Principals in Residence
Aaron Wolaniuk, Leadership Excellence Division
Aaron joined the Academy in July 2024, working as part of the Pathway to Principalship and VAPA teams. Before he joined the Academy, Aaron spent the last 4 years working in the South Western Victoria Region in several roles focused on school improvement including DSSI Leadership Partners Executive Principal, Acting Senior Education Improvement Leader, Acting Executive Director School Performance and Senior School Improvement Practice Lead. Throughout his career Aaron has worked in a range of early childhood, primary and secondary school settings, as a kindergarten director, and school leader and teacher, including 6 years as principal at Keilor Primary School. Aaron lives in Eynesbury with his wife and 2 children.
Adam Hogan, Leadership Excellence Division
Adam is passionate about leadership development, education, and supporting communities to grow and thrive. Adam began his career studying chemical engineering and science at the University of Melbourne, followed by a Graduate Diploma of Education at Monash University. Adam has served with Victoria Police, where he was Dux of the Police Academy and later awarded the Angela Taylor medal. Adam has worked as a teacher, principal and education executive, with a strong track record of achieving outcomes and transforming schools. Adam completed his Master of Education (Leadership) with first class honours, and was awarded Dux of his Master of Business Administration (MBA). Adam currently lives in Gippsland, is substantive principal of Lowanna College, an Executive Director of the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund, and in his spare time enjoys sport, music, photography and family time.
Amy Porter, Leadership Excellence Division
Amy joins the Academy from her role as the substantive principal at Sandringham College, bringing extensive experience in leadership across various school settings, including multi-campus, regional, and selective entry environments. She is passionate about improving student outcomes through empowering leaders and teachers to engage with and use, evidence-based best practice. Her mantra, ‘work smarter, not harder’, reflects her commitment to creating the optimal learning environment for students whilst caring about the wellbeing and growth of teachers and leaders. In her free time, Amy enjoys walking her dogs along the beautiful beaches of Melbourne’s Bayside area.
Catherine Devine, Teaching Excellence Program
Catherine is a passionate English teacher and has held numerous senior leadership positions in secondary schools in Melbourne, regional Victoria and remote Western Australia. More recently, Catherine completed a PhD in transformational dialogue, and was a system level leader designing professional learning for teachers and advising school leaders towards school improvement. She is excited to work at the Academy as a Principal in Residence to support quality teaching and learning. Outside of work Catherine enjoys reading, live theatre and music, and watching the Western Bulldogs win.
Kerren Diamond, Leadership Excellence Division
Kerren is an educational leader and coach, passionate about ensuring all young people receive a high-quality education. She is a substantive assistant principal at Northcote High School, responsible for teaching and learning, and the middle school. Kerren has been a senior leader in the non-for-profit sector, she designed the vision for Teach for Australia’s Mentor Development Program and recently supported Social Ventures Australia to launch a collaborative network of early learning leaders. She holds a Master of School Leadership and has completed research in PLCs. Outside of work, Kerren loves geeking out on sci-fi TV and spending time with her family.
Kirrily George, Leadership Excellence Division
Prior to moving into a role as Principal in Residence at the Academy, Kirrily spent 2 years in the North Eastern Victoria Region office as a Professional Learning Community regional manager, and prior to that, 6 years as principal at Camelot Rise Primary School. Kirrily feels incredibly fortunate to work at the Academy and looks forward every day to engaging with and supporting fellow principals and aspirant leaders. Such work enables her to engage her passion for effective educational leadership. Outside of work, Kirrily loves spending time with family, including her dog Oregon, and creating pottery.
Penelope Ellis, Leadership Excellence Division
Penny’s substantive role is principal of Magpie Primary School, which is located just out of Ballarat. She has previously worked in secondary and specialist schools, and also in the Central Highlands regional office as an Education Improvement Leader and Professional Learning Community manager. Penny is looking forward to supporting the development and roll out of the train-the-trainer programs and supporting the leadership development of fellow colleagues throughout Victoria. Outside of work, Penny enjoys spending time with her 1-year-old daughter, playing netball and sewing.
Phillip Coloca, Leadership Excellence Division
Phillip joined the Academy in 2024 as a Principal in Residence in the Leadership Excellence Division. Prior to joining the Academy Phillip worked as a teacher and a leader across both the primary and secondary sectors, as well as within DE regional leadership. Most recently, he was the founding principal of Eynesbury Primary School which opened in 2021. Phillip also has experience as a campus principal at Copperfield College and as a student achievement manager in the South Western Victoria Region. Passionate about high quality teaching and learning that is evidence-informed, Phillip is a firm believer in the power of instructional leadership to positively impact young people and their outcomes. When not at work, his time is dedicated to his family which includes 2 wonderful children and an active chocolate-brown labrador.
Sharon Baker, Teaching Excellence Program
Sharon joined the Academy in April 2024 as a Principal in Residence in the Teaching Excellence Division. Sharon is passionate about developing strengths in others and in providing high quality professional learning for the teachers of Victoria. Sharon has spent the past 6 years in the South Western Victoria Region, her substantive role is principal at Inverleigh Primary School. Sharon has also spent time in the USA, teaching and leading in the beautiful state of Colorado where she was a district leader in curriculum and instruction, and an assistant principal. In Sharon’s spare time she enjoys reading, cooking and playing pickleball!
Simon O’Brien, Teaching Excellence Program
Simon has been a dedicated educator in primary schools over the past 20 years. He brings a wealth of experience in school leadership, coaching and mentoring. Simon is excited to be a Principal in Residence in the Teaching Excellence Division, working alongside the finest educators in the state. Simon has been a Principal in the Barwon region for over 7 years, most recently as the Principal at Torquay P-6 College for just under 18 months. Over the past 4 years he has been a member of his Network Executive Team. He has led the renewal of communities of practice in his network, improvement projects in numeracy, and a partnership program with the Quaglia Institute focused on improving student voice and aspirations in a diverse range of schools in the Geelong region. Outside of work, Simon is dad to 3 amazing children and loves spending time outdoors.
Terrance Keilar, Leadership Excellence Division
Terry joined the Academy in April this year. Terry has 25 years’ experience in education, predominantly in a primary school setting. Terry was an assistant principal for 5 years, and principal of Ararat West PS for 11 years, during which time he was on the Network Executive Team, a Network Chair and a first year Principal Mentor. With a passion for education, Terry enjoys working with middle leaders and building their capacity through development of their capabilities and disposition in relation to themselves, others and their teams. In his personal time, Terry enjoys holidaying with family, mountain bike riding and watching his favourite footy team, Collingwood. Living in the Grampians, he is heavily invested in community and volunteers his time on local committees and events.
