Briefing the Board Conference

Barry Wallett was Deputy Executive Director of the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA) from February 2009 to October 2018. In November 2018, he assumed the role as ISCA’s Executive Director.

His policy responsibilities over the last few years have been associated with school funding reforms, Indigenous education, not-for-profit matters, taxation, communications and government relations. Since 2001, he has been engaged fulltime in various aspects of the education sector in Canberra; previously as Chief Executive Officer of a major industry training provider and before that General Manager of the Australian National University College.

Audrey moved to Western Australia to take up the position of Principal of St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School in January 1983.  She resigned from the position of Principal in April 2007 to take up the role of Executive Director of the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA), retiring in mid-2008.  Following her retirement, Audrey has continued her involvement in education through membership of the State Training Board and through her work as a Registration Consultant for the Western Australian Department of Education Services.  In 2012 Audrey was appointed Chair of the Teacher Registration Board of WA.  Audrey has undertaken consultancies for a number of Independent Schools and continues her involvement in school governance as Chair of Council of Great Southern Grammar School.

In 2012, Audrey was awarded an AM for her contribution to education.

Coming from Wondai in regional Queensland, Principal Stuart Marquardt attended Kingaroy High School before completing his Bachelor of Education and Diploma of Teaching through the University of Southern Queensland.

Prior to his commencement as Principal of Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School, in Term 2, 2016, Mr Marquardt spent the past eight years as the Principal of Great Southern Grammar in Albany WA and was previously Deputy Principal and Head of Junior School at Sunshine Coast Grammar School.

Mr Marquardt is a Member of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders, the Australian College of Educators and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has previously been Chair of the Association of Independent Schools in WA and whilst on sabbatical in 2014, Mr Marquardt completed the ‘Leadership in Evolving Vision Course’ at Harvard University (Cambridge, USA). In 2015 he was awarded a prestigious ‘Klinginstein Fellowship’ to Columbia University (New York, USA) to complete a program on 21st Century Education and Leadership.

Partner, Lavan

Ian is the lead partner in the employment and safety practice at Lavan.  Ian has practised in WA for over 30 years in workplace relations, equal opportunity and school law.  Ian conducts reviews for both government agencies and the private sector, assessing the client’s compliance with statutory requirements and general employment law principles.  Ian is experienced in drafting, negotiating and interpreting employment contracts and industrial agreements.  He represents employers before industrial and equal opportunity commissions and the Courts.  He has over a long period managed and advised about the employment aspects of workers’ compensation claims, stress claims and bullying allegations.  Ian has extensive experience in advising secondary and tertiary educational establishments on operational issues including sexual harassment, dress codes, privacy and policy issues, keeping of records, duty of care, and workplace safety, child protection statutory compliance and governance.  He has advised on the implementation of disciplinary processes  and workplace disputes.  His clients in the education sector include a large number of Independent and Catholic schools and local universities.  Ian is a current member and past Chairman of the AISWA Board.  Ian is a member of the Board at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School and a member of the Teachers Registration Board of Western Australia.

Senior Associate, Lavan

Michael is a senior member of the Industrial Relations and Employment Law team at Lavan.  Before joining Lavan (which was then Phillips Fox) in 1995 Michael spent 7 years working as an industrial advocate for a major Western Australian employer association.  Prior to that he worked as a cartographer with an engineering firm, based both in the office and on site. 

Michael advises clients on industrial action, unfair dismissals, employment contracts, enterprise bargaining, equal opportunity matters and discrimination issues. He regularly provides advice in relation to disciplinary and dismissal proceedings and represents employers in State and Federal Industrial Commissions and the Equal Opportunity Commission.  He has a thorough understanding of the interrelationship between workers compensation claims and employee relations and has previously represented Risk Cover and other insurers at Work Cover.

Michael has broad-based knowledge and experience in the areas of EEO, employee relations and workers compensation.  He provides strategic advice on industrial relations, EEO and workers’ compensation issues to public and private  sector organisations.

Potential Project⁵ is a world provider in mindfulness training. The company has worked with a number of large, international companies and government organisations.

Johanne Klap has a wealth of educational and leadership development experience and is an accredited corporate based mindfulness trainer.  She has post-graduate psychology and education qualifications and is passionate about contributing to educational excellence in Western Australia.

Johanne is an executive leadership coach and learning specialist and has been working in professional and personal development since 1999.  Previously, she has been a marketing manager and public relations manager.  She has secondary teaching experience in Australia and the United Kingdom, and is an award-winning university lecturer. 

Her coaching philosophy is strength-based and is underpinned by solution-focused methodology. Johanne’s passion has always been on working from people’s own deep wisdom and assisting them to realise the potential in themselves and others. She believes in harnessing existing knowledge to achieve negotiated outcomes.

Johanne has a strong and relevant academic background and extensive practical experience working with individuals and teams to achieve their goals.  Her clients include organisations and senior leaders from resource and exploration, primary producers, retail, education and the military.

Dean McDonald is CEO and part owner of RTG, a leading ICT consulting and managed services business that specialises in the K-12 education market. Dean has led the team at RTG from being a local Melbourne business with 19 staff to one that now has over 50 clients and 100 staff located throughout Australia and South East Asia.  RTG prides itself on helping educators to understand how to effectively leverage technology to empower learning and student engagement.  RTG is passionate about finding solutions and solving problems for its customers, whilst pushing boundaries that drive results.  Dean leads the team to collaborate, to contribute, and be impeccable with their word.