David Willersdorf – Chair

Portrait of David Willersdorf – Chair

David has more than 47 years of experience as a Chief Financial Officer, Company Secretary and Company Director working in public, private and not-for-profit sectors. He is currently a Director , Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of all entities in the Grenda Family Group of Companies, Board Chair of Wallara Australia Limited and a member of the Rail Industry Development Advisory Committee.

David is a former Board Chair of the Dandenong Council Arts Advisory Board, a former Company Secretary of Rolex Australia Pty Ltd, a former member of the Committee for Dandenong , a former Board Member and immediate past Board Chair of Chisholm Institute and a former Board Member of TAFE Online Pty Ltd.
During the past 47 years, David has gained significant experience and understanding of the requirements of students and the communities from the Chisholm Institute student catchment area.

David Mann AM KSJ FAICD

Portrait of David Mann AM KSJ FAICD

David, best known as Mann About Town, plays the part of roving on-air reporter for 3AW. He also runs his own marketing and public relations company, Mann Promotions Pty Ltd, which consults to many companies and not-for-profit organisations around Australia.

Beyond broadcasting, David has worked in an operational capacity with Victoria Police, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Ambulance Victoria.

His three decades of service to our emergency services earned him as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006.

David is also chairman of Entertainment Assist, the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Day Community Council, the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation and the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross Reserve Committee of Management.

Robert (Bob) Hill, APM

Portrait of Robert (Bob) Hill, APM

Bob is the Assistant Commissioner - Crime Command for the Victoria Police. He has broad operational and corporate experience, with most of his early career working as a detective in various metropolitan divisions and the Crime Department.

As the Assistant Commissioner - Road Policing Command, Bob had strategic responsibility for road policing across Victoria.

As the Assistant Commissioner - Southern Metro Region, Bob led a workforce responsible for delivering community safety in one of the more dynamic and diverse policing environments in the state.

Bob has post graduate qualifications including an Executive Masters in Public Administration with Honours, a Graduate Diploma in Executive Leadership and Graduate Certificate in Police Management.

He has been awarded the Australian Police Medal, Victoria Police Service Medal (40-year clasp), National Police Service Medal and National Medal (40-year clasp).

David Button

Portrait of David Button

David has been involved with Rotary International for almost 20 years and has served in many different roles over that time. As a Rotarian, David has been afforded the opportunity to engage within his local community and in many other communities throughout the world. David comes from a family with diverse skill-sets which were all brought about by the opportunity of a good education.

He knows that quality learning opens doors to those who seek it and sometimes students need help to get started.

David holds a Diploma of Applied Science in Nursery Production and Management from Burnley and it is through this qualification he has been able to build a great life for his family as well as giving back to his community.

Stephen Varty

Portrait of Stephen Varty

Stephen Varty was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Chisholm Institute in November 2019.

He most recently held the position of Chief of Education, having joined Chisholm in 2015 from Victoria University where he was the Director of Innovation and Engagement.

Stephen has held various senior managerial leadership positions across the vocational and higher education sectors, both in the UK and Australia.

Stephen’s vast experience in the education and training sectors supports his position to lead the Institute through a positive phase of strong student growth and investment in infrastructure.

His passion is education and implementation of innovative practice, creative training solutions, coaching and leadership execution to transform and increase the competence and productivity of individuals and business.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Education - VET (Charles Sturt University), a Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership (Victoria University) and a Master of Education (Victoria University).

Jane McLennan

Portrait of Jane McLennan

Jane joined Chisholm as Chief of Staff in 2018, with a focus on external and government relations, and broader communication for the Institute. In 2019, she was appointed to the role of Chief of Student Success and Support, focussing on the student and employer experience at Chisholm.

Jane has extensive experience across the VET sector, at both stand-alone TAFE Institutes and dual sector universities. Jane is also a Board member of Wallara Australia Limited – a not for profit organisation providing support and services to people with a disability.

Prior to joining Chisholm, she was the Assistant Director Vocational Education at RMIT, where she provided high-level strategic advice for the Vocational Education (VE) sector and advised on issues affecting the educational outcome of VE activities within the university. Jane has also held various senior positions at Victoria University and Melbourne Polytechnic, ranging from VET Practitioner to Head of School and Senior Executive.

Jane has studied a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education), Graduate Certificates in Management, Educational Leadership and Tertiary Education and has a Master of Education (VET). She is passionate about high quality education and the broad impact it can have on individuals and the wider community.

Erin Douglas

Portrait of Erin Douglas

Erin is a CPA accountant with over 10 years experience in Retail, Construction, Logistics and Healthcare industries. Erin’s previous successes include being an integral part of the team in listing a company on the ASX, working for a company that grew from 23 stores to over 50 stores Australia wide, and mentoring three junior accountants to CPA status.

Erin joined Chisholm in May 2023 as Manager – Financial Accounting and Reporting, which she is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the Chisholm’s Groups financial statements.

Tracey Ellis

Portrait of Tracey Ellis

Tracey has more than 25 years’ experience as a print journalist and communications specialist working across various sectors including health, medical research and not-for-profit. She has managed public affairs teams in major health services and medical research institutes.

Tracey is passionate about equity and inclusion and enjoys working with a diverse range of stakeholders including media, government, industry, philanthropists, and academia. Tracey holds a Bachelor of Arts (La Trobe University) and postgraduate qualifications in Ethics and Legal Studies (Charles Sturt University).

Tracey is currently the Executive General Manager of Public Affairs at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, and prior to that, managed the public affairs team at Alfred Health, one of Victoria’s highest-profile health services.

Sharon Whitehead

Portrait of Sharon Whitehead

Sharon Whitehead is an Airline Captain and has been flying for Virgin Australia for over 21 years. Sharon’s aviation experience spans more than 36 years and over 18,000 hours of flight time. Sharon’s previous piloting roles include Maritime Surveillance (Customs Coastwatch Border Patrol), Regional Airline flying and delivering mail and freight throughout the Australian Outback.

Sharon’s flying career has afforded her a wide range of skills in operational leadership, effective teamwork, problem solving and risk management, whilst continually maintaining high levels of technical competence and regulatory compliance.

Sharon has previously held Aviation Management roles and conducted Human Factors facilitation. Sharon has also been a Flying Instructor, teaching in both classroom and airborne environments, and continues to mentor pilots at varying stages of their career.

Sharon is passionate that education should be accessible to all, and advocates that a commitment to learning can be both empowering and life changing.

Sharon is also a member of the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross Committee of Management, an advisor to The Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation, and a proud graduate and Alumni of Fire Rescue Victoria’s Fire Ops 101 Program.

Carmel Cammarano

Portrait of Carmel Cammarano

Carmel started her working career in a kitchen and soon undertook vocational training through an apprenticeship to become a chef. Having a passion for the hospitality industry she has worked across Australia and overseas. After more than 15 years in the industry her focus moved to wanting to share her knowledge with others.

Carmel has now been an employee of Chisholm Institute for over 13 years. During her time at Chisholm, Carmel has been employed as a Cookery Trainer, an Education Manager and is now part of the Commercial Team.

Offering quality vocational training to many students over her career she is a firm believer in the power of education and its ability to change lives. Having been involved in elements of fundraising she wants to assist CCEF to continue its good work and is the Chair of the Caroline Chisholm Education Foundation Fundraising Committee.

Farrah Buckland, Executive Officer

Farrah has a long history with Chisholm Institute. Farrah started as a student in 1997 and soon after, was offered a job at Chisholm. Over the past 25 years, Farrah has worked in various roles at Chisholm, and running events and coordinating conferences has been her forte. Most recently, Farrah has worked in not-for-profit organisations, assisting with raising awareness, fundraising, and submitting grants for potential funding.

Farrah's aim is to ensure all Chisholm students have access to education. Through the CCEF scholarship program, this can be a reality.

Farrah’s motto is ‘Education is Empowerment’ – using education to make a difference in a person’s life and creating a domino effect for their children and family.

Jill Ireton, Events Officer

Jill joined Chisholm in 2023 as part of the Corporate Events team and, in 2024 moved across to join the CCEF team as Events Officer. This move was motivated by the need to pursue purposeful work, leveraging her extensive experience in events, business management, and communications across private, corporate, and nonprofit sectors.