Our Board
Jane den Hollander
Chair
Professor Jane den Hollander AO was Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University from 2010 until 2019, and Interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia in 2020. In 2019, she received an Order of Australia for distinguished service to tertiary education and was named in the Victorian Honour Roll for Women. Jane has done significant work to ensure equal opportunity for learners and working women as well as action to better enable the arts in regional communities. In Geelong this involved establishing the Geelong Symphony and becoming its inaugural patron. Alongside this she was a member, Deputy Chair and then Chair of the Geelong Performing Arts Council (GPAC) over a ten year period.
Neil Fernandes
Deputy Chair
Neil Fernandes has held a number of senior positions in the vocational education and training sector over 30 years. He was the Managing Director of the former Central Institute of Technology between 2005 and 2016, and served as the Deputy Director-General (Training) in the Department of Education and Training. Since leaving government, Neil consults and advises on education and training, is a member of the Training Accreditation Council of Western Australia, and other boards.
Raj Thethy
Treasurer
Raj Thethy is the Chief Financial Officer at Youth Focus. Raj has had over 23 years experience in the not-for-profit, public and private education sectors; and, his responsibilities have covered financial accounting, strategic planning, market and competitor analysis, and business improvement and development. In his current role, Raj manages all administrative functions including finance, IT&T, facilities management, risk management, and human resources.
Leo Gallop
Secretary
Leo Gallop is Senior Legal Counsel at Woodside Energy, providing legal advice and assistance across the full array of Woodside’s oil and gas exploration and production activities in Western Australia and overseas. Leo was educated at Rossmoyne Senior High School and the University of Western Australia and was a Board member of the inaugural Rossmoyne Senior High School Board.
Raihanaty A Jalil
Board Member
Raihanaty A Jalil works as an entrepreneur and educator, running her own ecommerce ventures and providing software training to businesses. She has been Vice President of The Muslim Women’s Support Centre (WA); on the WA Public Employment CALD Strategy Reference Group with the Public Sector Commission (WA); and has facilitated poetry workshops at the Australian Islamic College for Propel Youth Arts WA.
Rachel Bin Salleh
Board Member
Rachel Bin Salleh is the Publisher of Magabala Books. She won the inaugural Literary Lions Medal from Writing WA in 2020. Based in Rubibi/Broome, Rachel is descended from the Nimunburr and Yawuru peoples of the Kimberley region, and has worked in publishing for over 20 years. She has worked with internationally recognised authors to present First Nations stories by, from, and for First Nations audiences. This includes Bruce Pascoe, Kirli Saunders, Alf Taylor and others.
Kanaga Dharmananda
Board Member
Kanaga Dharmananda is a barrister with a commercial litigation and arbitration legal practice. He has worked with law firms in Australia, Sri Lanka and Singapore and as Counsel with Mitsubishi Corporation in Tokyo with the United Nations in Geneva. Kanaga teaches at the UWA Law School and is on the editorial board for some law journals or reports.
Jade Bradford
Board Member
Jade Bradford is a proud Ballardong Noongar woman specialising in Corporate Communications at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. As a freelance journalist, Jade also writes stories based on First Nations health, culture, and community. She is also a Research Fellow of the First Nations Messaging and Narrative Shifting Project, and is continuously striving to identify and incorporate the most effective framing, language, messaging, and communications strategies to support First Nations self-determination and empowerment.