SLG member profiles

Kerri Buttery is Director of VETNexus Pty Ltd, a VET sector consulting service with clients nationwide.

Kerri has over two decades experience working in the secondary, vocational and tertiary education sectors, extending from classroom teaching across all three sectors, to curriculum and compliance management positions and, since 2002, a focus on e-learning.

Her previous roles include Director of Content & Strategy at Velg Training, and Director and Consultant at Kersan Training Consultants.

Margie Fixter is Chief of Academic Excellence and Innovation at Chisholm Institute (RTO 0260), a Technical and Further Education Institute based in Victoria.

Margie is a leader with extensive experience in VET and higher education. Her current accountabilities include the provision of strategic and operational leadership in the development of teaching and learning excellence and academic governance.

Margie brings leadership experience across a number of jurisdictions, with a track record of implementation of significant reforms, including educational quality strategies and frameworks, teaching and learning strategies, and governance model improvement.

She was previously the Executive Director Quality Teaching and Learning at TAFESA, General Manager, Education at Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE in Victoria, and Director Educational Delivery at TAFE NSW Western Institute.

Chisholm Institute is a TDA Member.

Julie Healy is Executive Director Vocational Education and RTO Manager of TAFE Queensland (RTO 0275), a Technical and Further Education Institute based in Queensland.

Julie has over 24 years experience in vocational education and training in a diverse range of educational roles, advising internal and external clients around quality learning, teaching and assessment, pedagogical practices, student engagement and retention, educator capability and workforce development.

Julie is responsible for compliance and quality improvements to TAFE Queensland’s learning, teaching and assessment, including the development and implementation of VET training products.

Prior to taking up her current role in 2017, Julie held the roles of Director of Learning and Teaching, and Manager, Learning and Teaching Quality at TAFE Queensland.

TAFE Queensland is a TDA Member.

Jo Kwai is Deputy Director International at John Paul College, Brisbane.

Jo has substantial experience as an educator and academic manager, and in compliance, curriculum and development underpinning the delivery of CRICOS registered courses in ELICOS and VET.

Her career experience includes teaching in the school sector in New Zealand and Australia; at TAFE Queensland as TESOL Trainer and Assessor, Adult Migrant English program (AMEP) Case Manager, and ELICOS and AMEP Teacher; Compliance and Curriculum Development Manager at Shafston International College.

Jo is passionate about quality delivery and upholding standards and continuing professional development.

Jo is on the English Australia (QLD Branch) Professional Development Committee.

Serryn O’Regan is Executive Manager Governance & General Counsel of Evolve College Pty Ltd (RTO 41035), a privately operated, national RTO headquartered in Victoria.

Serryn has 25+ years experience in business and law across several heavily regulated industries, including health-care, insurance, energy and vocational education. She is a frequent speaker at national and international education conferences, giving mentoring and guidance to education providers on how to operate at the highest possible level.

Serryn is a member of the NSW Law Society Senior Solicitors panel, an expert presenter for the Modern Lawyer for the Law Society, and an official mentor with the Association of Corporate Counsel. She twice served as a member of the NSW Law Society Ethics Committee, and in 2018 was shortlisted for Corporate Counsel of the Year.

Serryn is a member of the ITECA NSW State Committee, and Professional Development Committee.

Karen Plowman is the Head of RTO at McDonald’s Australia Ltd (RTO 90820), a non-government Enterprise RTO based in New South Wales.

In her 12 years at the helm, Karen has led a dedicated team that has helped thousands of McDonald’s employees gain a formal qualification or skill set, setting them up for career success.

Leveraging her 25+ years within the education sector and McDonald’s, Karen is an expert in learning and development, business and operational management. Her focus is on combining theory with practical workplace experiences, in flexible learning environments.

As Head of RTO, Karen works across all state/territory government jurisdictions and oversees staff management and development, curriculum development and regulatory compliance.

Karen is the Vice President of the Enterprise RTO Association (ERTOA).

Christine Robertson provides consultancy services in the education, government and community sectors. Christine is a VET sector expert, having most recently served as a Strategic Advisor with Open Colleges Pty Ltd (RTO 90796), a privately operated RTO based in New South Wales that delivers online and blended learning to students across Australia. She has previously worked with Open Colleges as the Executive General Manager, Education and Training.

From 2015 to 2019 Christine was Pro Vice-Chancellor Vocational Education and Training at Charles Darwin University, leading the VET Faculty’s strategic planning activities and decision making on the deployment of resources, workforce planning and academic offerings.

Prior to this, Christine held multiple senior roles over a period of 15 years at RMIT University, culminating in her appointment as Deputy Director Vocational Education.

Christine has a wide range of professional engagements across the sector, and her educational and training achievements and innovations have been recognised with multiple awards.

Dr Belinda Russon is Chief Executive Officer of Tranby National Indigenous Adult Education and Training (Co-operative for Aborigines Ltd, RTO 90492). Tranby is unique in Australia as the first national independent Indigenous adult education provider, operating since 1957.

Before being appointed CEO in 2013, Belinda was Program Manager of Tranby’s National Indigenous Legal Advocacy Program. She is a strong advocate of VET and the positive benefits that education provides to Indigenous students and their communities.

Belinda has many years experience in the education and community justice sectors and has previously worked as a Solicitor for Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women’s Legal Centre.

Belinda is Chairperson of the Rona Tranby Trust, Foundation Advisor of The Inclusive Foundation, and a Member of Adult Learning Australia.

Alex Schroder is Chief Executive Officer of VETPrep Australia.

Alex is a Forensic VET Compliance Auditor and Compliance Rectification Specialist whose passion for the VET sector resulted in her developing qualifications in RTO Compliance Operations and Management, which are designed to help RTOs navigate the complexities of the VET sector. 

Alex has qualifications and experience in Law, Commerce, Marketing, Management, Quality and Governance, and consults to new and prospective RTO owners on business development, growth and continuity. She serves as a non-executive Governance Board member to several RTOs.

Alex’s career and management expertise also includes conflict resolution; mediation; forensic compliance auditing; corporate training and development; organisational change, behaviour and psychology; strategic business implementation; and human resources.

Cara Schultz is National RTO Manager for Boral Construction Materials Ltd (RTO 90403), trading as Boral RTO, an Enterprise RTO headquartered in New South Wales.

Cara has over 25 years’ experience in the VET sector and brings significant leadership, general management and project management experience.

Cara is a specialist in workplace training and development. Her previous roles included: Manager Learning and Development for government Enterprise RTO NSW Rural Fire Service; Deputy Principal and Principal of the Adult Education Vocational Education Institute, an Enterprise RTO providing accredited educational and vocational programs in NSW Government-operated correctional centres; and Manager Educational Programs VET Delivery Team for TAFE Western.

Andrew Shea is Chief Executive Officer of Builders Academy of Australia (RTO 21583) and City-Wide Building & Training Services Pty Ltd (RTO 91138), both part of Simonds Group Ltd.

Andrew is an educational and business leader with more than 15 years executive-level experience across a broad range of registered training organisations, delivering to diverse student cohorts, including to both domestic and international students.

Andrew is a Non-Executive Director with ITECA, Chair of the ITECA National Steering Group, Chair of the ITECA Victorian Committee, Chair of the Education Industry Reference Committee through PwC Skills for Australia, and a member of ERTOA.

Matthew Trott is a Director and Co-Owner of Training Services Australia Pty Ltd (RTO 1984), a privately operated RTO based in Western Australia.

Matthew has been working with the company for 21 years. From its inception, Training Services Australia has been involved in the delivery of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment qualifications across successive training packages including BSZ40198, TAA40104, TAE40110 and TAE40116. The company’s clients are RTOs providing public, private, enterprise, CRICOS and VET in Schools training as well as corporate clients.

Matthew and his fellow directors Geoff and Jeremy Trott collectively have 62 years RTO experience.

Matthew was made an honorary life member for his service to the Training and Development Association of Western Australia, serving as a committee member from 2000 to 2014. He has extensive experience in industry engagement and regularly provides input to training sector challenges, issues and changes via consultation with industry and Industry Training Councils across Australia.

Sue Watts is RTO Manager and VET Consultant for the Catholic Schools Office Lismore Diocese (Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church Lismore Diocese, RTO 7054), a Catholic Secondary School RTO based in New South Wales.

Sue oversees the delivery of VET courses in a geographical region that extends north from Port Macquarie to the Queensland border and west to Moree, serving a geographically, socially and culturally diverse population of students who pursue VET pathways, particularly school-based traineeships and apprenticeships, based on a variety of aspirations and interests.

Sue’s career experience includes working as the NSW State Coordinator of Vocational Education for the Catholic Education Commission NSW (now CSNSW), where her role was to provide advice and support to all dioceses delivering VET and to participate in numerous advisory, industry and representative committees.

Sue is currently on the CSNSW VET Reference Group.

Simon Wiggins is Managing Director of Avidity Training Pty Ltd (RTO 60153), a privately operated RTO based in Tasmania.

Avidity Training has been recognised for its commitment to access and equity in VET, defined as the building of learning pathways that allow participants to confidently engage in VET and realise an active role in the economy.

Simon has worked in the vocational education and training industry for several years and has been strongly involved in its development in Tasmania. Simon chairs the Tasmanian VET Network, having been instrumental in its establishment in 2015. He is chair of the adult literacy workforce development group and is a member of the National VET Data access committee.

Avidity Training is a member of ITECA.

Originally a qualified chef, Simon has worked in various establishments, including the Huntingdale Golf Club and Melbourne’s Hilton on the Park, and has run and owned hotels in Tasmania.