St Hilda’s School is a Diocesan-owned school, the governing body of the school is Diocesan Council.
Diocesan Council Members
St Hilda's School is a Diocesan owned school which is established under the School's Regulation Canon. As such, the governing body is Diocesan Council. It is from this relationship that the school takes its corporate status.
The members of Diocesan Council are:
The Most Reverend Jeremy Greaves (Chair)
The Right Reverend Cameron Venables
The Right Reverend John Roundhill
The Right Reverend Sarah Plowman
The Reverend Canon Nicole Colledge
The Venerable Geoff Hoyte
The Reverend Adam M Lowe
The Reverend Melissa Conway
The Reverend Dr Ceridwen Wynne
Ms Jennifer Basham
Dr Stephen Harrison
The Hon Debra Mullins
Dr Janny Spilsbury-Schakel
Mr Tony Weder
Mr David Sneesby
Diocesan Council delegates certain governance functions to the School Council via the school’s Charter. In circumstances where the directors of the governing body must be provided with a report about sexual abuse or likely sexual abuse the Diocesan Council has, pursuant to Section 366B of the Education (General Provisions) Act, delegated that role to the Executive Director, Anglican Schools Commission.
School Council Members
St Hilda’s School is owned by the Diocese of Brisbane and the School Council is appointed by the Archbishop in Council.
The major functions of the School Council are the appointment of the School Principal, the annual budget and school policy. The day-to-day running of the school is the responsibility of the Principal, acting in the role of Chief Executive Officer.
Mr Nick Ryan – Acting Chair of Council
Ms Catherine O’Sullivan
Mrs Debbie Buckley
Ms Samantha Hogan
Mr Michael Beddoes
Mrs Margaret Grummit
Mrs Virginia Warner – Principal
Mr Nick Ryan – Acting Chair of Council
Nick Ryan is deeply committed to mission-based governance and leadership. He is an experienced CEO, board member and senior executive with 35 years’ experience in a range of services, including education, aged and community services and state and federal governments. Earlier in his career he was a secondary and tertiary educator.
In May 2019 Mr Ryan joined Lutheran Services as CEO providing aged and community services to more than 6,000 residents and clients. From 2014-2018 he was the CEO of the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency, the industry regulator. He has served on the boards of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, the Leukaemia Foundation, Meaningful Ageing Australia and the Catholic Education Council (Archdiocese of Brisbane).
Mr Ryan is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government and a graduate of the University of Divinity and the University of Canberra.
Nick is married to Ellie Richardson (St Hilda’s Class of 1985) and together they are parents of Joseph (TSS Class of 2021) and Nell (St Hildas Class of 2024).
Ms Catherine O’Sullivan
Adjunct Professor (USQ), EMPA (ANZSOG) DipEd, BA (UNE)
Appointed to School Council - 2023.
Catherine holds a Masters in Public Policy, Government from the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZOG); and a Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education, English and History from the University of New England.
As the School Council Chair, Catherine brings her wealth of experience, strategic mindset, and unwavering commitment to innovation to benefit the school community. Her commercial acumen and entrepreneurial spirit open new avenues for growth and development, ensuring that the school remains at the forefront of education.
Catherine's tireless dedication to empowering students, parents, and educators to achieve their full potential drives her leadership style. Her ability to inspire others, coupled with her inclusive approach, fosters a sense of purpose and collaboration within the school community.
Catherine served as Executive Director of Schools for the Toowoomba region where she was responsible for leading the performance of 35 Schools. As Assistant Director-General at the state’s Department of Primary Industries, she led the delivery of regional services across QLD. Catherine moved to working for the Federal government as the Queensland State Manager of the Commonwealth for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. This role included leadership of the delivery of employment programs, indigenous education, school funding, TAFE funding and University performance across QLD.
In 2013 she joined Bond University as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Pathways and Partnerships, which included Indigenous education, sport, and women’s education as key areas of the portfolio.
With Catherine O'Sullivan as the School Council Chair, we can look forward to a transformative, student-centered, and future-focused learning environment. Her nationally recognized expertise, passion for education, and remarkable achievements make her the ideal leader to steer our school community towards a bright and successful future.
Mrs Debbie Buckley
Appointed to School Council 2018.
Debbie is an Old Girl who attended St Hilda’s for 11 years before a career in nursing and general practice management. She married John Buckley at St Hilda’s School Chapel in 1985 and has four children, the girls attending St Hilda’s and the boys TSS. After working in General Practice for 25 years, Debbie now has her own businesses Your Life My Time and Downsized Living where she supports professional women and manages the relocation of elderly retirees.
Debbie was involved with the Old Girls' Association as Vice President and then President for 10 years, retiring in 2015. Debbie is a passionate St Hilda’s Old Girl and has been honoured to serve on the School Council since 2018.
Ms Samantha Hogan
BCom(Accounting), BProperty(Valuation)
Appointed to School Council 2022.
Samantha is a St Hilda's Old Girl and is currently the Program Manager for Scheduled Care and Contracts for the Division of Surgery and Critical Care at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, where her role involves providing strategic, managerial and analytical support to the General Manager of the division across various health agendas, including the Clinical Subcontracting (Outsourcing) program for the health service, elective surgery waitlist management and project management.
Samantha earned her degrees in Commerce (Accounting) and Property and Sustainable Development (Property Valuation) from Bond University and worked initially as a Senior Accountant at KPMG prior to moving towards financial and data analyst roles in both the private and public healthcare sectors in Queensland.
In addition to her day job, Samantha is a keen artist and illustrator, and started her small business ‘Samantha Hogan Illustration’ in 2020 to honour her creative passions. Choosing to use predominantly pencils and pigmented inks, her style is a contemporary blend between fashion and realism with a fun and flirty energy becoming a central theme of her work. She aims to capture special moments in life via bespoke commission-based artworks for individuals, commercial partnerships, and live event illustrations. Samantha is inspired by bold, creative individuals, fashion, travel and current affairs.
Mr Michael Beddoes
Appointed to School Council 2009. Reappointed 2021.
Michael graduated from the University of Technology Sydney with First Class Honours and has been working with his clients for close to 30 years providing accounting, taxation and financial planning advice.
Michael has been a Partner of MBA since its inception in 2001 and during this time he has seen long-term growth in this business. His client base is diverse and covers many different types of businesses, industries and professions.
With a special interest in self-managed superannuation funds and retirement planning, he enjoys developing strategies to help clients manage their funds and meet their retirement goals.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys surfing, watching his favourite NRL team, the Canterbury Bulldogs and hanging with his favourite four-legged friend, Elli.
Mrs Margaret Grummit
Mrs Margaret Grummit
Mrs Virginia Warner – Principal
BEd (PE, Tech), DipEd, MTM, Grad Cert Th, GAICD
