Meet the NAB Schools First Team
If you’ve ever wondered who’s making the NAB Schools First program happen, you’ve come to the right place. Below is a little about each of the people in our team.
NAB
FYA
ACER
Javelin Australia
NAB Schools First Partnership Managers
NAB Schools First Advocates
NAB
Rebecca Sherwill
Head of NAB Schools First
Like many of the NAB Schools First team, Bec originally hales from regional Australia - specifically Benalla, Victoria. With plenty of wide open spaces in which to run around and burn off energy, Bec's biggest challenge at school was probably learning not to rush through her work in order to get back out into the school yard for playtime. A propensity for talking too much might have been drawn to Bec's attention back in those days, too!
The most memorable moment in Bec's schooling came when she made the transition from Primary School across the road to Secondary School. It was exciting and nerve racking and, surprisingly, it stands out more than Bec's eventual move to boarding school at Genazzano, Kew.
It was during her Melbourne schooling that Bec found a like-minded soul in her Physical Education teacher, who not only encouraged Bec to tear around and burn up energy, but who instilled in her really positive habits that have lasted into adulthood.
Bec is always grateful to her parents for the opportunity to relocate to boarding school - it launched her into a whole new world of opportunity that she has keenly embraced ever since.
And is it any surprise to learn that Bec can usually be found out running, riding or swimming before she starts each day with the NAB Schools First team?
Josie Kaddour
Communications Manager
Josie grew up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne attending Reservoir East Primary School then Reservoir District Secondary College.
One of Josie’s most memorable achievements at school was actually getting through it, even when it seemed uninteresting or difficult. She admits she didn’t always apply herself and was an average student getting mostly B’s with the occasional A and C in her report card.
The one subject she seemed to have a natural flair and passion for was English. Her most influential teacher was Mr Wootton who taught her English in Year 11. She’d always enjoyed the subject and was relatively good at it. But Mr Wootton took it to another level for Josie and taught her so much as well as supported her creative writing. His relaxed and pleasant teaching style made his classes enjoyable.
However it was another English teacher, Mrs Maiden, in Year 10 who changed the career path for Josie. Previously considering Pharmacy or Accounting, Mrs Maiden recognised and praised Josie’s writing ability, encouraging her to consider a career in Journalism. This defining moment opened up the world of communications to Josie who in the end chose to study PR.
While having moments of loudness and cheekiness at school, if a teacher had to sum Josie up in one word, it would be ‘responsible'. As our online guru at NAB Schools First, we don’t mind some cheekiness but we love that we can count on Josie to make this website and our email communications informative, useful and dynamic.
Adam Bament
Communications Advisor
Adam grew up in Adelaide and mid-north South Australia, in particular Port Augusta. He attended a number of schools, finishing high school at Woodville High School in suburban Adelaide. Various teachers inspired him throughout primary and secondary school, but no more than Mrs Grandioso in Year 11 English. She had a hard shell of a seasoned, old-school teacher, but once you scratched the surface she was incredibly passionate about literature and shared her dream of writing and publishing ‘her story’ one day.
Adam’s defining moment in his schooling life came in Year 9 in Music Theory and Practice when one day reading and playing music seemed to magically come together and make sense. Later, his music teacher commented on his report card that she wasn’t sure that this would happen, but persistence and determination had paid off.
His report card was maintained at a steady B+ level. If he put in extra effort, he could sneak in an A here and there, but socialising often got in the way. His report cards usually featured the word ‘potential’.
Adam’s most memorable moment in school came when he won a day-trip to Melbourne through a school based music competition in year 7 at Port Augusta Primary School to play a concert in front of 250 people. However, his dreams of becoming a rock star never eventuated.
Josh Levy
Program Advisor
Josh grew up in Benalla in regional Victoria and went to school at Benalla East Primary School and Benalla Secondary College. His primary school Music teacher, Mrs Washusen, was Josh’s most influential teacher, introducing him to a wide range of music, instruments and amazing cultures.
Josh enjoyed school and received good marks all round and even managed a perfect English study score in VCE! ‘All-rounder’ is the phrase that would sum Josh up at school but his most memorable moment was performing with Angry Anderson after winning a competition to play guitar in his band for a day – Josh still pursues his passion for music, albeit a little less vigorously than Angry did!
The most defining moment in Josh's schooling life was actually when he left school. His careers counsellor told him he only had two options for tertiary study. Fortunately, after being in Melbourne and at Uni for ‘about five minutes’, Josh realised how wrong she actually was. He then made it his life’s mission to ensure that every young person he came in contact with knows they have more than two options in life and to empower them to explore all opportunities. This dedication to young people is just one reason why the NAB Schools First team is glad he’s on board!
Clare Prascevic
People Engagement Manager
Clare grew up in Colac, country Victoria but was lucky enough to spend most weekends on the coast at Lorne which was her second home. She started her schooling days at Colac South West Primary School and finished them at Colac High School.
At high school, her accounting teacher Mr Bateup was ‘awesome’. He let his students play music in class, was fun and invited ex-students to come and talk about the exciting world outside of school. He also generously donated some of his own time to help Clare and a small group of others study university Accounting subjects while still in year 12.
Clare’s report card showed straight As and she achieved this while also having a great time at school. However, teachers often said Clare distracted a lot of other people – she always wanted to be where the fun was and didn’t want to miss out on anything!
One of the most memorable moments of Clare’s time at school was when she put together a school year book as a record of where everyone was at. It had lots of fun questions about hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes, what everybody laughed about and captured a lot of history.
A defining moment at school for Clare was when she was surprised to learn that other people had different values. She’d assumed everyone all thought the same about certain topics until challenged on a few ideas about helping some refugees who had came to Australia without anything. Her desire to make a difference in the world is still active and being part of the NAB Schools First team is just one of the ways Clare is achieving this.
FYA
Elisa Brear
Project Advisor
Elisa grew up in a quiet suburb of Melbourne, where she attended a small primary school and discovered her love of writing and fear of fractions. At the age of eleven, she went to live in Mexico with her family and embarked on a great adventure.
Living in central Mexico for nine years, Elisa attended the John F. Kennedy School, where half her classes were in English and half were in Spanish. Some of her most memorable moments include literally not understanding what teachers were talking about, being suspended because she spray-painted her hair silver for a Halloween party and was barred from the school grounds until the colour faded, and forming life-long bonds with friends and teachers.
She was a cheeky but hard-working student who enjoyed school immensely. Her most influential teacher was Mr Peter Kelly who taught English and Philosophy. Peter held the trust of every student in the school, and inspired students to work to the best of their abilities, whilst making the experience fun and enjoyable. Elisa still admires the balance of working to the highest professional standards, and doing so with a good dose of fun and humour. She and Peter remain close friends to this day.
Elisa returned to Melbourne at the age of 20, and has worked in advertising, public policy and community engagement. She is delighted to be a part of NAB Schools First, which helps make schooling a rewarding, enjoyable and relevant experience for young Australians.
She still hates fractions.
Charby Ibrahim
Project Coordinator
Charby grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg and went to school in Brunswick and Essendon. His most influential teacher at school was Mr Ian Mikail – an inspirational man who taught Charby to be proud of who he is.
The most defining moment in Charby’s schooling life was obtaining a full VCE scholarship. This allowed him to attend a school he otherwise might not have had the means to attend. His report card was like a patchwork because he seemed to excel at subjects that either interested him or were taught by engaging teachers.
Charby’s most memorable moments were playing in various school bands. Performing gave him the confidence that transferred into other aspects of his life. Always keen to debate a given topic, if a teacher had to sum him up in one word, it would have been ‘provocateur'. At times, Charby played devil’s advocate for the sake of a good debate! At NAB Schools First, his confidence and questioning nature combine to create a positive force within the team!
Meryl Scott
Administration Coordinator
Meryl grew up in South Africa and completed her secondary schooling there. She performed well in her studies, especially in the subjects that interested her most.
Meryl’s English and History teachers were the most influential during her secondary schooling. Meryl found their approach to teaching inspirational and they instilled in her a passion for literature and the arts. They were teachers that loved teaching and were sincerely interested in the students they taught.
Meryl experienced a collection of defining moments with rich experiences that ultimately resulted in a positive influence on her post schooling. The more memorable moments of her school career were being selected as a prefect, playing for the netball team and participating in team sports which were an enjoyable experience.
Meryl is now part of the NAB Schools First team after her previous role working across national education programs.
ACER
Sharon Clerke
Project Leader
Sharon grew up in Melbourne, Victoria and Bundaberg, Queensland but more recently lived in London, working as the Head of Department at a private girls’ school.
Sharon became an English teacher because of her love of literature and reading. So, it’s not a surprise that an English teacher (the inspirational Mr Mrozik) was her most influential teacher at school.
A defining moment for Sharon at school was when she received a teaching scholarship to go to university. The scholarship meant she could complete a degree in English and Art History and eventually become what she’d always wanted to be – a teacher.
Sharon has enjoyed working at a senior level as an educator, gaining invaluable experience working closely with schools, parents and community members on programs designed to improve student outcomes. Her passion for improving educational outcomes for young people, together with her significant organisational and leadership skills, attracted her to Schools First and the opportunities presented by the program.
Through her teaching career and from the opportunities she’s had travelling to many parts of Europe and Asia, the most important thing Sharon has learnt is that you never stop learning and that strong leadership and teamwork are critical components of effective educational achievement and reform. This view is also something that we believe at NAB Schools First and we’re glad to have Sharon on board!
Michele Lonsdale
Principal Research Fellow
Michele has worked as a secondary school teacher, uni lecturer, researcher and writer in education. She has worked closely with unemployed young people and taught adults in a neighbourhood house. She has worked on community projects and has done various other jobs.
A highlight of Michele's working life was the time spent doing freelance writing and editing. This meant she got to interview interesting people about topical issues, such as the plight of asylum seekers, and media representations of women in sport, for Education Age.
Michele has loved all the different jobs she's had and appreciates the opportunity to be involved in a national project like NAB Schools First. She loves working directly with schools and enjoys the challenge of helping schools build the most effective partnerships they can.
Meredith Bramich
Applications Manager
Meredith has worked in a range of educational, administrative and information management roles across a variety of sectors in Australia and overseas. She is a strong advocate for lifelong learning and has studied Applied Linguistics, English and Information Management.
Meredith is an experienced administrator, qualified secondary school teacher and librarian. She has worked as an English teacher in Japan and also as a writer and editor of English language learning materials.
Meredith brings her passion for education to the NAB Schools First team and her information management skills to managing the volume of applications we receive.
Javelin Australia (our PR gurus!)
Stuart Osbourne
Account Director
Stuart grew up in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He went to St Christopher’s Primary School in Syndal and later Salesian College in Chadstone. A passion for English and Literature developed largely because of Mrs A who taught him in his middle high school years.
However, it was on the eve of his VCE exams that Stu had one of his most defining moments that when he took on board some advice from a mentor that he has since been able to apply outside of the classroom in job interviews, client presentations and much more. The advice was to have faith in himself and all the hard work and preparation he’d done over the year and throughout his schooling life, to play to the strengths of what he did know and to not worry about what he did not know by that late stage. And ultimately, just to have a crack!
Stu’s report card would often say “Stuart is a conscientious student but needs to speak up more in class” – it’s fair to say he was studious and caused very little trouble for his teachers. Studying aside, one of Stu’s most memorable times was during the extra curricular activities. As part of the school band, he enjoyed the school musicals and being ‘let out’ to perform at the local girls’ schools. The friends he made are still among his best friends to this day.
The one word that a teacher might use to sum Stu up would be ‘conscientious’. While Stu’s still not entirely sure what that means, the rest of the team do – he’s passionate, proactive and constantly dedicated, giving his all to promoting the program in the media.
Brooke Tully
PR Manager
Brooke went to school Beechworth High School which incidentally got an upgrade to ‘Secondary College’ when she was in Year 9.
Brooke’s most influential teacher was her VCE English and Lit teacher, Sharon Tappe because she made her students learn how to read between the lines and let them call her Sharon.
A defining moment for Brooke was when she went to Lyon in France on exchange and so went to school in a foreign country.
The Maths and Science pages of Brooke’s reports probably said something along the lines of, ‘we really recommend she pursue the Arts’. Luckily she did this, and was awarded Lion’s Club Youth of the Year in her area as well as the opportunity to represent Victoria at the annual Queen’s Trust National Capital Seminar in Canberra.
If a teacher had to sum Brooke up in one word, it would be ‘stubborn’. At NAB Schools First, we translate this to mean tenacity and persistence which are great things to be in PR!
Prue Tully
PR Manager
Prue grew up in Beechworth, North East Victoria, attending Beechworth Primary School and Beechworth Secondary College. There were several teachers Prue really liked but it was her Grade 3 and 4 teacher Mr Webb who was the most influential. He made learning fun, didn’t take things too seriously and had a great sense of humour. All the students thought he was magic as he seemed to have a never ending supply of Arnotts biscuits in his top shirt pocket that he would constantly munch in class!
A teacher would have summed Prue up as ‘friendly’ so it’s no surprise one of her best experiences of school was the lifelong friends she made there. Other memorable moments for Prue were the sports carnival days, the school excursions, the science experiments that went wrong and the cooking disasters!
A “straighty 180” with mostly A+ and A’s in her report card, Prue can’t recall one single defining moment from school. However, it was while graduating in Year 12 that it hit home that she needed to hurry up and decide on what she wanted to do for a career! At NAB Schools First, we’re glad she’s chosen to work in PR – and that no science experiments or cooking are necessary!
Claire McGarry
PR Account Manager
Claire grew up in the UK and moved to Australia in 1997, where she attended Loreto Mandeville Hall. Claire can actually boast to have learnt HTML coding in Grade 5, thanks largely to her teacher Mr. Duncan, who made the whole class feel like they were geniuses and encouraged them to always look at new ways to learn.
Computer literacy aside, Claire further fine-tuned her communication skills in Year 11, when she managed to talk her way up from a D to a B+ in French. It was at that point she realised that much in life is open to negotiation and that spin can lead to positive outcomes!
Claire is one of the NAB Schools First team's more creative members, having been accepted into VCE’s Top Acts whilst studying Dance in Year 10. Claire’s most memorable moment at school was probably when she received her first preference into a tertiary course at Melbourne University… Well, either that or schoolies in Byron! Oh! Là! Là!
NAB Schools First Partnership Managers
Each Impact and Seed Funding Award winner has a local NAB staff member as their NAB Schools First Partnership Manager. Inspired by the program, they work closely with their school-community partnership in a number of ways.
Find out more about their ongoing support.
NAB Schools First Advocates
There are NAB Schools First Advocates throughout
