Melinda is an organisational psychologist, researcher and teacher with over twenty years’ experience supporting schools. She has established Compassionate Schools in the service of staff in schools as workplaces across Australia. Compassionate Schools offers education and training experiences, supported by coaching and consulting where appropriate to enable school leaders to foster compassionate, safe and effective workplaces in their schools.
Melinda is currently undertaking a PhD exploring the psychosocial workplace conditions that enhance or buffer school-life’s subsequent impacts on staff wellbeing and engagement, and how schools, and the sector, can individually and collectively strengthen the design and enhance the workplace experience for teachers and leaders. Working with who, and what, school communities currently have to move forward is the goal. Melinda’s psychology honours and masters research focused on workplace wellbeing, specifically burnout, compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress following critical incidents, and the protective factors that lead to resilience and wellbeing.
Melinda has taught K-12 and has held roles including Senior Consultant with headspace schools/Be You; Consultant: School Innovation with the Association of Independent Schools of NSW; Teaching Educator with Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta; and Lead – Program Content and Evaluation and General Manager with Good Grief Ltd, now MacKillop Seasons. Melinda has also practiced as a school counsellor with the Catholic Schools Office Diocese of Broken Bay, and holds coach accreditation with the International Coach Federation.
Luke is an experienced CEO with responsibility in his current organisation for $1b in annual contract spend by 128 participating businesses. He also oversees a training organisation and consulting practice. Prior to this role for seven years he led another privately owned national buying group, supporting over 5,000 charities and not-for-profit organisations across Australia in the education, welfare, and health care sectors.
Luke is also focused on ESG sourcing initiatives in his current organisation which includes a renowned modern slavery risk prevention and detection program, a disaster response and recovery solution to support impacted communities from natural disasters and a new First Nations procurement scheme, enabling ‘Certified’ Supply Nation, and ‘Assured’ NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce First Nations businesses to offer their services directly to participating purchasing organisations.
Luke is a Board Chair, and has spent the last 25 years in senior executive roles across public and private sectors. He has an MBA, a communications degree, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), a certified executive coach, and is currently completing a post-graduate law degree.