The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) Board has 8–15 members. Members are nominated by the Minister for Education and appointed by the Governor-in-Council.
Diane Joseph
Chairperson
Diane Joseph is a nationally recognised education leader having been involved in the sector for more than forty years having started her career as a maths teacher at Footscray Technical School. She has served as Principal at James Harrison College and Geelong High School.
Diane’s most recent executive role was as Director-General of the ACT Department of Education and Training. Before this Diane held a number of executive roles in the Victorian Department of Education, with a focus on innovation.
Diane is a highly experienced Board Chair and Director and was appointed by Australia's education minsters as Chair of the Board for Education Services Australia Ltd (ESA) from 2017 to 2024. Diane is Project Board Chair for Major Projects Canberra, and has been a Director for the Australian Council for Educational Leadership (ACEL), the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), the Canberra Institute of Technology, and the ACT Teacher Quality Institute.
In 2015 Diane received The Palmes Académiques Chevalier (Knight of the French Order), from the French Government for eminent service to bi-lingual education. In 2005 Diane was the recipient of the Victorian Education Excellence Outstanding School Leadership Award.
Jenny Atta
Secretary
Jenny has been Secretary of the Department of Education and Training since March 2019.
As Secretary, Jenny is directly responsible for the management of the Department and for ensuring the education and training portfolio Ministers are supported in the management and administration of their portfolios.
Jenny manages a $16 billion budget and leads 3,600 corporate staff to deliver and improve early childhood education, school education, and vocational and higher education services across Victoria. She employs a further 62,000 staff in government schools.
Jenny joined the Department in December 2015, as Deputy Secretary, Infrastructure and Finance Services Group. In this role, she was responsible for the management and oversight of the Department’s financial, procurement and information technology services, along with strategic advice and planning for state budget processes, and infrastructure policy and delivery.
This followed a range of senior roles in the Victorian Public Service, including the Department of Treasury and Finance and the Department of Human Services.
Catherine Dillon
BEd, MEd, GradDipEdStudies, MAICD
Catherine is a registered teacher who has worked as a school and system leader and educator in Victorian Catholic schools for over thirty year.s She has held leadership roles across a diverse range of metropolitan and regional educational settings which have included specialist educational settings and Foundation to Year 12 schools. Her leadership roles have included terms as Deputy Director at Catholic Education Sandhurst, Manager of Leadership and School Development at Catholic Education Melbourne, Principal of Mount St Joseph Girls’ College, Altona and Deputy Principal of Catholic Regional College, Sydenham. Catherine's has extensive experience supporting schools with leadership formation, cyclic school reviews, curriculum mapping, data analysis and subsequent strategic planning to improve student learning growth. She has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course and has served on school advisory councils.
Catherine also has experience as a leader, Board Chair and director in the not for profit sector with a particular focus on developing youth leadership through community service.
Professor Mark Rose
PhD, MEdAdmin, BA, DipT
Professor Mark Rose is traditionally linked to the Gunditjmara Nation of Western Victoria. He has a 40-year career in education, contributing to a broad range of educational settings in Victoria, nationally and internationally. Mark is Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Innovation in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University.
In ministerially appointed arrangements, Mark advised ministers Nelson, Bishop, Gillard and Garrett, co-chaired the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Review, and has sat on numerous government task-forces.
He is involved with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues in New York, and is a delegate to the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. He is Vice-President of the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated. He chairs the Indigenous advisory group of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and is Chancellor of Batchelor Institute in the Northern Territory.
Catharine Hydon
Dip Teaching (Early Childhood); MEd (Early Childhood Education)
Catharine Hydon is the Director and Principal Consultant at Hydon Consulting. She is an early childhood professional with experience in a range of early childhood settings. Catharine has worked as an early childhood teacher, established programs with the Brotherhood of St Laurence, managed a range of services for children and their families in Melbourne’s Northern suburbs and a school-based program in Papua New Guinea. Catharine has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Monash University. Catharine has been a member of the VCAA Early Years to 10 Curriculum and Assessment Committee since 2017.
Aayushi Khillan
Aayushi Khillan is a passionate and innovative young leader currently studying a Bachelor of Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne. She completed VCE at The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School in 2018 where she was the Debating and Public Speaking Captain, Representative Council Treasurer and Girls in Volunteering Executive. Aayushi was part of the Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC) executive team in 2017-18.
James Laussen
Bachelor of Education (EnvSci); Master of Education (Administration)
James Laussen is the Foundation Principal for All Saints Anglican School. Mr Laussen brings robust experience and knowledge of the Prep-12 school environment to the Board. He has relevant experience as a AHISA State Executive, member of the Board of the Anglican Diocesan Schools Commission, member of the Management Committee of Anglican Schools Australia and its President from 2015-2017. He has also been a member of the VCAA Secondary Principals’ Reference Group since 2011, the VIT Accreditation Committee since 2014, the State Government LGBTIQ+ Education Reference Group since 2019, and a Board member of Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) since 2016.
Robert Fearnside
Robert Fearnside has a background with the Victorian Auditor-Generals Office, Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications and is very experienced in education with strong risk and audit knowledge, governance knowledge and awareness of the Education and Training Reform Act legislation.
Terry Bennett PSM
Higher Diploma of Teaching, Secondary, State College of Rusden, Majors in Mathematics & Physics; Master of Educational Studies, Monash University
Terry Bennett has worked for 52 years with the Department of Education and Training. Mr Bennett has by any measure made a most significant contribution to education in Victoria, as evidenced by his PSM awarded in this year’s Australia Day Honours. He was Regional Director North East Victoria Region within the Department from March 2019 up until April 2022. He had responsibility for approximately 400 government primary and secondary schools and 400 early childhood centres. His role was to support schools and early childhood centres and ensure the implementation of government policy regarding the Education State Reform agenda. Mr Bennett also has over 20 years’ experience as a secondary school principal. Part of his role will be to chair the VCAA Audit Committee.
Kristy Mullins
Bachelor of Education, Primary (Honours); Master of School Leadership
Kristy Mullins holds the position of Principal at Wangaratta West Primary School. Ms Mullins is a young and passionate professional with a strong understanding of the diversity of schools through her work as a teacher and leader at two large Metropolitan Melbourne schools, leadership of a regional primary school and interacting with principals across her network. Last year she took on the role of Network chair for the Benalla/Mansfield/Wangaratta (BMW) network.