Membership of the Board
The Board consists of nine part-time members, eight of whom are appointed by the Minister. The Director-General of the Department of Education and Training is an ex-officio member of the Board.
Members are drawn from industry, the education and training sector and the wider community on the basis of their experience and expertise.
Bert Evans, AO (Chairman)
Bert Evans was appointed Chairman of the Board in 1996, following his retirement as Chief Executive of the Metal Trades Industry Association. Mr Evans is also Chairman of the NSW Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board and the NSW Public Purpose Fund.
Mr Evans is a dedicated advocate of the social and economic benefits of quality training for all.
Kevin Power
Kevin Power was appointed to the Board in 1995. He is a Director of the Australian Training Company and was formerly the Executive Director of the ACTU-Lend Lease Foundation, and former Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training.
Mr Power also serves as a member of the NSW Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board and is a Director of the Indonesian Skills Foundation. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
Mr Power is also Special Adviser to the National Aboriginal Sports Corporation, Australia, and is committed to enhancing education and work options for young Indigenous people. Mr Power chairs the Board’s State Advisory Committee on Work Placements and Skills Centres Steering Committee.
Dr Paolo Totaro, AM
Paolo Totaro has been a member of the Board since July 1996. During the year he also continued to serve as a member of the NSW Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board. Dr Totaro was foundation Chairman of the Ethnic Affairs Commission from 1977 to 1989, and is a former Pro-Chancellor of the University of Technology, Sydney, and former Commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission. Dr Totaro has a passionate interest in making vocational education and training a vehicle for giving better prospects in life to youth-at-risk among Indigenous and immigrant minorities. He chairs the Board’s Ethnic Minorities Committee.
Kay Sharp, AM
Kay Sharp was appointed to the Board in 1998. Mrs Sharp is Executive Director of the Hunter Valley Training Company Pty Ltd and a member of the Advisory Council to TAFE NSW – North Coast Institute. She is the only woman ever appointed to the NSW Apprenticeship Council and, on behalf of the Hunter Valley Training Company, is involved with the Office of Rail Heritage, a recently-established Government body restoring, preserving and maintaining significant rail heritage.
Mrs Sharp is also closely associated with The MAI-WEL Group, an organisation that provides training and employment for people with intellectual disabilities. Mrs Sharp has a strong interest in vocational programs that address the special needs of people with a disability, young people and Indigenous communities.
Leslie Loble
Leslie Loble is Deputy Director-General, Strategic Planning and Regulation, with the NSW Department of Education and Training. Ms Loble manages the department’s policy formulation, program development, strategic planning and intergovernmental relations activities across schools, VET and higher education sectors. Ms Loble also oversees funding and regulation aspects of the NSW VET system.
Prior to joining the Department, Ms Loble served the Clinton Administration as Chief of Staff to Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich, and as a member of the US Department of Labor’s senior management team.
Bill Wooldridge
Bill Wooldridge was appointed to the Board in May 2002. He retired as Assistant Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union of Australia, NSW Branch, at the end of 2002, after 34 years as a full-time elected official. During this time Mr Wooldridge was Chairman of the Electro-Tech Group Training Company and Deputy Chairman of the Electro Skills centre.
Mr Wooldridge is a passionate advocate of the importance of quality training for workers in all industries, and has had a long history of involvement in the selection of the Apprentice of the Year for the NSW Training Awards.
Linda Simon
Linda Simon has served on the Board since March 2004. Ms Simon has been Secretary of the TAFE Teachers Association in New South Wales for over ten years, and was elected Federal TAFE President of the Australian Education Union in early 2004. Ms Simon has been both a school teacher and a TAFE teacher, and is currently a Head Teacher of English and Communication in TAFE. She is also a member of the Central Coast Campuses Board, Ourimbah, and a member of the Board of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER).
Ms Simon is a strong advocate of public education, and the rights of all Australians to access an affordable quality public vocational education and training system.
Michael Coutts-Trotter
Mr Coutts-Trotter is the NSW Director-General of Education and Training and Managing Director of TAFE NSW.
Prior to taking up this position, Mr Coutts-Trotter was Director-General of the Department of Commerce for two and half years and was Chief of Staff for the NSW Treasurer for seven years.
He views his position in education and training as one of the greatest opportunities that government has to serve the people of NSW. His experience in management, policy and advocacy will be used to support teachers, school executives, principals, TAFE head teachers and managers, and support staff to do the best job they can for students.
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