Governance of Hunter Valley Grammar School is delegated to a School Board currently made up of seven volunteer members who each bring a diverse range of skills and expertise to the role. The Board is responsible for providing strategic direction to the School and setting priorities for long-term success.
Hunter Valley Grammar School Limited is a non-profit company committed to best practice governance principles.
Chairperson
Kristine Littlewood
Kristine has a long history with HVGS. She was one of the original investors and has been involved since foundation. Kristine was appointed to the Hunter Valley Grammar School Board in 2000 and elected Chairperson in 2005. She is a lawyer with Hallam & Littlewood Lawyers and a past parent and current grandparent of the School.
Deputy Chairperson
Dr Kenneth Dobler
Dr Kenneth Dobler was appointed to the Board in 2006. He has been serving as Deputy Chairperson since 2007. Dr Dobler is a general practitioner at Maitland Road Surgery in Cessnock. Ken is a past parent.
Treasurer
Michelle McPherson
Michelle was appointed to the Board in 2012 and elected to Treasurer in 2014. She is the Chief Financial Officer at IAG. Michelle is a member of the Council of the University of Newcastle and serves on the advisory boards to the Hunter Research Foundation Centre and Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Newcastle. She is also Chairperson of the HVGS Finance Committee and is a current parent of the School.
Secretary
Jodi Stapleton
Jodi was appointed to our Board in 2019. She is the Chief Technology Officer at Newcastle Permanent Building Society and has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and information technology in Canada and Australia. She is the Chairperson for the HVGS Risk and Compliance Committee.
Board Members
Mark Williams
Mark joined the Board in 2023 and is the Chief Executive Officer of The Mutual Bank. Prior to this role, Mark worked for two of the largest customer-owned banks in Australia in a variety of Executive positions within these organisations, including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operations Officer and Acting Chief Executive Officer. He is a member of the HVGS Finance Committee.
Mark lives in Lake Macquarie and has extensive family ties in the Maitland and Hunter Valley region.
Gillian Geraghty
Gillian currently holds a senior executive role within NSW Government and a number of Director roles in the Hunter region. Gillian has qualifications in civil engineering and project management and has over 25 years’ experience in property and delivering infrastructure, and eight years as a qualified board director. Gillian is a current parent of the School.
Heather McLaren, OAM
A foundation staff member now retired, Heather was appointed to the School Board in 2010 and elected Board Secretary in 2017. Heather’s sons were foundation students and she now is a proud HVGS grandparent.
Early 2019, Heather was awarded Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to Maitland
Owen Logan
Owen is a Hunter Valley Grammar School Alumni, graduating Year 12 in 2012. He went on to obtain a double degree in Mechanical Engineering (with Honours) and Economics. Owen is the Origination Manager of Iberdrola Australia, which is part of the Iberdrola International Group, the worlds largest producer of wind energy.
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