think tank based in London. He has also been an expert adviser to The Gates Foundation, as Chair of the Learning Program at NESTA, and Visiting Professor at the Copenhagen Business School. Tom is an Honorary Senior Fellow at Melbourne University’s Graduate School of Education and is currently working with the OECD’s Education 2030 project to support its evidence and innovation strategies.

Phil Brown

Country Education Partnership

Phil has had extensive involvement within education spanning over 35 years across all Australian states, but predominantly within Victoria; as well as across a range of education settings and sectors including schools, TAFE and University.

His current role as Executive Officer of the Country Education Partnership has seen him focused on enhancing learning within rural and remote communities. His role involves advocating for rural and remote education communities; facilitating a range of initiatives that improve learning opportunities for rural and remote young people; building the capacity of rural and remote communities to provide quality and equitable education for their young people; building the capacity of rural educators and education leaders; and increasing the aspirations of rural young people.

He has developed a range of partnerships and involvements with education sectors across all states of Victoria as well as many international rural networks.

Cameron Peverett

Victorian Principals Association of Specialist Schools

Cameron is in his 15th year of working in special education, and his 10th as a specialist school principal. He is passionate about providing all learners with ‘a fair go’ in their learning experiences that equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to the best of their capacity as they voyage into adulthood. He feels privileged to represent Victoria on the ASEPA Board (in his 3rd year) and in representing all Victorian specialist schools in his 2nd year as president of PASS and 7th year on the PASS Committee.

Sue Bell

Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals

Sue Bell has been involved in education for 40 years. She has taught and been a leader in tech schools, academic high schools and pathway colleges, giving her a broad view of the teaching and learning experience of local and international students. Sue was Executive Principal of Monash College, the pathway college for Monash University, for five years, with locations in the Clayton, Caulfield and Peninsula campuses of Monash University as well as four overseas campuses in Singapore, Guangzhou, Sri Lanka and Jakarta.

Her passion has always been about improving learning outcomes for students through understanding how they learn best. Sue was then Principal of Wantirna College, where she worked with her staff and the local community to use data and research to maximise the learning of individuals. From the beginning of 2018, Sue has been supporting the work of secondary principals across the state and promoting public education through her role as President of Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals.

Tom Daly

Upwey High School

Tom Daly has a background in Mathematics education course development and publishing dating back to the 80s. He has been a Principal class officer for 20 years and a Principal since 2007. Tom has spent 8 years as Dandenong Ranges Network Chair and 5 years as Dandenong Ranges and Knox Student Support Services Chair.Tom continues to passionately believe in the ideals underpinning the old Department mantra of ‘Access and Success’; everything we are wanting for our young people flows on from here!

Matthew Deeble

Social Ventures Australia

Matthew has more than 25 years’ experience in building and running enterprises in education and health. He was involved in providing the first Internet services in Australian schools and developing internet management software used by thousands of schools in Australia, NZ, the UK and USA.

More recently he has worked on data, identity and privacy projects for the National Schools Interoperability Program and on an online career profiling service in Higher and Vocational Education. He is also a non-executive director of the evidence efficiency platform; Covidence.

Matthew is the founding Director of Evidence for Learning and leads the organisation with responsibility for strategy, fundraising and system engagement and promotion.

Hayley Dureau

Mount Waverley Secondary College

Hayley is a founding member of the Guiding Coalition. In 2016 she was the recipient of the DET Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year award. Hayley has been recognised at state and national levels as a passionate and forward-thinking mathematics teacher and educational leader, and has shared her work in Mathematics education and Student Voice with educators in Australia, and worldwide.

In 2017 she was awarded the George Alexander Foundation Fellowship, allowing her to undertake applied research in the area of Student Voice and STEM Education in Denmark. In 2018 Hayley was named Australian Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the year by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute. Hayley completed a master’s in Instructional Leadership at the University of Melbourne in 2019.

Jacqui Gore

Warrnambool Primary School

Jacqui has been an educator for over 20 years, spending time in both primary and secondary sectors. Jacqui is currently working as a MYLNS literacy network teacher between two secondary schools. She has held leadership positions in the areas of wellbeing, Koorie education and Literacy.

Jacqui has an ongoing passion for wellbeing and inclusion. Jacqui joined the coalition after success in the 2016 Victorian Education Excellence Awards. Jacqui has had opportunities to work with education sectors in America, Finland and Singapore with a focus on her student wellbeing program.

Anne-Maree Kliman

Victorian Principals Association

Anne-Maree Kliman is the President of the Victorian Principals Association (VPA), Vice President of the Australian Government Primary Principals Association (AGPPA), Board member of the Australian Primary Principal Association (APPA) and a member of the National Councils of AGPPA and APPA.

She works with Victorian and Australian school leaders to provide professional learning opportunities to facilitate collegiate support and networking, and to advocate in their best interests at state and federal levels. Anne-Maree has been in education for 30 years and a Primary school principal for 17 years. Anne-Maree has completed a Diploma and Bachelor of Education (primary) and post graduate study in Educational Leadership.

Mary Hutchison

Roslyn Primary School

Mary Hutchison started her teaching career in 1987 at Mt Eliza North Primary School. She has worked at nine different school locations. And has been a school Principal at Corio Primary School, Birregurra Primary School and at Roslyn Primary School.

Mary has contributed as a system leader across the Department in her roles as:

· Network Chair in Colac Corangamite supporting the RNL.

· Network Chair in Barwon South supporting the Regional SARP role.

· Network Chair in Barwon South East supporting her SEIL and has worked across the state in her role at Bastow as the Community of Practice Facilitator.

Mary is also an accredited ‘Dare to Lead’ Facilitator supporting the work of Brené Brown in creating courageous leaders.

Nina Laitala

Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC)

VicSRC is the peak body for school aged students in Victoria. Its vision is education that’s flexible, relevant and includes all students in all decisions. VicSRC is led by a team of 15 secondary school aged students elected by their peers who advise the organisation on strategic direction, advocacy and the education sector on best practice in student voice, agency and partnerships.

Nina Laitala has been the Executive Officer of the VicSRC since 2017. She has a Masters in Community Music Education and worked in community arts before joining VicSRC.

Gail McHardy

Parents Victoria

Gail has long been one of Victoria's leading advocates for parents of students in Victorian government schools.

Gail's introduction to the education sector was not only as an active parent participant at her own daughter's schools but volunteering and working for the state wide peak body, Parents Victoria. Gail has had many opportunities to share her extensive knowledge, professional commitment, experience and energy with many school communities, future teacher graduates and with other stakeholders across all education sectors. Gail is currently the Executive Officer for Parents Victoria.

Meredith Peace

Australian Education Union – Victorian Branch

Meredith Peace is President of the Australian Education Union (Victorian Branch) and has worked in full-time elected roles for the AEU since 2001. Meredith is a registered secondary teacher (science, biology, geography, maths, environmental science), and has taught in both country and metropolitan schools during her career.

She is the AEU Federal Office Environment representative, including on the ACTU Climate Action Group and is a certified ‘Climate Reality’ project presenter and has a long held interest in environmental issues. Meredith has also been elected to represent the AEU at many Education International congresses/regional forums in a variety of countries.

Meredith was educated in public schools in country Victoria and has always been a strong advocate for public education and social justice. Meredith believes governments have a responsibility to provide a high quality, well-resourced public education system accessible to all and to ensure all students are able to achieve to the best of their ability.

Julie Podbury

Australian Principals Federation

Julie Podbury was elected to the role of President of the APF in 2015 after 24 years as a Principal Class Employee for the DET. She was recently re-elected to the role as President for a further three-year term which will conclude at the end of 2022.

She has spent her whole career supporting her colleagues, as a mentor and coach, as well as in the area of Health & Wellbeing leadership. In 2019 she was made a National Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders, in recognition of her leadership locally, Nationally and Internationally.

In her current role, as the head of the APF, the Union for Government Principal Class Employees, Julie works hard to advocate for and support Principal Class members in a raft of challenges they face in their very complex and demanding roles.

Deborah Fewster

Victorian Council of Social Service

TBC

Steven Cook

Albert Park College

Steve Cook has led the development of two inner city secondary schools in Melbourne: the Bayview Street Campus of Williamstown High School and his current school, Albert Park College. 

Bayview Street was the first 5 star green school built in Victoria and featured innovative environmental design, including a 1.8 hectare wetland and a Marine Education Centre. 

Albert Park College – an initial $26 million entirely new open plan school has expanded to five campuses over ten years and is an acknowledged leader in technology use for education.

In 2017 Steve was awarded the Victorian Education Excellence Award for Outstanding Secondary Principal and the Lindsay Thompson Award for Excellence in Education.

Kerri Smith

Fish Creek and District Primary School

Kerri Smith won the Outstanding Primary Teacher Award in Victoria in 2018. Kerri is passionate about engaging students in Maths and helping teachers to develop meaningful tasks that elicit student thinking and creativity.

Kerri is interested in improving the level of support being given to our graduate teachers and passionate about working together to do more to keep them in the profession.