About > Our Board
Experience and Leadership
The IHEA Board of Directors are leaders in Australian independent higher education. The Board defines the strategic direction for IHEA and oversees the operational performance of our organisation. Our directors are elected from our membership on the basis of their expertise and perform their duty in accordance with their obligations under the Corporations Law. The board is accountable to members and ensures that IHEA is managed according to our constitution and in compliance with all relevant regulations.
Dr David Perry
CHAIR / Alphacrucis University College
Dr David Perry is Chair of IHEA's Board of Directors.
Dr David Perry is Vice President Academic at Alphacrucis University College, a self-accrediting higher education provider offering courses from Diploma to PhD. He has years of experience in higher education leadership and management.
Apart from serving on the IHEA Board since May 2015, he also currently holds a number of other leadership roles within the higher education sector. He was recently appointed as a member of the Higher Education Standards Panel, an expert statutory advisory body to the Federal Minister for Education, from 2020-2023. Other roles include as Secretary of the Council of Deans of Theology, Council Member for the Australian and New Zealand Association of Theological Schools (ANZATS), and Steering Committee Member for the Higher Education Private Providers Quality Network.
David believes strongly in the importance of a clear and compelling voice to speak on behalf of independent higher education. He is passionate about advocacy for policy that treats all higher education providers fairly and equitably, and is proud of the reputational rise of independent higher education over many years. His academic expertise is theology, having completed a PhD at Australian Catholic University and having taught in theology for a number of years, and his professional background is organisational management.
Ms Lucy Schulz
Navitas Careers & Industry Division
Ms Lucy Schulz is Executive General Manager Education at Navitas in the Careers and Industry Division. In this role Lucy is part of the executive team for the Australian College of Applied Professions and SAE University College, and responsibility for Women and Leadership Australia and SAE Institute in New Zealand.
Lucy has worked in the higher education sector for a number of years in both academic and management positions, as well as in higher education regulation as Executive Director Regulation and Review at TEQSA during its formative years.
Lucy has a particular passion for the student experience and the importance of expanding access and supporting students from a diversity of backgrounds to succeed in tertiary education. She has a number of qualifications including in education, legal studies and communication, and has also completed the Company Directors diploma. Lucy is a Fellow and Meritorious Service Award winner of the Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Professor James Adonopoulos
Kaplan Business School
As the Academic Dean of Kaplan Business School, Prof James Adonopoulos is responsible for 180 academics across four campuses, and for the teaching and learning strategy of more than a dozen diverse disciplines.
His PhD research was on the ways in which leaders influence employee engagement during organisational crises and significant change, which was a common theme in his pre-academia career where he served in middle management positions for a number of financial services organisations.
He is the author of four management books and a nationally syndicated business column, and has accumulated more than 200 speaking engagements for organisations throughout eight countries on his topics of expertise, namely employee engagement, leadership and change management.
Ms Eve Ollerenshaw
NextEd Group (incl Academy of Interactive Technology)
Ms Eve Ollerenshaw is Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive General Manager Group Quality, Accreditation and Compliance at NextEd Group Limited, which included higher education provider Academy of Interactive Technology (AIT).
Eve has over 35 years of education industry leadership and management experience peppered with commercial, government and consulting roles. She has worked in leadership roles at a number of exclusive Sydney independent schools, Stratco QLD, Australian Technical College, Carrick Education, Think Colleges, Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Australian government funded Workforce Futures program, and Scentia. Eve has owned and operated large retail outlets, a global consultancy business, and a sports management and coaching business. She has held a number of board appointments including Athletics NSW, LugeAustralia, the Queensland Studies Authority, along with several not-for-profits. Eve was integrally involved in the NSW International Student Arrivals Program seeing the return of international students to Australia in 2021-22.
In 2017, Eve joined the technology and design division of RedHill Education (now known as NextEd Group), and was promoted in 2018. In her current role she is responsible for managing organisational compliance with domestic and overseas legislation, education industry registrations and accreditations, compliance with various regulatory bodies, governmental reporting, and new course accreditations. Eve is also NextEd's Privacy Officer.
Eve has post-graduate qualifications in education and is qualified in governance and risk.
Dr Ben O’Hara
Australian Institute of Music
Dr Ben O’Hara is the Chief Academic Officer at the Australian Institute of Music (AIM), where he is responsible for the academic oversight of all of AIM’s programs and curriculum. Prior to joining AIM Ben was The Managing Director at The Australian College of the Arts (COLLARTS), where Ben provided leadership and oversight of all aspects of COLLARTS including the academic and operational running of the college.
Ben has taught in Higher Education and VET at a number of institutions across Australia, including the Sydney Institute of TAFE Ultimo, The University of Tasmania, EORA College, and JMC Academy and as a Head of Higher Education at Box Hill Institute in Melbourne.
Ben has a broad range of experience in the music industry, having working in music publishing and licensing as well as event and artist management. He has also been a performer for over 15 years, and runs his own booking agency. Ben also runs thebiz.com.au, an online music business resource centre and has published six textbooks on the music industry.
Ben’s PhD research at Monsah University was focused on creative industries education and the student pathways into industry careers.
Rob McGowan
Torrens University Australia
Rob McGowan is the Vice President of Future Students and Growth at Torrens University Australia, part of Strategic Education Inc. He is responsible for managing and driving the commercial activities and teams across the University. He also holds the same position for Think Education and Media Design School in New Zealand.
In a career spanning over 15 years, Rob has served in executive management roles across public and independent higher education and vocational providers in Australia and the UK. He has extensive experience across strategy and policy development, organisational change management, industrial relations, student recruitment and marketing, partnership development and transnational education.
Prior to re-joining Torrens in 2022, Rob was at Coventry University Group in the UK where he established and served as inaugural managing director of CU Recruitment and Admissions ltd. A wholly owned subsidiary of Coventry University delivering customer engagement services for prospective and current students across the group.
Rob holds a Bachelor of Science from Coventry University and an MBA from Torrens University Australia.
Ms Ann Whitelock
DEPUTY CHAIR / International College of Management Sydney
Ms Ann Whitelock has combined over twenty years’ business experience with more than a decade working in higher education to support students and key stakeholders within the sector. As creator and chair of the Aspiring Education Foundation and Professional Scholarships Program at the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS), Ann is passionate about expanding and protecting its strong values centred on providing access to higher education. The program has extensive support from corporate leaders.
In her advisory capacity at ICMS, Ann is key to ensuring the overall vision and business strategy of the college, and was instrumental in the establishment of the International Sports College of Australia (ISCA). Ann has led significant regulatory projects, including provider re-registrations. She spoke at the recent TEQSA Conference, and was invited to provide feedback as a TEQSA ‘Critical Friend’.
As a business owner, Ann was winner of the Small Business Award in Victoria and nominee for Telstra Business Woman of the Year. She holds a degree in psychology and sociology, as well as financial services qualifications. With her diverse business and quality assurance expertise, and passion for higher education, Ann advocates equality and quality across the sector, and in protecting Australia’s positive global reputation.
Ms Gabriela Rodriguez
Academies Australasia Polytechnic
Ms Gabriela Rodriguez is Deputy Chair of IHEA's Board of Directors.
Gabriela is also the Deputy Managing Director and Group COO of Academies Australasia Group, a company with 17 colleges in Australia (including Academies Australasia Polytechnic) and one in Singapore. Her background is in Information Technology and she holds degrees in Computer Science and Systems Engineering.Born and educated in Venezuela, Gabriela and her husband left their jobs in 2000 and moved with their daughter to Australia. She joined Academies Australasia more than 20 years ago as a lecturer in IT and moved through its leadership group, holding positions in marketing, curriculum development and regulatory compliance. She also held senior management responsibilities in acquisitions, corporate restructure and financial management.
Gabriela has been on the board of the Academies Australasia Group for more than ten years and also holds Board positions on each of the group’s colleges and intermediary holdings.
Professor James Dalziel
Australian University of Theology
Professor James Dalziel is Vice-Chancellor of the Australian University of Theology (AUT, formerly the Australian College of Theology). James has 30 years of experience in Australian higher education, including five years leading the AUT and achieving university status in late 2024, as well as earlier roles as Dean of Education at Morling College and Professor at the University of Divinity; Professor of Education Technology and Director of the Macquarie E-Learning Centre of Excellence (MELCOE) at Macquarie University; Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Teaching and Learning, University of Sydney (part-time); and Lecturer and Director of First Year Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Sydney.
James is an internationally recognised expert in the fields of e-learning and Learning Design, with over 90 academic publications. He leads the open source “LAMS” (Learning Activity Management System) software initiative, including roles on the Board of the LAMS Foundation Ltd and LAMS International Pty Ltd. He has been an e-learning consultant for a range of corporations, educational institutions and governments in Australia and overseas, and has led two successful educational technology spin-offs from universities. He has been a member of the Academic Board of a pathway college for an Australian university, and is a TEQSA Expert. In 2005 he was a Vodafone Senior Fellow at Oxford University. James holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Sydney and is a Member of the Australian Psychological Society.
Mr Ken Richardson
Bond University
Mr Ken Richardson is the Vice President Operations at Bond University. His responsibilities extend across strategy development and implementation, information technology, human resources, government relations, quality assurance, performance measurement, and business analysis.
Ken has over 20 years’ experience serving in leadership roles across public and independent higher education providers, with deep expertise in higher education policy, strategy, and governance practice.
Prior to Bond, Ken was at the University of Queensland where his positions included Director of Planning and Executive Officer to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). He holds tertiary qualifications in business and information sciences.
Mr Bobby Abraham
Excelsia College
Mr Bobby Abraham is Chief Admissions, Global Engagement and Partnerships at Excelsia College. He has over fifteen years’ experience in education leadership, management, strategy, and business development education.
Bobby has worked across vocational, higher education, and ELICOS sectors including strategy and promotion campaigns. In Bobby’s 10 years with TAFE NSW, he managed ‘subcontinent’ market for marketing and sales related activities along with ‘pre and post enrolment compliance’. He has in-depth knowledge of The National Code 2018 under ESOS Act 2000.
Bobby has been part of Excelsia College since 2016. He has established compliance and recruitment team across different countries working with channel partners in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Philippines, with future growth in South America and Scandinavia.
Bobby manages both domestic and international student (onshore and offshore) recruitment along with strategic global partnerships.
In 2017, he was also part of the COPHE team (currently IHEA) representing non-university higher education providers as ESOS changes were being consulted by government.
Sam Jacob
COLLARTS
Sam brings more than 30 years’ experience in higher education including executive roles at public and private universities in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Darwin.
Sam is the CEO at Collarts, the Australian College of the Arts, overseeing more than 20 VET, UG and PG programs in the creative industries.
Sam is a specialist in customer experience design with a proven track record in delivering quality and growth. Their strengths include conceptualising the future needs of organisations, leading teams, driving change and improving quality outcomes for students.
Sam holds postgraduate qualifications in leadership, mediation and business administration. They have led national and international collaborations on student employability, social impact and student retention, and presented papers at major national and international conferences.
Sam is also a Fellow of the Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEMF) and has been a board member for Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival, Adelaide’s Feast Festival and the Northern Territory’s AIDS and Hepatitis Council. They held the role of non-executive director at SATAC for two years, and currently volunteer with the Pinnacle Foundation.
