Your Elevate Mentors
MARY HUTCHINSON
Organisation: ACT Education Directorate (retired)
Position: Principal
Mary has 40 years’ experience as a teacher and leader in public schools. Most recently she was founding principal of an early childhood school (birth to 8 years) in the ACT Education Directorate. Mary’s particular interests are leading learning in small schools, special education and the first years of schooling.
Mary trained as a primary school teacher. She has qualifications in educational leadership, inclusive education, and mentoring and coaching classroom teachers, aspiring school leaders and principals, and support staff. Mary was founding principal of an early childhood school (an ACT government school initiative). Her leadership focussed on building a positive school community culture across integrated services. She has significant experience leading in small schools. This has included coaching lead teachers to drive whole-school change, and developing their capabilities across the full range of leadership tasks at classroom level and schoolwide. Mary has mentored teachers and support staff in large, inclusive special school settings as well as mainstream classrooms. At the heart of her leadership is a passion for, and commitment to, student and staff wellbeing. Mary has embedded the key leadership elements of collaboration, team and relationship building, and conflict management, into succession planning and aspiring principal training.
- Strategic leadership & managing and leading school change
- Curriculum & pedagogy
- Staff management & professional learning
- Early career mentoring
- Potential principal training
- Experienced principal mentoring
- Developing and managing student & staff wellbeing programs
- Conflict management
- Succession planning
- Building positive and productive communities
- Small school - Under 10 staff
- Medium school - Up to 40 staff
CHARLOTTE RENDLE-SHORT
Organisation: Marlow Jones Education
Position: Educational Consultant
Charlotte has extensive national and international experience in education as a teacher, principal and system leader. As a consultant, she coaches principals and aspiring leaders, and facilitates workshops for leadership teams across all three sectors. She is currently facilitating workshops to train teachers to be mentors.
Charlotte's early experience was as a teacher of mathematics and Head of the Senior School at Geelong Grammar. She then moved to the UK where she was Principal, and then for 18 years the Deputy CEO of a large national educational not-for profit organisation running independent schools and academies. Since returning to Australia, Charlotte has continued in her areas of expertise and passion – the strategic leadership of schools and the coaching of educational leaders. Charlotte’s qualifications include an MEd Admin (New England) and an MBA (Durham). In addition to her work as an educational consultant, Charlotte sits on the boards of a large early childhood management services organisation and of a community bank.
- Strategic leadership & managing and leading school change
- Staff management & professional learning
- Budget & financial management
- Early career mentoring
- Potential principal training
- Experienced principal mentoring
- Conflict management
- Succession planning
- Developing middle leaders
- Department
- Catholic
- Independent
- Primary
- Secondary
- Early Childhood
JODIE DAVEY
Organisation: Powerful Partnerships
Position: Director
Jodie has worked in the education field as a teacher and leader for 28 years in various sectors including State, Catholic, Independent and International. In 2017, she launched Powerful Partnerships, a company focussed on building the capacity of others through engaging and relevant professional development and mentoring. She is passionate about supporting teachers and leaders to develop the skills and strategies they need in order to provide the best possible outcomes for our children.
Jodie's teaching career began in 1992 in South Australia, where she held various roles including curriculum coordinator and deputy principal in both state and independent schools. In 1999, she moved to China and worked at international schools for a number of years in both Shanghai and Hong Kong. On return to Australia, Jodie worked in the Catholic and Independent sectors in Cairns, before becoming assistant principal of a large Anglican College in Adelaide. During her Masters study she developed the knowledge and passion for coaching and mentoring, undertaking a P-12 coaching role as Director of Teacher Performance and Development at an independent grammar school. Jodie also worked with the Catholic Education Office for a number of years, supporting schools to develop their pedagogy and coaching practices before launching Powerful Partnerships in 2017. These varied experiences have allowed her to grow as an educational leader. Her passion and dedication lie in supporting teachers to build their knowledge and skills in effective pedagogical practices, and supporting leaders to create authentic, successful and empowering schools.
- Strategic leadership & managing and leading school change
- Curriculum & pedagogy
- Staff management & professional learning
- Early career mentoring
- Instructional rounds and leadership
- Conflict management
- HALT accreditation
- Building positive and productive communities
- Developing middle leaders
- Department
- Catholic
- Independent
- Corporate
- Primary
- Secondary
- Early Childhood
SUZANNE FLORO
Organisation: Knox Grammar School
Position: Head of the Preparatory School
Suzanne is committed to future-focussed curriculum and pedagogy to meet the needs of modern learners. She specialises in the use of data to personalise learning. Her expertise lies in instructional leadership and the change management process.
Suzanne has more than 30 years' experience, having served in both single sex and co-ed schools in independent and systemic contexts. She has worked alongside her team in her current school to develop a transdisciplinary investigative inquiry curriculum, designed to be future-focussed, to equip students with the skills and dispositions to solve problems as well as act with a sense of purpose and agency.
- Strategic leadership & managing and leading school change
- Curriculum & pedagogy
- Staff management & professional learning
- Potential principal training
- Instructional rounds and leadership
- Developing and managing student and staff wellbeing programs
- Building positive and productive communities
- Developing middle leaders
ROSS ZELOW
Organisation: Zelow Leadership Coaching & Mentoring
Position: Education Consultant
Ross recently retired from the Queensland Department of Education as an Assistant Regional Director, School Performance, following 40 years of education and leadership experience as a teacher, head of department, deputy principal, principal, leadership coach, and assistant regional director in urban, rural and remote settings. Throughout his various roles in education, Ross has successfully mentored and coached beginning teachers, senior teachers, aspiring leaders, heads of departments, deputy principals and principals. He has been a critical friend for colleagues within and outside education.
Throughout his career as an educator, Ross has consistently used his learning to enhance capability. He acknowledges that different leaders have different needs and he can adjust accordingly. Colleagues he has worked with find his experience and calmness to be very helpful when faced with the challenges of being a leader. Ross is genuine, honest and robust in his coaching and mentoring role, and responsive to the needs of individuals and the group dynamics. He draws on information and alternative points of view to help adapt to new and changing information and circumstances. He has a deep understanding of system needs through to the individual needs. Ross acknowledges the challenges of leadership and is able to assist leaders in this space to improve themselves. He strives to always do his best to guide other leaders as he is passionate, supportive, caring, and creates time to have constructive conversations.
- Strategic leadership & managing and leading school change
- Curriculum & pedagogy
- Staff management & professional learning
- Budget & financial management
- Early career mentoring
- Potential principal training
- Experienced principal mentoring
- Instructional rounds and leadership
- Developing and managing student and staff wellbeing programs
- Conflict management
- Succession planning
- Building positive and productive communities
- Developing middle leaders
- Primary
- Secondary
- Early Childhood
DEBORAH COURTNEY
Organisation: Catholic Education Melbourne
Position: Project Officer, Learning and Teaching
Deborah Courtney is a Project Officer, Learning and Teaching, at Catholic Education Melbourne, with a focus on curriculum development and pedagogy. Deborah has a long history of working in learning and teaching, and challenging teachers to think about their pedagogy, practice and impact on developing learners who can flourish in all aspects of their lives.
Deborah started her teaching career in primary schools in Melbourne, teaching across Foundation-6. She has always had an interest in pedagogy and how best to meet the needs of all learners across the primary years. Becoming a leader in ICT and then Learning and Teaching in a number of schools, enabled Deborah to work closely with teachers in curriculum design, identifying student needs and teaching practices. She then moved into a system leadership role at Catholic Education Melbourne. Leading in these roles has involved working and learning with leaders and teachers to identify best practice in teaching and the impact of their practice on students.
- Curriculum & pedagogy
- Early career mentoring
- Instructional rounds and leadership
- Developing middle leaders
JANELLE FORD
Organisation: Claremont College
Position: Deputy Principal
Janelle Ford, MLMEd (UoN), BEd (Primary, UTS), Dip Teach (Infants, NCAE), has worked in Department of Education schools and independent schools in NSW. She is currently at an independent school in NSW. Janelle has experience mentoring district supervisors, principals, deputy principals, and staff at various levels of accreditation, from her own school as well as schools across Australia and internationally.
Janelle has been the recipient of a Quality Teaching Award from the NSW Minister for Education & The Australian College of Educators, an Outstanding Professional Award from The Professional Teachers Council NSW, is accredited at the level of Professional Excellence through ISTAA, and has a Highly Accomplished Teacher medal through BOSTES. She is currently the Deputy Principal at Claremont College, Sydney. Together with Doug Thomas (Principal), she has been instrumental in leading the changes from single cell classrooms to flexible learning spaces, and from single teacher classrooms to teams of staff co-teaching. She led the pedagogical changes through job-embedded professional learning at Claremont College, ensuring the sustainability of the move from teachers working primarily in isolation to teams of teachers jointly taking responsibility for the learning of the whole grade. Janelle was the lead researcher and author of Co-Teaching Improves Student Outcomes (2016).
- Strategic leadership & managing and leading school change
- Curriculum & pedagogy
- Staff management & professional learning
- Early career mentoring
- Potential principal training
- Experienced principal mentoring
- Instructional rounds and leadership
- Conflict management
- HALT accreditation
- Building positive and productive communities
- Developing middle leaders
- Department
- Catholic
- Independent
TESSA CALDER
Organisation: Deakin University
Position: Student Liaison for Pre-Service teachers
Tess is a recently retired primary school teacher with a passion for developing new leaders in schools. She understands both the demands and the joys of leading a school through developing and supporting its staff.
Tess was a primary school principal for the final ten years of her school teaching career, and previoulsy worked as a principal in an IB school as well as in government schools. Prior to this, she was an education coach in both literacy and numeracy, working to help school leaders to improve student learning and engagement. Tess has a passion for education and has worked with schools to guide them on how to support students with learning difficulties. She currently runs professional learning for teachers and parents in communication and conflict management.
- Strategic leadership & managing and leading school change
- Curriculum & pedagogy
- Staff management & professional learning
- Early career mentoring
- Potential principal training
- Experienced principal mentoring
- Instructional rounds and leadership
- Developing and managing student and staff wellbeing programs
- Conflict management
- Building positive and productive communities
- Developing middle leaders
STEVEN CAMERON
Organisation: Department for Education
Position: Early Childhood Leader
Steven is a nationally recognised educational leader and early years educator with 18 years' experience in education and leadership. He has a strong commitment to building the professional capacity of staff he works with, through using mentoring and coaching approaches to help people realise their potential.
Steven has worked in education for the past 18 years, including the last 10 in educational leadership, and has been recognised nationally for his expertise in education and leadership through several industry awards. He has a Bachelor and Masters degree in Early Childhood Education, a Graduate Certificate in Neuroscience and a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Leadership. Steven is currently studying a Graduate Certificate in Business (Public Sector Management). He has a keen interest in supporting new and aspiring leaders as well as pre-service and early career teachers.
- Strategic leadership & managing and leading school change
- Curriculum & pedagogy
- Staff management & professional learning
- Budget & financial management
- Early career mentoring
- Experienced principal mentoring
- Instructional rounds and leadership
- Conflict management