The VRQA is led by a board of 9–13 members. It reports to the Minister for Education and the Minister for Training and Skills.
Members are appointed by the Governor-in-Council. They are:
Pam White PSM – Chair
Ms Pam White has over 30 years' experience in senior management and leadership positions in the Victorian Public Service in both policy development and operations. The majority of her work has been in child protection, disability, housing, youth justice and emergency management.
For 2 years, she led the State Services Authority (now the Victorian Public Sector Commission), the body responsible for public sector administration, governance, service delivery and workforce management and development. She is a member of the Country Fire Authority and the DET Remuneration Committee. She is also a Board Director of Oak Possability and Launch Housing.
Ms White has an expert understanding of the role and workings of all levels of government, the development and administration of legislation and regulations, and the importance of good governance in delivering effective and integrated public services. In 2012, she was awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) for her work in improving services for vulnerable children, and for services to emergency management recovery services.
Members
Jenny Atta PSM
Ms Jenny Atta is the Secretary of the Department of Education.
For more information, see:
Dr Julie Caldecott
Dr Julie Caldecott has extensive experience as a consultant and non-executive director across both the public and private sectors. As a Director and Partner of Boston Consulting Group, she focused on consumer goods, health and public policy reforms. She trained as a medical practitioner prior to joining Boston Consulting Group, and has an MBA from Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne.
Her previous Board memberships include Board Chair of Blue Cross Aged Care and non-executive directorships at Melbourne's Royal Children’s Hospital, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, and the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research.
Dr Caldecott is currently Board Chair of MaxLifeCare Ltd and a member of the Victorian Major Transport Infrastructure Board, where she also chairs the Audit and Risk Committee.
Stephen Elder OAM
Mr Stephen Elder has had an extensive career across politics, local government and educational administration. He was a member of the Victorian Parliament from 1988 to 1999, serving as Parliamentary Secretary for Education from 1988 to 1999 and responsible for the Government's reform agenda in education from 1992 to 1999.
Mr Elder went on to serve as the Executive Director of Catholic Education Melbourne and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria until 2019. He is currently Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Education and Senate member of Australian Catholic University, a member of the Sir Henry Bolte Trust Committee, Barwon Health, Mercy Health Foundation and Iona College Advisory Board.
Mr Elder has also served in a wide variety of governance roles, including the Deakin University Council, Director/Company Secretary of Catholic Capital Grants, the Board of Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership and was also a member of the Federal Government’s Ministerial Deregulation Advisory Council.
In 2016, Mr Elder was awarded an Order of Australia for services to the Victorian community.
Penny Hutchinson
Ms Penny Hutchinson commenced her professional career with a chartered accounting firm in London before migrating to Australia in 1983. Penny was the Director of Arts Victoria from 2000 to 2013, managing relationships across several major government institutions and numerous non-government organisations across arts and culture. She had a leadership role in relation to several major cultural infrastructure projects in Victoria. Penny is also highly experienced in the finance sector. She's a Chartered accountant, and was a partner in a large financial services and consultancy firm.
Ms Hutchinson has been on the board of and chaired the audit committee of many organisations including Medibank Private, the Federal Airports Corporation, Monash University and is currently on the board of Eastern Health and Central Gippsland Water.
Ms Hutchinson holds a master degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne, a Music Performance Diploma, and an honours degree in German and Music from the University of London. She is also a Graduate of Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Peter Loney
Mr Peter Loney is a former teacher, Member of Parliament and academic. Following a long teaching career, he was elected to the Parliament of Victoria in 1992.
Mr Loney served as a Member of Parliament until 2006 during which time he held a number of parliamentary positions including Deputy Speaker, Chair of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, Chair of the Australasian Council of Public Accounts Committees, Chair of Privileges Committee and member of the Standing Orders and Law Reform Committees.
In 2006, Mr Loney was appointed Adjunct Professor and Executive Director of the Public Sector Governance and Accountability Research Centre at La Trobe University, Australia and in 2010 he joined Deakin University's Alfred Deakin Research Institute as Adjunct Professor specialising in legislative governance.
Anthony Nippard
Mr Anthony Nippard is a governance professional, board chair, board director and committee member. Since 1988 he has been a director of not-for-profit and public entities spanning sectors including higher education and training, children's services, community and mental health and school governance. He has worked on advisory committees in child protection, defence, public sector governance and university sectors.
Mr Nippard currently chairs Neami National and Mental Health and Wellbeing Australia Ltd. He is a board director of Melbourne Forum, and a board member at Victoria TAFE Association and the Audit and Risk Committee for the Commission for Children and Young People and Box Hill Institute. Mr Nippard also provides governance training and advice, board evaluations, inductions and strategic planning for public sector and not-for-profit organisations. He is a Principal of Thoughtpost Governance and Managing Director of Nippard Pty Ltd.
Mr Nippard has extensive experience as a senior executive in various roles primarily in the areas of health, housing finance, public and community housing, homeless housing services, financial management, corporate services, public administration and integrity, knowledge management and public sector governance.
Fran Reddan
Ms Fran Reddan is a Board director, Consultant and Executive Coach who specialises in supporting leaders to excel. With a distinguished career in education spanning more than 30 years, she has been honoured with national fellowships and is recorded in Who's Who for her contribution to education. She has deep leadership experience, including serving as Principal of Mentone Girls' Grammar School, where she pursued excellence and innovation for over 14 years. She is known for her astute skills and understanding of the relational quality of a school with its complexity in stakeholder management. An outstanding educator, she has been noted on the 'Educator Hotlist' (2018) and has taught at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Fran has worked as an accredited school reviewer and is conversant with Australian and international quality benchmarks.
Her previous Board positions include serving as President of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia, the peak advocacy group for girls' education, as well as the boards of a university residential college, a charitable trust, and an organisation serving the teaching profession.
As a coach and consultant, Ms Reddan advises in strategy, leadership, innovation and reputation in a variety of organisational settings.
Judy Rose PSM
Ms Judy Rose was the Regional Director for the North Eastern Victoria Region Department of Education and Training, where she had direct responsibility for over 400 schools and a key role to play in the early childhood and further education sectors. She has worked in the Victorian Government's education portfolios for over 35 years in metropolitan and rural Victoria, as well as in the Education faculty at Monash University.
Ms Rose has served on the Education State Board, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership's School Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee, and Deakin University's Education Faculty Board (Primary Education).
Ms Rose is a passionate advocate for education and the right of all children and young people to have equal opportunity for high quality educational pathways, no matter their personal circumstances. This is reflected in her current employment with the Colman Education Foundation and its key work in Victoria's most vulnerable communities.
In 2016, Ms Rose was awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours primarily for her work in establishing flexible learning options for disengaged young people in North East Victoria.
Jim Williamson
Mr Jim Williamson is the Director of a public policy research and program development company, providing specialised advice to business, government and community organisations for over three decades. During that time, he has held senior managerial responsibilities in Community Development, Employment and Training at the Brotherhood of St Laurence. He was also a Senior Policy Manager – Youth Transition at Mission Australia.
Mr Williamson began his career as a secondary high school teacher and as a lecturer in education at the Melbourne College of Advanced Education. He went on to Senior Policy Officer roles at the Department of Education and Training, and the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet. He is currently the Chair of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Interim Regional Board in the West Metropolitan Region.