Board

Meet our ACPPA Board of Directors

Directors from each State and Territory are the conduit between Principals, local Associations, and the ACPPA. They are the first contact point to raise issues, ask questions or suggest initiatives. 

Phil Schultz

Board Director and President: South Australia

 
Principal: St Francis Catholic Primary School, Lockleys
 
 
Phil is an educator and leader with over 37 years experience, and his vision is for schools to be centres for excellence and innovation in teaching and learning.  Relationships are at the heart of successful school communities and Phil looks to foster strong and beneficial partnerships with all stakeholders.

Damian Howard

Board Director and Vice President: Victoria

Principal: Carlo Acutis Catholic Primary School, Wollert

e: principal@carloacutis.catholic.edu.au

Damian Howard has been appointed as the Foundation Principal of Carlo Acutis Catholic Primary School in Wollert, one of Melbourne's fastest-growing growth corridors. Before taking on this new school, Damian was the principal of St Raphael's Catholic Primary School, Preston West and initiated and led a 21st-century approach to learning and teaching.
 
Damian has been recognised for his leadership skills and was invited to participate and present at various national and international conferences and events. In 2018, he attended the Global Foundation’s Co-operative Globalisation Rome Roundtable at the Vatican, where he discussed transformative pathways to rebuild confidence and coherence in societies worldwide. In 2019, Damian presented at the International Confederation of Principals in Shanghai, China, where he shared his expertise on educational excellence.
 
In 2022, Damian was recognised as one of Australia’s Top 50 most influential educational leaders by The Educator, an acknowledgement by his colleagues of his contribution to his school community during the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic.
 
He has been the Chairperson of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) North Central Zone Principal Network, promoting educational excellence for Catholic schools and support for principal colleagues.

Kellie McGinlay

Board Director and Vice President: Northern Territory

Principal: Murrupurtiyanuwu Catholic Primary School, Wurrumiyanga, Bathurst Island
 
With over 25 years of experience in educational leadership, Kellie has had the privilege of working across diverse school settings in Japan, New Zealand, and throughout Australia. Her journey has taken her from remote and urban areas of North Queensland to various indigenous communities in the Cape, Gulf, and Torres Strait regions. For the past 5 years, Kellie has been Principal at two schools in the Northern Territory, serving two very remote Indigenous communities.
 
These experiences have deeply shaped Kellie's commitment to ensuring quality education for all students, especially in remote and very remote settings. She firmly believes that every student can thrive given the right supportive environment. 
 
In her free time, Kellie is an avid scuba diver and skier who loves to travel and explore new cultures.  

Rachel Smith

Board Director: Australian Capital Territory

Principal: St Vincent's Catholic School

e: Rachel.Smith@cg.catholic.edu.au

Rachel has worked in a range of small and large schools across Canberra and regional NSW for over 25 years, with over 22 years of experience in school leadership. 
 
Rachel's educational journey has provided her with the chance to work alongside a diverse group of individuals, all striving towards the shared objective of enhancing student achievement and well-being. She believes that every student has the potential to learn when provided with a positive learning environment, effective leadership, a dedicated and skilled education team, a supportive community, and an encouraging family. 

Sarah Lowe

Board Director: Australian Capital Territory

Principal: St Matthew's Catholic School

e: Sarah.Lowe@cg.catholic.edu.au

Sarah has served as a Principal across both the ACT and NSW jurisdictions as part of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn. She was the Principal of St Mary’s Primary School, Crookwell, for seven years before taking on her current role at St Matthew’s Primary School, Page, ACT, where she is in her second year.

Passionate about high-impact teaching practices, staff development, and student-centred learning, Sarah is committed to fostering excellence, collaboration, and strong community connections. She actively engages with families and leads with a dedication to faith, well-being, and innovation in education.

Beyond her professional life, Sarah is the mother of four young adult children and resides on a sheep and cattle farm in the Southern Tablelands, NSW.

Steven Jones

Board Director: New South Wales

Principal: St Patrick's Primary School, Guildford NSW
 
 
 

Steven has been the proud Principal of St Patrick’s Primary Guildford since 2019, bringing with him a rich history of leadership from his previous principalships at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Wentworthville and Our Lady of Lourdes Seven Hills. Backed by more than two decades of experience as a principal, Steven’s true passion lies in creating a warm, supportive school culture. He believes that when individuals are genuinely valued and nurtured, they are inspired to achieve their absolute best.

As a leader, Steven focuses heavily on empowering his staff. He dedicates himself to developing the skills of his leadership team and teachers, ensuring the school remains a vibrant hub for lifelong learning. He is a firm advocate for the idea that when teachers feel connected and supported, it sparks a higher level of engagement that directly benefits the classroom.

When the school day ends, Steven stays busy balancing an active lifestyle with family commitments. He enjoys exercising daily, traveling to new places, and catching up with friends. Most importantly, he loves relaxing and spending quality time with his wife, his three adult sons and their partners, and his wider extended family.

Niamh Marzol

Niamh Marzol

Board Director: New South Wales

Principal: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Lochinvar NSW

e: niamh.marzol@mn.catholic.edu.au

Niamh emigrated to Australia in 1986 and began teaching in 1993 at St Xavier's Primary School Singleton. She worked across a number of Catholic schools before taking on her first principalship in 2012 at St James', Muswellbrook K-6 primary. Niamh progressed from there to St Catherine's Catholic College, Singleton K-12 at the end of 2018. Back to her old student stomping ground where she was once a student!
 
In 2024 Niamh took up a 6 month post at Holy Name Primary, Forster and enjoyed the tranquility and beauty of the coast before embarking on her next placement, back at St Patrick's Primary, Lochinvar which had morphed into a three stream primary. It is a growing township and now has over 600 students and many more on the waiting list. 
 
21 years of Principalship and 5 schools later, Niamh finds herself representing ACSP on ACPPA and is very pleased to be doing so.

Paula Sellars

Board Director: Northern Territory

Principal: Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School, Wanguri
 

Paula is the Principal of Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School, which is situated in the northern suburbs of Darwin, a job she loves and enjoys. 
 
Her teacher training began at ACU, Ballarat in 1989.  Paula has taught in Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory in Catholic Schools for 30 years. 
 
Paula's motivation and goal through education is to always have students' best interests at heart.  Our children are our future.
 
She is an outdoor person and makes the time each morning to start the day with a walk, and is also a passionate follower of AFL and a great supporter of Carlton Football Club.  Like schools, we continue to go through changes and challenges. With this in mind, our schools continue to work together for our children. 

Paul Mitchell

Board Director: Queensland

Principal: St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Wishart

e: plmitchell@bne.catholic.edu.au

                                                 

As a teacher and leader for 26 years, Paul is passionate about shaping a vision of academic success for all students. Paul builds a culture where students and staff do not come to school to be better than others but rather, they come to school to better themselves by working with others. He believes that it is only through empowering leadership and responsibility that students and staff can reach their full potential. As a principal, he is committed to innovation, character-building, and nurturing students toward a bright future where they create change for a better world. 

Roycelyn Wilden

Board Director: Queensland

Principal: All Saints Parish School, Albany Creek, Brisbane
 
 
This is Roycelyn's 20th year of principalship across Qld and a brief time in the ACT.  She has worked as a speech and drama teacher and this has sparked a keen interest in promoting the importance of speech and language development in the early years and the activating student voice throughout the primary years.

Nick Wright

Board Director: South Australia

Principal: All Saints Catholic Primary School, Seaford
 
 
Nick is an educator with over 25 years of experience in both the UK and Australia, the last 15 within Catholic education. He has a wealth of knowledge, loves data and is driven to provide the best teaching and learning opportunities from a research basis. Nick is passionate about education, his role as a leader and supporting the young minds of today become a new generation of faith-filled leaders.
 
Outside of school life - he has a very good understanding of the importance of well-being and work-life balance - he is a father of 3, a husband and a football (soccer) coach.

Annette Diassinas

Board Director: South Australia

Principal: Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Henley Beach
 
 
As Co-Principal of Star of the Sea, Annette is passionate about fostering academic excellence and supporting the holistic development of every student. Throughout her career in education, she has had the privilege of working in various rural and city teaching and leadership roles, which have allowed her to develop a deep understanding of curriculum innovation, staff professional growth, and inclusive practices. Annette is committed to creating dynamic learning environments where both students and staff feel inspired, valued, and supported. Her leadership style is collaborative, and Annette believes in the power of strong relationships to build a vibrant, thriving school community.

Rachel Holdsworth

Board Director: Victoria

Principal: Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School, Manifold Heights
 
Through collaborative leadership and shared vision, we've created an environment where students thrive, staff feel empowered, and families are genuine partners in education.
 
Leading a Catholic school is a bit like conducting an orchestra – not all the instruments are always in tune, and I am certainly not an expert at playing any of them; skills and passions vary, but practice helps us make unique music! Through faith, dedication, and a sprinkle of humour, we've built something special at Holy Spirit, where every day brings new opportunities to nurture young minds and strengthen our faith-filled community.
 
Beyond school life, I'm a proud mum of three, and nothing brings me more joy than camping adventures with my husband, family, and friends. My day begins with a peaceful beach walk – a magical time that reminds me to be grateful for this full and blessed life.

 

Megan Richardson

Board Director: Tasmania

Principal: Mount Carmel College, Sandy Bay
 
 
Megan has held a range of leadership roles and is also a member of the CPAT Executive who represent Tasmanian Catholic Principals. She is passionate about nurturing faith-based communities, curriculum development and the wellbeing of every member of her community.

Teresa McLeod

Board Director: Tasmania

Principal: St Joseph's Catholic School, Queenstown TAS
 

Teresa is an experienced and passionate educator, and possesses an intrinsic joy of teaching. She thrives when working collaboratively within a leadership team, impacting staff and school direction.  By being present, in a genuine and honest way, Teresa builds trusting relationships with all members of school community.  Experiences in small and remote schools have fuelled a belief and passion for all students being able to access high-quality, low-variant teaching pedagogy and curriculum so that they can achieve alongside their peers.

Teresa's leadership style is that of a servant leader. The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then, conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.  Through listening to others, being empathetic, having foresight, and being committed to the growth of others, a community can be built with a focus and rigour of student success and school improvement.

Beyond her professional life Teresa is blessed to have an amazing husband with whom she has 3 adult children, filling them with pride and joy.  

Teresa looks for the wonder in every day and is filled with gratitude with what has been given to her.

Mitchell Bristow

Board Director: Western Australia

Principal: St Paul's Primary School, Karratha WA

e: Mitchell.Bristow@cewa.edu.au

Mitchell is an experienced Catholic school principal and educational leader, having served Catholic Education Western Australia for more than 20 years. He is currently the Principal of St Paul’s Primary School in Karratha, leading a growing, high-performing school community grounded in strong Catholic identity, academic excellence and authentic relationships.

Mitch has held principalships at St Paul’s Primary School, St Gerard’s Catholic Primary School and St Thomas’ Primary School, as well as senior leadership roles across primary, secondary and K–12 settings. His leadership is characterised by a deep commitment to faith formation, evidence-informed teaching practice and creating the conditions for every child to flourish.

Mitch currently serves as Vice President of the Catholic Primary Principals’ Association of Western Australia (CPPA WA) and has contributed to the sector through multiple statewide leadership portfolios, including the Primary Pillar and the Sponsorship and Partnerships Committee. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds Master’s degrees in Religious Education and Leadership and Management.

Mitch is passionate about principal wellbeing, sustainable staffing in regional and remote settings, and strengthening national collaboration across Catholic education. He is honoured to serve on the ACPPA Board and to represent the voice of Western Australian principals.


Ben Will

Board Director: Western Australia

Principal: Holy Spirit Primary School, City Beach WA

e: ben.will@cewa.edu.au


Gez Mulvahil

Executive Officer


Gez is an educator with thirty years of experience in Catholic education.  She is a life long learner who is passionate about wellbeing and self improvement, and loves the excitement and opportunities of change management.
Gez is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership.
 
Outside of work, Gez enjoys embracing the Darwin lifestyle and is involved in the local AFL and Athletics communities, and loves going fishing.  She is a passionate Collingwood supporter.
 
Gez and her family enjoy travelling both within Australia and overseas, making the most of the opportunities and experiences that travel has to offer