Don Paproth

Don Paproth has 43 years of experience in education working as a secondary teacher, principal, deputy regional director and most recently as the director of major projects in the Gippsland Region with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
 
He has demonstrated a strong commitment to education, particularly in the area of mentoring new principals and developing aspiring school leaders. He has also been very active in endeavours to improve learning opportunities for communities through initiatives for education precincts in a number of rural centres. This has involved close cooperation with TAFEs, Universities, Adult Ed. and Local Government as well as schools.
 
Don lives in Inverloch in South Gippsland and lists his interests as: theatre, particularly musicals; golf; politics; football and his seven grandchildren.
 
He intends his period as Chair of the Institute Council to be one that fosters mutual understanding and open communication between the Institute and the teaching profession.

Allen McAuliffe

Allen McAuliffe is an experienced teacher and Principal class member, having worked in various regions, high schools, technical schools and secondary colleges. He will begin Principalship of Sandringham College for 2012. Prior to this, he has been Principal of Brimbank Secondary College, and concluded his role as Principal of Mount Erin Secondary College in December 2011.

One of Allen’s focuses is to utilise his experience and skills to work to improve the standing of the teaching profession through the Institute’s organisational role.  He is an AEU principal class member and also a member of the Australian Education Union.

Anne Sarros

Dr Anne Sarros chose early on to pursue further study and she completed a Graduate BEd at the University of Melbourne. Following this, she attained an MEd and finally a PhD in Educational Administration, all from The University of Melbourne.

During the years of graduate study, Anne worked at both Melbourne and Monash Universities, initially intending to become an academic. She was among a handful of women studying Educational Administration at the time and had co-written articles and a book based on her research. However, she chose to return to the school environment and teaching, where her energies have been directed into working to develop curriculum and enhance the learning opportunities for students. She co-authored a successful textbook for VCE English for eight years and has since contributed to articles on school leadership.

Anne is currently Principal of Firbank Grammar School in Brighton, Melbourne. In past schools she has held positions of Head of Year 12, Head of English, Deputy Principal Head of the Senior School, and Acting Principal. She has researched and written on teacher stress and social support and believes in collaborative decision making and working within collegial teams.

Debra Punton

Debra Punton is currently Assistant Director, School Outcomes with the Catholic Education Office Melbourne. Prior to this, she held principal positions in Catholic education spanning 16 years. In 1997 she was awarded Fellowship of the Australian Principals' Centre. Debra is also a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leadership.

Gail McHardy

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

Mother of two, 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 statewide 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.

In addition to this Gail works as a Relief Client Service Officer for Calvary Silver Circle, an organisation providing in home care services for the aged, people with disabilities and children with special needs.  Since 2003 Gail has had her own business, Positive Dialogue, working as a communication strategist.

Ian Johnson

After completing his BSc (Hons), Dr Ian Johnson deferred his Dip Ed to complete a PhD at Monash University.  Intent on a career in teaching, Ian then completed his Dip Ed and accepted a position at Wesley College, Prahran, in 1977.  In his 30 years at Wesley Ian held various leadership and coordinator roles as well as being active in the area of staff welfare as a Staff Liaison Officer, IEU Vic Tas representative, Consultative Committee member and Contact Officer.  Ian has taught year 11 and 12 Chemistry in a part time capacity at Korowa Anglican Girls’ School since 2007.

Judy Petch

Judy Petch is currently the General Manager of the School Improvement Division of the Office for Government School Education, DEECD. A major component of her role is the professional learning of teachers and school leaders, including through the Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership, and the implementation of the School Accountability and Improvement Framework for Government schools.

Judy had a 25-year career in the government and Catholic sector as a teacher and school leader. She also held the position of Chair of the Examination Setting Panel and Chief Assessor for VCE Studio Arts for 7 years. In 2006 Judy was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study leadership overseas.

Leonie Sheehy

Leonie Sheehy is working as the Literacy and Student Services Leader at St Joseph's Primary School, Boronia. Leonie has enjoyed many years as a classroom teacher, a Teacher Librarian and a Reading Recovery Teacher.

Mentoring and professionally developing teachers is a particular passion of hers. Leonie is a keen member of VIEU and the VIEU Education Committee.

Louise Heggen

Louise Heggen is working as a classroom teacher in a special education setting (autism specific).

 
Her classroom role is of fundamental importance and is complemented by her efforts in assisting colleagues.  This includes her role in mentoring graduate teachers and supporting them in the process to gain full registration.

She brings to the position a thorough understanding of the challenges, complexities and demands that teaching professionals encounter having worked extensively in both mainstream and specialist settings.

Louise is a member of the AEU. She has worked exclusively in the state education system.

Mary-Anne Pontikis

Mary-Anne Pontikis has a passion for education and believes all children can learn.

She has been a teacher for over thirty years and finds her profession rewarding and challenging every day.

Mary-Anne has held various leadership and coordinator roles in all of the time she has spent teaching in schools. She has taught all classroom levels at primary schools in the Northern, Eastern and Western suburbs of Melbourne.

Mary-Anne is currently working in a specialist role as the Performing Arts and Literature teacher (Prep/One) at Meadow Heights Primary School.

She is a committed member of the Australian Education Union (Victorian Branch) and has been an Executive and Branch Council member for many years. She is an AEU delegate to the Victorian Trades Hall Council.

Mary-Anne is also the Minister's Nominee as a Teacher Representative on the Merit Protection Boards and Disciplinary Appeals Boards.

Michael Butler

Mick Butler has taught in state secondary schools for over thirty years. He has an active, on-going interest and involvement in the areas of student welfare and the provision of alternative educational settings for students at risk. Mick has been involved in various year level and subject leadership roles during this time, including the role of student welfare coordinator. He is a Life Member and President of the Welfare Teachers Association of Victoria and is currently the Coordinator of the Heidelberg Teaching Unit, a short-term alternative setting in the Northern Region for students at risk.

Mick is also a member of the Australian Education Union, an AEU State Counsellor and Executive member and a Victorian Trades Hall Teacher Delegate.

Stephen Dinham

Professor Stephen Dinham OAM is Chair of Teacher Education and Director of Learning and Teaching in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne. He has had a long involvement with professional teaching standards and has worked with the NSWIT, ATRA, DEEWR and AITSL and led the piloting of the National Professional Standard for Principals on behalf of AITSL. His work focuses on student learning, quality teaching, educational leadership and professional learning and he has an extensive record of funded research, publications, conference presentations and consultancies across Australia and internationally. He was a teacher in NSW public secondary schools for 14 years before entering universities.  He has received a number of awards for his work, including fellowships of ACE, ACEA and AIM. He has received the Sir Harold Wyndham Medal (ACE NSW 2005), a National Carrick Australian Award for University Teaching - Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2006), the Sir James Darling Medal (ACE Victoria 2010), the Medal of the Order of Australia (2011) and the Ann D Clark Medallion, CEO, Diocese of Parramatta (2011). He is national President-elect of the Australian College of Educators.