Governance
The daily running of the school is in the hands of the School Principal and the Executive. The Principal is the School’s Chief Executive Officer and reports to the Board. Our current Principal is Cindy Barnsley.
The Executive consists of the Principal (Cindy Barnsley), the Deputy Principal (Matthew Whaley) and the Business Manager (Melanie Williams).
The Directors of the School Board are elected every two years and are currently composed of elected members, being five parents and three educators. This arrangement allows for the consensual and efficient operation of the School, both administratively and educationally, and also encourages a constructive partnership between parents/carers and teachers. We strive for consensus in all decisions.
Parents and teachers are encouraged to take an active interest in school governance through voting or nominating for election to the School Board. There is an Annual General Meeting in May each year.
Korowal School Board of Directors
Chris Lee
Chair
B.A (BA (Hons) UNSW; M Env Mgt (Macq)
Chris has degrees in Economics and Environmental Management. With a career spanning 30 years Chris, brings extensive experience from work in the public sector, university research and the private sector. Chris is the CEO of Climate-KIC Australia, a NonGovernment Organisation linking business, research and Government to drive climate change and innovation.
David Wright
Deputy Chair
BA, DipEd, MA, PhD
David Wright is currently an academic staff member of the School of Education at Western Sydney University. He has worked in the Social Ecology program for over 20 years and teaches units in Social Ecology and Transformative Learning. He is an experienced supervisor of research student and has occupied a variety of administrative roles including Associate Head of School and Director of Higher Degree Research.
David's research has extended into community based alternative education systems and he has visited leading schools of this kind in Australia and North America and worked with those who have designed and inspired these schools. David completed a PhD titled ‘Creativity and Embodied Learning’ in 1998. He has two children at Korowal: one in primary and one in secondary school.
Greg Lucas
Director
B.Comm., MBA (Dist.), CFP.
Greg Lucas is a Certified Financial Planner and a Lecturer in Financial Planning at the
University of South Australia. Prior to moving into academia, Greg was a practising
Financial Adviser and principal of a financial planning practice for 22 years.
Greg has served as a Director of Korowal School since 2010, and has been the Chair of its Finance and Resources Committee since 2011. He is known for his dedication and commitment to education. He has developed a reputation for providing governance leadership and innovative solutions along with his ability to communicate with clarity, calmness and objectivity.
Greg previously has had two children who graduated from Korowal. When not working, Greg loves to work in his garden at Katoomba; enjoy time with his family and pretend to understand cattle-raising on his hobby farm.
Louise Dungate
Director
Dip. Teaching (ECE), B.Ed (ECE), Master Ed (ECE), Ph.D Early Childhood
With a Career in Child Development and Education spanning 42 years, Louise has served on a Federal Advisory Board for Quality Education, lectured at several universities, conducted research into young children’s wellbeing and involvement in education settings and been part of the writing team for the National Teaching Standards.
In her 11 years at Korowal she has taught Learning Support, Year 6 and currently teaches Japanese across the school from Kindergarten to Year 10. She has been a high school year Coordinator and Coordinates professional development and research projects. She has been a board member since 2010.
Andy O'Doherty
Director
BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, BTeach Secondary
With more than 16 years teaching experience in the Blue Mountains at both Katoomba High and Blue Mountains Grammar School, Andy O’Doherty joined Korowal in 2019 as a Science, Chemistry and Biology teacher. This teaching career followed a working life in Medical Advertising in London, Melbourne and Sydney where she was a Group Account Director looking after the marketing of prescription drugs for companies such as Astra Zeneca and Pfizer.
With extensive experience as an HSC examination writer and marker, plus 10 years as a Head of House leading up a pastoral care team of 6 teachers and over 100 students, Andy has a wealth of experience in both the academic and pastoral care side of school life. Andy has three children in their twenties and enjoys bushwalking in the beautiful Blue Mountains.
Mat Spiteri
Director
BCom, CPA, CTA
Mat Spiteri has over 20 years experience as a tax accountant and runs an accounting practice based in the upper Blue Mountains, servicing small to medium sized businesses all over the east coast of Australia. He is a CPA Australia qualified accountant and registered tax agent, a fellow of the National Tax & Accountants’ Association, a Chartered Tax Adviser and a fellow of the Tax Institute of Australia. Mat and his family relocated from Sydney to the Blue Mountains in 2007 and they have two children attending Korowal School.
Michelle Montgomery
Director
Michelle Montgomery is an experienced teacher and school counsellor with a special interest in whole school wellbeing and inclusion systems and practices. She has post-graduate qualifications and registration in teaching and psychology and is a NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholar (Special Education, 2014). Her work developing and leading whole school models of wellbeing and trauma-responsive care have been published in peer reviewed journals and international texts, and she was an invited contributor to the 2020 UNESCO report on the role of Social Emotional Learning in schools.
She has taught in primary and secondary schools as well university post-graduate teaching programs and has held both academic and clinical leadership positions in government and non-government child-serving organisations. In her free time, Michelle enjoys live music, comedy and art-making, as well as spending time with family or lost in a good book or puzzle.
Michelle has a child in Year 5 at Korowal.
Nathanael Hunter
Director
Nate has been a parent at Korowal for nine years, and a Teacher’s Aide for four. He brings a unique perspective on the power of Korowal’s gentle and caring approach. He is deeply passionate about keeping the School’s culture strong, and in maintaining the independent course that attracted his family to Korowal. Nate has completed two trades (Baker/Pastrycook, and Distribution Powerline Worker).
Nate is completing a double major in a Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience and Psychology), and has strong skills in the abstract writing and comprehension such study entails.
He has two children at Korowal - one in Year 6 and one in Year 8.