About us

John is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Psychological Science at the University of Western Australia and in the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide.

Previously, he has been the Chair of APAC, Chair of the Heads of Departments and Schools of Psychology Association, and Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide. He has also held academic appointments at the University of Queensland and Edith Cowan University.

He conducts research in cognitive psychology, is a Fellow of the Psychonomic Society, and a member of the Association for Psychological Science, the International Association of Applied Psychology, the Cognitive Science Society, Society for Mathematical Psychology, and the Australasian Mathematical Psychology Society. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers and one book.

Roger is an Associate Professor in Psychology and also Director of the Psychology Clinic. He is also a registered psychologist, family therapist and a state approved infertility counsellor. Roger’s recent research has been about the psychological effects on men of their infertility.

He has other research interests in family formation and functioning including the use of surrogacy; men and masculinities; systemic counselling processes; and the dimensions of in-law relationships.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, past President of the Fertility Society of Australia and of the Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association and has had a long association with the administration of the APS College of Counselling Psychologists.

Robert Schweitzer PhD is Professor of Psychology in the School of Psychology and Counselling at Queensland University of Technology, where he established the training program in clinical psychology. Robert has authored numerous papers relating to psychological aspects of refugee mental health, has contributed to the development of innovative interventions for patients with serious mental health issues, and has published on phenomenology.

His contribution to the profession includes leadership roles on the Queensland Board of the Psychology Board of Australia. He continues to be involved in the profession as clinician, teacher and researcher.

Dual qualified as a clinical psychologist and researcher, with a focus on postgraduate training and the study of sleep as a risk factor for cognitive decline and poor mental health, Romola is Professor in Psychological Science, the University of Western Australia.

Since January 2021, she is the Director of the Raine Study, one of the largest prospective cohorts of pregnancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood in the world.

Mark is a recently retired Senior Finance Executive with expertise across a broad range of finance and commercial areas. He has extensive skills in accounting/finance, internal controls, strategy development, planning and systems development and implementation. Mark worked with Rio Tinto for over 30 years in various senior management roles, leading global finance teams. He is also currently a Board member of Solve Disability Solutions a NDIS registered organisation. At Solve he is also the Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Robert Fearnside recently retired from the position of Deputy Executive Director (Academic) of the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. He was formerly the Deputy Director of the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) in Australia with responsibility for registration of VET and higher education providers and the accreditation of qualifications in VET, higher education and senior secondary sectors.

Prior to working at the VRQA, Robert was the Director of the Victorian Qualifications Authority. Robert was also a Director in the Victorian Auditor General’s Office (VAGO) with responsibility for audits and reviews of TAFE Institutes and universities. Before joining VAGO he was an Assistant General Manager with the Victorian Department of Education with responsibility for the triennial review programme for Victorian government schools.

Alison Garton is Honorary Professor at Edith Cowan University where she was previously Professor of Psychology. Before that, Alison was Executive Director of the APS after having been the inaugural Director of Training and Standards. This involved the finalisation of a new consolidated set of accreditation guidelines and the establishment of the five-yearly site visit cycle. Alison was an assessor for APAC and its predecessors from 2003 to 2017.

Alison has worked in academia, policy and management, has authored one textbook, three monographs and three edited books, along with over 100 refereed articles, chapters and reports. She has supervised countless research students and has received awards for her supervision.

Alison is a senior sessional member of the WA State Administrative Tribunal in the human rights and vocational regulation streams.

Professor John Gleeson is Head of Discipline (Psychology) and Director of The Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre at the Australian Catholic University.

He is a member of the Clinical College of the Australian Psychological Society and an occasional panel member, via a ministerial appointment, of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Professor Gleeson is a registered psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency with an area of practice endorsement in clinical psychology. He is an approved clinical supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia.

After attaining his Masters in Clinical Psychology from La Trobe University in 1991, he has practised in public and private mental health settings. Professor Gleeson obtained his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2001 and his research encompasses digital innovations for mental health.

A Registered Psychologist with Endorsement in Clinical Psychology, Jillian works in private practice and is a long-standing employer and board-approved supervisor of psychologists, across the career span. Jillian’s areas of clinical interest include perinatal and infant mental health, developmental trauma and neglect, traumatic brain injury, emergency services and veteran mental health.

An experienced Company Director and Graduate of the AICD, Jillian has held corporate and clinical governance roles in primary care, including as a Director of a Primary Health Network. In 2018 Jillian was appointed to the Medicare Review Taskforce’s Mental Health Reference Group and continues to consult with government and other stakeholders in the mental health and primary care sector. Jillian is currently the national health policy Chair of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists.

Professor Mary Katsikitis is the Dean People and Resources for the College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work at Flinders University, South Australia. Mary has worked for many years in academia, primarily at the University of Adelaide and the University of the Sunshine Coast. She also spent several years as the inaugural Manager of Science and Education at the Australian Psychological Society in Melbourne.

Mary is a previous member of both the Board and the Accreditation Assessment Committee (AAC) for the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council. With a background in psychology, Mary is also endorsed in clinical and health psychology. Her research interests and funding received focus on improving the mental health of adults and promoting well-being in the community.

Michael joined APAC as CEO in September 2017. He is passionate about building strong stakeholder relationships and identifying opportunities to continually improve processes and services.

Prior to joining the team at APAC, he was the Director of Accreditation at the Australian Dental Council. He has also worked as the Director of Regulation and Review at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, the Federal Government’s Higher Education Regulator, the British Psychological Society, in international leadership development and as a management consultant.

Outside of work Michael spends most of his time trying to keep up with his two young daughters, playing soccer (despite being far too old), hacking around the occasional golf course and planning his next ill-advised attempt at Tough Mudder.

Michelle has a diverse background in education, communications and regulation.

A qualified teacher with a PhD in German and Comparative Literature, she has worked as a higher education consultant in regulation and quality, an assessment and case manager at TEQSA, a media spokesperson and communications manager for the Victorian Ombudsman, a broadcaster with SBS, and a lecturer at RMIT University and Swinburne University.

In her spare time, Michelle enjoys fine dining and great bottles of wine, or simply curling up with her cat and streaming top-quality entertainment.

Stephanie joined APAC in May 2020 as our Senior Accreditation Officer and was promoted to Assistant Accreditation Manager in October 2022. From facilitating and coordinating assessments, through to looking at ways to improve the quality and efficiency of APAC’s accreditation activities, Stephanie brings a wealth of experience from the education sector to her role here at APAC.

Stephanie’s previous experience includes leadership positions at higher education providers in the areas of student experience, administration, welfare and operations. With a focus on the improvement of student engagement and satisfaction scores, Stephanie achieved great results and contributed significantly towards the improvement of student support services.

Stephanie is adaptable and compassionate, committed and values integrity and responsibility. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys painting, keeping fit through boxing, travelling, hiking and photography.

Olga joined APAC in December 2022 as our Senior Accreditation Officer. Olga completed legal, pedagogical and economics higher education study courses in Australia and overseas.

Before joining APAC Olga was providing a high level of administrative support at the nation’s largest not-for-profit health, aged care and education services providers. She also worked for immigration services firms specialising in student, family, humanitarian and professional migration visa services.

Olga’s work background and legal training has given her a strong eye for detail and a customer-focused empathetic approach to her work.

Olga enjoys travelling both locally and internationally and loves her Tonkinese cat Chai. When time permits, she loves to do dance classes, take long walks and is a regular at the gym.

Christine joined APAC in August 2022. Her previous roles within health have included working for The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. She has also worked for the Melbourne City Mission and the Brotherhood of St Laurence in administration.

She has also held project management roles with Star Health and the Department of Family and Fairness.

Outside of work, Christine enjoys travelling, reading, gardening, trying different cuisines (given we are spoilt for choice in Melbourne!) and spending time with family and friends.

Alana started at APAC as our Accreditation Administrator after working at the Australian Dental Council for five years. As the Assessments Coordinator, Alana’s duties were to manage the initial stage of the assessment process for candidates seeking registration as a dentist in Australia.

Alana previously enjoyed roles within education, working at Evocca College and Tintern Schools in administration. Alana holds a Diploma in Business Administration and enjoys progressing her skills in this field, particularly around communication.

Outside of work, Alana loves spending time with her family, watching sport, particularly AFL (Go Saints) and the NBL – thankfully Melbourne United make ups for her ‘not so successful’ football team.

Annette joined APAC in January 2017 as the Office Manager, she has extensive experience in providing executive support across many industries and brings that knowledge to her role.

Annette’s position encompasses a number of different areas within the organisation. Not only is she responsible for all aspects relating to the APAC office functionality which includes processing of office accounts and payroll, but she also provides assistance to the CEO and the Board of Directors. Annette has completed her Certificate IV in HR and has taken on the role of HR Representative at APAC also.

Annette enjoys amateur furniture restoration and socialising with friends and family.

David is an experienced communications specialist with a career grounded in newspaper journalism. As a senior communicator, roles have involved writing and editing, developing and diversifying a dynamic social media presence, and web publishing.

Before joining APAC in 2021, David held senior communications roles at RMIT University, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, and the Australian Skills Quality Authority.

David enjoys relating to diverse audiences across genders, cultures and ages, while leading innovation in communications and influencing stakeholders.

He is a gold member of Melbourne Victory football club, aims for 10,000+ steps a day and is looking forward to travelling once again post-lockdown.

Kavitha is responsible for the coordination of database management, data integrity and analysis and production of statistical reports to support our business.

Kavitha also supports a range of business-wide quality improvement projects. She is customer-centric, focused, professional and has a growth mindset which enables her to make positive contributions to our team and her career. Kavitha likes to sketch and enjoys trying new recipes. She’s a huge cricket fan.