Our School

Leadership and Governance

Our Executive Team

The St Mark's Executive Team provides thoughtful leadership, guiding our school's vision and direction.

With their collective expertise and international experience, they deliver high-quality teaching and learning and help students reach their full potential. We value lifelong learning and innovation, and our leaders stay current on the latest educational research.

Together, they foster a supportive and inclusive community environment. Open communication and collaboration being key, they seek to involve parents, students, and staff in decision-making.

The team's dedication and passion are palpable, with each leader serving as a role model to our students. Their guidance inspires students to become thoughtful leaders themselves, who go on to have a positive impact in the world.

Executive Team

Interim Principal: Roseanne Madden
Acting Deputy Principal: Nick Irwin
School Chaplain: Reverend Mark Davis
Head of School Operations: Roberta Lawrence
Business Manager: Carolyn Gray
Head of Senior School: Kelly Nebel
Head of Middle School: John Stewart
Acting Head of Primary School: Mark Pressley

School Council

The Council of St Mark’s Anglican Community School is a group of dedicated volunteers appointed by the Board of AngliSchools that utilise their professional and personal experience to assist the Principal in the governance of our School. The Council is a committee of AngliSchools and is responsible to them for the governance and stewardship of the school. The School operates within the budget approved by AngliSchools. St Mark’s was established to make an Anglican education accessible to all families by keeping fees as low as possible while maintaining strong opportunities for students.

Key responsibilities of the School Council include:

Conduct the school in accordance with the Christian faith taught by the Church
The recommendation of the Principal’s appointment
The appointment of the Deputy Principal and Business Manager
The development and monitoring of the School’s Strategic Plan
The campus Master Plan and maintenance of the school assets
Monitoring of Workplace / Occupational Health and Safety
Oversight of operations, including the Financial and Risk Management

The School's operational management is delegated to the Principal by the Council.

The Principal and Business Manager serve as ex officio members of the Council to whom they report to regularly. Members of the school executive also hold ex officio positions on the School Council committees.

These committees include:

Finance and Audit
Risk and Governance
Facilities and Sustainability
Peter Foss Scholarship

Chair: Franzl Shannon

Franzl has served on the Council of St Mark’s since 2001 and previously served as Deputy Chair before his appointment by the AngliSchools Board as Chair of Council in 2024. Whilst a member of the St Mark’s Council, he has been fortunate to work with all four of the School’s Principals and three Business Managers.

Franzl joined the St Mark’s community as a student in 1987 and has been an active member of the Old Scholars’ Association since graduating. He became a parent of St Mark’s in 2021 when his son started in the ELC.

Since graduating from St Mark’s, Franzl has worked in the construction industry, becoming a Registered Builder in 1999 and operating his own construction company from 2001 until 2023.

Franzl was asked to join the Board of AngliSchools in 2022, but resigned upon being appointed as the inaugural Director of Capital Projects for AngliSchools.

Deputy Chair: Yung Nguyen

Yung is a dual-qualified lawyer admitted to practice in both Australia and New York, bringing over 20 years of experience advising a broad range of individual and corporate clients.

Yung has been a proud member of the St Mark's community since 2015, with his two daughters currently in Years 8 and 11 at the School.

Having previously served on the St Mark's Anglican Community School Council, Yung rejoined the Council in 2024 and serves as Deputy Chair. He is also a member of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Treasurer: Eleanor Shakeshift

Council Member: Livia Hawker

Livia has been a member of the St Mark’s Anglican Community School Council for over three years and currently serves as Chair of the Facilities and Sustainability Committee.

With a professional background in building design, site supervision, and project management within the construction industry, Livia brings practical, real-world expertise to the planning and development of the school’s facilities. She also holds a degree in Education, providing a strong foundation for understanding the broader context of school decision-making.

Livia’s connection to St Mark’s spans decades. She is an Old Scholar, graduating in 1994, and a former parent, with 16 years as part of the school community and her youngest child graduating in 2024. During this time, she was actively involved in the Parents and Friends Association for approximately 12 years, including three years as President.

Having experienced the school as a student, parent, and volunteer, Livia brings a well-rounded perspective to her role on Council. She is passionate about the strength and continuity of the school community and contributing to its ongoing growth and success.

Council Member: Kathryn Roach

Council Member: Father Des Smit

Fr Des Smit is the Rector of Whitfords Anglican Community Church (the parish linked to St Marks ACS - hence the chapel is called the chapel of St Mark and St Luke), the Area Dean for Koolbardi Deanery, the Chaplain for the Perth Diocese Mother’s Union, a Disaster Relief Chaplain & Team leader, member of the Human Research Ethic Committees (HREC) for Perth Children’s Hospital and the West Australian Core (which now oversees Metro South and Metro North), a member and

past-president and past-chair of the Council of Churches for Western Australia, and a member of St Mark’s Anglican Community School Council for the last seven years.

Born and raised in South Africa, educated in South Africa (Theology) and the United States (Business Management); Fr Des came to Australia with his beautiful wife Delien (whom he has been married to for 45-years) in 2016, and they are now both Australian citizens. He has a daughter who lives on New Zealand's South Island with her husband, and they are the proud parents of three boys, including a

son who lives in Oregon, United States of America. His son and his wife have a son and daughter.

Before becoming a priest, Fr Des worked in Loss Prevention, the Military and private security. Fr Des is a huge Harry Potter fan, history nut and an avid reader and cook.

Ex Officio: Roseanne Madden

Ex Officio: Carolyn Gray

AngliSchools

AngliSchools oversees 16 Anglican Schools in Western Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales. These low-fee, co-educational schools provide exceptional teaching and learning within a caring, Christian environment. Each school has its own strengths and specialist programs, while sharing common values of faith, excellence, justice, respect, integrity, and diversity. AngliSchools serves as the headquarters, supporting existing schools and exploring new opportunities for low-fee Anglican schools in high-demand areas.

The Schools of the AngliSchools include: