Board of Directors
Janet Holmes à Court, AC
Chair
Appointed 01.12.1983
(Re-elected 26.11.2019)
Owner of the Janet Holmes à Court Collection, Janet is also Chair of the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), a Board Member of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) and the Australian Institute of Architects Foundation (AIAF). Janet is also a member of the Centenary Trust for Women Board of Advisors at the University of Western Australia, the State Buildings Advisory Board Western Australia, and Commissioner for Australia for the Venice Architecture Biennale. She has won numerous awards, including a Companion of the Order of Australia and named 2018 Western Australian of the Year Arts & Culture. Janet is an elected member of the Board.
Andrea Denholm
Deputy Chair
Appointed 30.10.2013
(Re-elected 31.10.2019 for three years)
Andrea is an experienced creative producer and executive producer. She has been a principal and senior executive in leading independent local and international production companies, most recently joining globally renowned Tony Ayres Productions. Andrea has collaborated with some of the country’s most esteemed creatives and with new talent to develop and produce a distinctive and highly regarded slate of scripted content including the award-winning Wrong Kind of Black; groundbreaking screen opera The Divorce; comedy series How to Stay Married, It’s A Date and 8MMM Aboriginal Radio; and landmark documentary Sporting Nation with John Clarke. Her other credits include Tripping Over; SeaChange; After the Deluge and Worst Best Friends. Andrea is on the Board of Film Victoria as well as the ACTF Board.
Cheryl Best
Appointed 21.06.2016
Cheryl Best is currently the Executive Director, Learning and Teaching in the NSW Department of Education. Cheryl is responsible for delivering high quality programs, professional learning and resources that support students’ learning and promote innovation and excellence in teaching and learning. This includes K-12 curriculum; languages programs; arts and sports programs; rural and remote education initiatives and leading the implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. Part of this role involves developing and maintaining relationships with all stakeholders to achieve better outcomes for public education. Cheryl’s career in education spans over 30 years. She has worked in various educational settings and has a wealth of experience in school leadership and effective implementation of strategic priorities. Cheryl represents the NSW Government on the Board.
Ian Booth
Appointed 09.04.2019 for three years
Ian has over 20 years experience in the Australian film and television industry, and is currently a director of Indian Pacific Pictures and Aura Film Finance. Ian was CEO of Screenwest, the Western Australian film financing body for over a decade, financing hundreds of screen projects, including Mystery Road, Breath, Red Dog, Satellite Boy, Paper Planes, Bran Nue Dae, Cloudstreet, SAS: The Search for Warriors, Outback Truckers, Lockie Leonard and many more. Originally a lawyer, Ian also worked at the ABC, and has served on the Boards of national screen agency Ausfilm, Awesome Arts and the FTI. As well as the ACTF, Ian is also currently a Board Member of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. Ian is a Commonwealth Government representative.
Jason Borton
Appointed 09.01.2017
(Reappointed 09.01.2020 for three years)
Jason Borton is the Executive Branch Manager, Learning and Teaching with the Australian Capital Territory Education Directorate. Jason is a dynamic leader who is committed to implementing innovative practices that cater for the needs of 21st Century learners. He uses social media to promote public education at a school, state and national level, reaching a wide national audience on a regular basis. Jason has been an educator in the ACT public school system since 1996. He was a school leader in three different schools, before being appointed as the Principal of Richardson Primary School in 2012. Jason was the winner of the 2014 AEU ACT Public Education Award. He has a Bachelor of Education. Jason represents the Australian Capital Territory Government on the Board.
Jenny Burgess
Appointed 27.11.2013
(Reappointed 09.09.2019 for three years)
Jenny Burgess graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education. Jenny has also completed post-graduate studies in educational administration and a Masters of Education with a focus on literacy and numeracy teaching and assessment. Jenny has worked across a number of areas within the Department of Education including senior secondary, educational performance, and curriculum development. Recent leadership roles have included Deputy Secretary Support and Development and the Director Curriculum Services. Jenny‘s current role is Deputy Secretary Strategy and Performance, where she has responsibility for providing strategic policy advice to the Secretary of the Department and the Minister for Education on a broad range of matters. Jenny represents the Tasmanian Government on the Board.
Dr Rosemary Cahill
Appointed 25.11.2019
Dr Rosemary Cahill works for Telethon Kids Institute as Chief Investigator for evaluation of the landmark Early Years Initiative in Western Australia, and was previously a senior officer within WA’s Department of Education. She has taught, developed policy and designed and delivered system-level projects in early childhood, literacy and numeracy, Aboriginal education and special education since the 1980s. Key projects Rosemary has been the architect of include the Deadly Ways to Learn project in the late 90s; Getting it Right Literacy and Numeracy Strategy from 2001; implementation of the Universal Access National Partnership in Western Australia alongside the National Quality Standard from Kindergarten to Year 2 in Western Australian schools; and the KindiLink initiative which is a highly innovative approach to forging solid partnerships between schools and families. Rosemary recognises her experience of growing up in Western Australia’s wheatbelt, motherhood, living overseas, study and hockey as factors contributing to who she is and what she thinks. Rosemary is the Western Australian representative of the Board.
Susan Cameron
Appointed 29.06.2016
(Reappointed 29.06.2019 for three years)
Susan Cameron is the Executive Director of Learning Improvement in the South Australian Department for Education. Her knowledge of curriculum, teaching and learning and school improvement comes from a long and distinguished career within the education system. For over 20 years Susan successfully held principal positions across Adelaide schools. Susan’s educational leadership and experience includes holding significant systemic roles at the forefront of educational change for curriculum, school improvement and equity of outcomes for learners, leading to local and national education reform. Susan is a board member of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority and Asia Education Foundation. Susan represents the South Australian Government on the Board.
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
Appointed 09.04.2019 for three years
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg is one of Australia's highest profile adolescent and child psychologists. He wrote his PhD at the University of NSW on Adolescents with Cancer and named and founded CanTeen more than 30 years ago with a group of young cancer patients. He has worked as an academic, researcher, and political lobbyist. He is also the author of 14 books and is an Ambassador for Smiling Mind, Big Brothers Big Sister, Read the Play and Road Trauma Families Victoria and sits on the National Centre Against Bullying and the Federal Government’s Online Safety Working Group. He is the resident parenting expert on Channel 7's Sunrise, as well as a social commentator on the Morning Show with Neil Mitchell on Radio 3AW and Sky News. He is married with 2 sons and is a special Patron of the Hawthorn Football Club. Michael is a Commonwealth Government representative.
The Hon Helen Coonan
Appointed 22.11.2016
(Re-elected 26.11.2019)
Helen is a former Senator in the Australian Parliament, a Cabinet Minister and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate. Her current appointments include Chair of Crown Resorts Limited, inaugural Chair of Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), Chair of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), Chair of Placemaking NSW and Chair of GRACosway Pty Limited. She also Chairs boutique fund manager, Supervised Investments Australia Limited and is a member of the Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan. Her not for profit directorships include the ACTF and she is Chair of the Crown Resorts Foundation. Helen is an elected member of the Board.
Robyn Rosengrave
Appointed 14.01.2019 for three years
Robyn is the Executive Director, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning within the Department of Education. An educational leader with 30 years’ experience, Robyn has contributed to significant educational change and State Schools improvement priorities from Prep to Year 12. Her change leadership portfolio includes state-wide implementation of the Australian Curriculum, the New QCE System, Early Years, STEM, Global Schools through Languages; and Literacy and Numeracy. In addition, she regularly advises and contributes to numerous wide-reaching national and international educational initiatives. Robyn is passionately committed to ensuring every student experiences teaching and learning that helps them realise their potential and achieve success. Robyn represents the Queensland Department of Education on the Board.
Regina Thompson
Appointed 14.02.2018 for three years
Regina is Director of the Families as First Teachers program, a quality early learning and family support program with the Northern Territory Department of Education. She is responsible for implementation and fidelity of 53 programs across remote Aboriginal communities and key urban centres. This includes professional learning and training of program staff, policy, outcomes and partnerships with government organisations and research entities. Regina's expertise is developing quality relationships that influence and develop teacher leaders to work confidently with children, families and partners to ensure early development gives children the best possible start in life. In 2014, Regina was awarded an ACEL Honorary Fellowship and in 2017, as part of the Early Childhood Education and Care team, an ACEL Leadership Award. Regina represents the Northern Territory Government on the Board.