Queensland Branch

Bruce Addison

ACEL QLD Branch President

After beginning work in the banking industry, I have now been a teacher for thirty-five years. Currently I am Deputy Principal (Academic) at Brisbane Girls Grammar School. My curriculum background is in both economics and history, having spent much of my career in the field of senior secondary school economics. I am a life member of the Queensland Economics Teachers Association.

I have taught at co-educational as well as boys’ and girls' schools, having both middle and senior management experience, specialising in curriculum and staff leadership. For a number of years, I co-ordinated and taught postgraduate subjects in both curriculum and leadership at the University of Queensland, also having had a variety of sessional academic experiences at both QUT and Griffith Universities. In 2017 I attended the course Leadership: An Evolving Vision at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. This learning was both provocative and engaging. These experiences have helped shape my understanding and practice of educational leadership significantly.

My doctoral research was undertaken at the University of Queensland in the field of educational leadership. I have published in this field as well as in academic care and educational change, specifically focussing on teacher professional growth.

Throughout my career I have contributed broadly to the quality assurance work of the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority and its various antecedents. This experience has included appointments as both a District Panellist and Panel Chair, membership of various syllabus writing committees as well as membership of a range of assessment writing and review committees. This work has given me broad cross-sectoral experience particularly relating to both assessment development and quality assurance.

One of the core areas of my work revolves around teacher professional growth and practice. When not enmeshed in schools and education, my garden is my quiet place to tend, rest and restore.

Schools to me are the essential bedrock of our civil society. The teaching profession needs strong advocates, and this is why peak bodies such as ACEL are crucial.

Majda Benzenati

Branch Executive Member

Majda is a nationally certified Lead Teacher and seasoned curriculum leader with 30 years of experience in education across Australia and internationally, spanning public, independent, and international school systems. She has spent two decades dedicated to advancing girls' education at St Hilda’s School on the Gold Coast, where she has held roles including Head of Year and Acting Head of the Business and Languages faculties.

A long-serving contributor to the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) and its predecessors for the last 20 years, Majda has played a pivotal role in curriculum alignment, syllabus development, assessment quality assurance, standards setting, and teacher capability-building. Her leadership extends to national initiatives, including advisory work with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Group, subject expertise for the Australian Government Treasury, and professional engagement through Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) and the Queensland Economics Teachers Association (QETA), where she serves as a committee member.

Majda is committed to fostering capacity across the educational ecosystem; supporting early career teachers, mentoring educators, leading professional learning for middle leaders, and curating student-led initiatives across systems and sectors. As co-curator of ACEL QLD’s Pivotal People series on the Gold Coast, she champions inclusive, strategic leadership from the middle out.

Majda holds a Master of Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Queensland. In the spirit of lifelong learning, she also holds other micro-credentials reflecting her ongoing commitment to innovation in education.

In 2024, Majda received the Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from ACEL QLD, following her earlier recognition as a finalist for the Queensland College of Teachers’ Excellence in Leadership in Teaching and Learning Award in 2018. Her work is grounded in relationship-building, trust, strategic partnerships, and high-impact collaboration. Majda's leadership ethos is simple yet powerful: Leading from Within.

Lee Catterall

Branch Executive Member

Lee is a highly dedicated and motivated educational leader who is focussed on achieving the best outcomes for all students, particularly in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy. Her vast experience in education across both public and private sectors in NSW and QLD spans almost forty years.

Lee is the current Head of Junior School and Deputy Head of College at Ormiston College. Key achievements in Lee’s almost thirteen years at the College include playing a pivotal role in the development of the College’s award-winning Teaching and Learning Framework, redefining the Student Wellbeing Framework, and expanding Service-Learning programs for students, aligned to the Christian Values of the College.

Aside from her leadership role, Lee also actively engages in the co-curricular life of the College most notably through her love of music, conducting and inspiring a Junior School choir of over 60 Prep to Year 1 students and being heavily involved in College Musicals.

In 2019 Lee was proud to be presented with an ACEL award for Excellence in Educational Leadership and in 2021 she was named on the Educator Hot List. Lee is also the current President of The Independent Schools Heads Association for the QLD Branch. (IPSHA)

Lee believes that ACEL is an incredibly important educational organisation for teachers and leaders and looks forward to continuing to make a positive contribution as part of the Queensland Branch Executive for a second term.

Susan Garson

Branch Executive Member

Susan has taught in public, private, single-sex and co-educational contexts in Queensland for 25 years. She completed undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Queensland and is currently the Director of Cultures of Thinking at Brisbane Girls Grammar School. This role involves leadership of a school-wide pedagogy, administration and publications, staff conferences and organisation of professional learning. Susan also teaches German.

Susan’s Cultures of Thinking journey began in 2016 at a conference at Melbourne Grammar School. Since that time, she has participated in national and international conferences (Harvard Project Zero Classroom 2018) and completed Harvard University online coursework. She has been involved in the mentoring and coaching of middle leaders, teachers and practicum students in Cultures of Thinking approaches and has facilitated Study Groups in their engagement with Inquiry Action projects at the school. She is a member of the Project Zero Australia steering committee which organises professional learning for teachers that prioritises visible and creative thinking.

Susan is currently completing doctoral studies at the Queensland University of Technology on the topic of middle leader identity development and influence. She is a founding member of the ACELQ Pivotal People Brisbane steering committee and enjoys learning from other middle leaders.

Sarah Gunn

Branch Executive Member

Sarah is currently Director of Studies and Pedagogy at St Peters Lutheran College Springfield. Prior to this, she has held a variety of leadership positions in diverse school systems both nationally and internationally. Sarah’s work has primarily focused on the development of a learning culture through the innovation of pedagogy, curriculum, and teacher professional development frameworks.

Sarah has been an active member of ACEL since being awarded the ACEL-Q prize for the Master of Education in 2020. She is passionate about contributing to the profession across educational sectors, as evidenced through her school board experience and ongoing work in helping to found, develop, and promote ACEL-Q’s Pivotal People Brisbane network. She also works with several schools in Queensland to establish Lean In Circles, places for aspirational female leaders to learn new skills, network and support one another.

Sarah finds fulfilment in professional reading and writing. She has published several articles on educational leadership and plans to commence doctoral studies soon, with a research focus on educator professional learning through collaborative inquiry.

Daniel Johnson

Branch Executive Member

Daniel has worked in both private and public education sectors throughout ACT and QLD for more than 20 years. During his career Daniel’s broad leadership experience spans across roles as Principal, Head of School, Deputy Principal, Principal Advisor, Director, Head of Department and Teacher.

Daniel started his career in Prep and Outdoor Education and has successfully taught in all year levels through to and including adult education. Daniel is passionate about developing education leaders in all stages of their career.

Daniel is currently the Director of Education Services in the Metropolitan South Region. Daniel has been a member of ACEL since 2018 and continues to advocate for the opportunities and importance of professional organisations, which enable us to connect and learn from each other through conversations, research, and practice.

Adam Kuss

Branch Executive Member

Adam works nationally and internationally with school leaders and teachers on implementing pedagogical improvement initiatives. Currently, he holds positions with the University of Queensland – Critical Thinking Project and Brisbane Grammar School’s – Learning Organisation Team. Adam is a dual scholarship recipient and is progressing towards completing his PhD on how the cultures of leadership and pedagogy influence school improvement initiatives.

Adam is a member of the organising committee for the ACELQ Pivotal People Middle Leaders network (Brisbane). Through ACEL, Adam hopes to bring educators together, to learn from and with each other, so that all students can benefit from our combined professional wisdom.

Over the past 15 years, Adam has worked as an educator in the United Kingdom as well as working in all three sectors in Queensland schools. He has held several leadership positions including Head of Department for Mathematics, Junior Secondary, Pedagogy and Deputy Principal. Adam has presented to a range of Educational organisations including the University of California, Thinking Schools Initiative India, Australian Curriculum Studies Association and the Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales.

Adam led the development and implementation of a pathway for Philosophical Inquiry from Primary School to University across multiple schools. The initiative provided professional development for over 600 teachers and demonstrated significant improvements in student learning. In 2018, the program was awarded the Education Queensland Showcase Award for Excellence in Secondary Years.

Adam has been selected as a finalist for the Queensland College of Teachers – Outstanding Leadership Award as well as being identified by The Courier Mail’s Q Weekender as one of Queensland’s 50 Best and Brightest.

Tania Leach

Branch Executive Member

Dr Tania Leach is an expert in educational leadership at the University of Southern Queensland. Her research focuses on the contemporary challenges of system leaders, and what that this means for how we can better support schools and their leaders to achieve whole of system growth.

She has a particular interest in the interconnection between system and school leadership and the skills and knowledges that are needed to successfully lead systems and schools.

Tania has 18 years of leadership experience across the schooling and university sector, including Associate Dean - LTSS, Principal Education Advisor and Head of School. Her expertise as a system leader was formally acknowledged in 2017 and 2022 through the Australian Council of Educational Leadership’s Queensland Excellence in Leadership Award and Excellence in Educational Leadership Research Award. She now works with current leaders, policy makers, and international researchers to highlight the important and complex work of educational leadership today.

Tom McCormick

Branch Executive Member

Tom McCormick is an experienced leader with experience of working in both Australia and the UK. In his position as Head of Senior School at Fairholme College, he demonstrates a passionate commitment to learning about education trends, innovations and challenges. He also sits on the Board of Blackall Range Independent School on the Sunshine Coast. Beyond his own recent studies – a Master of Education (Leadership and Management) as well as attainment of both Highly Accomplished Teacher and Lead Teacher certifications, Tom avidly searches for opportunities for learning, leadership growth and connection. This is evident in holidays where he seeks out school visits nationally and internationally, his own broad educational literature readership which has led him to establish a professional reading group at Fairholme, or his establishment of the Darling Downs Deputies and Heads of Sub School Collegiate – a group he now chairs. Further, he has been a pivotal member of the ACEL Darling Downs local conveyor group for the past 4 years - here he has given energy to the provision of high-quality networking and learning opportunities for educators across the region.

Through his genuine interest in giving back to the profession and particularly offering support to new teachers as well as aspirant leaders, Tom has organised a New Educators Dinner, an Aspirant Leader In-service day as well as a Research Masterclass evening (in Partnership with UniSQ) to encourage staff across the region to undertake more educational research. Tom is a connector, a provocateur and a learning enthusiast – importantly, he not only seeks ways to expand his own knowledge but also to grow and extend the learning of his colleagues. Through his actions and example, he is strengthening leadership opportunities for others, as well as growing his own palpable influence within the education sector.

Fiona Roush

Branch Executive Member

Fiona is currently Dean of Teaching at Sunshine Coast Grammar School. A graduate of the University of Queensland, with 25 years of experience in education, she has held a range of senior curriculum and leadership roles, including 14 years as Head of English. Fiona is an experienced presenter, notably for ETAQ, and a nationally certified Lead Teacher, reflecting her sustained commitment to excellence in teaching and learning.

Fiona’s pedagogical focus is grounded in Visible Learning, with her work centred on staff growth, the development of coherent learning frameworks, and the provision of structured professional support. She is deeply committed to mentoring future Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers and has led professional learning at scale, including the delivery of a regional Aspiring HALT conference. These priorities sit at the heart of her teaching values and leadership practice, with a strong emphasis on building collective efficacy and improving student outcomes through evidence-informed practice.

As an active member of ACEL Queensland, her professional values closely align with the organisation’s commitment to developing and supporting high-quality educational leadership across sectors. Central to Fiona’s work is the belief that strong leadership underpins sustainable school improvement, meaningful professional learning, and positive outcomes for both educators and students.