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The current MAC Board is made up of chairperson, secretary and treasurer. Two more board positions are currently being considered.
Board members provide an appropriate mix of skills to provide the necessary breadth and depth of knowledge and experience to meet the Board’s responsibilities and objectives. The Board also aims for a composition which will appropriately represent the interests of the various groups contained within the organisation’s common connection.
The MAC board is responsible for a number of issues.
Advocacy: The board is the primary link between the in MAC members, the IMC and the broader community. It represents members’ interests to the broader community and filters the diverse stakeholder views back into the group.
This is done in two ways;
Advocating to the community - carrying the MAC’s message to the community with the goal of building public awareness and reaching new and broader audiences.
and
Advocating for the community - carrying the voice of the community to the members.
Strategic planning: enables the board to plan and document what they are doing, and for whom and why they are doing it. This is a key Board responsibility.
Board meetings: the board will meet as per the Constitution. The board is committed to making good, legal and ethical decisions that are to the benefit of the MAC.
Evaluating effectiveness; the board will regularly evaluate itself to ensure it remains representative, responsive and effective to its members. This will be carried out informally in addition to the annual board retreat prior to the annual conference.
Overseeing paid staff is also a board responsibility. The board is responsible for appointing the best or most appropriate person for the job.
Fund raising; the board ensures that the MAC has adequate resources to achieve its program objectives.
Legal and financial accountability: the board is responsible for ensuring the MAC meets its legal requirements and remains accountable to donors, sponsors and other stakeholders.
Legal responsibilities:
The Duty to Act with Care and Diligence and the Duty of Good Faith and adhering to other relevant laws
Introducing the MAC Board.
MAC Board roles and responsibilities.
The MAC board plays a number of roles. It provides direction and leadership, formulates policies and procedures, manages finances, provides services, consults, communicates, networks and advocates both to the Montessori community and for the Montessori community.
The board makeup considers the capacities and backgrounds of its executive in order to give a broad and diverse foundation to the Council. Each board member has a firm belief in the Montessori philosophy and the roles of the MAC, has strategic capabilities and a track record of achievement, has the ability to be independent and capable of lateral thinking, satisfies the Conflict of Interest Policy, has people skills, a network of contacts, have and are prepared to give time to the MAC and are honest and have integrity.
Board members are aware of and take seriously their legal and fiduciary responsibilities.
The current board believes passionately in the need to provide the Montessori community with an independent, non- partisan organization. The board is committed to implementing our vision: that is, “to make Montessori education available to everyone”.
The Directors
The Chair – Eva Nislev.
The Chair serves as the board's figurehead and acts as a link between the board and staff, its members and the IMC. The Chair is responsible for taking a leading role in keeping the vision alive, setting the organisations course and monitoring its direction, and for ensuring that proper procedures are in place.
Eva Nislev’s 30 year teaching career has included working with children from 2 ½ years to adults in their 70s, in various capacities including state, private and special education schools, TAFE, Montessori Early Childhood, Dept of Sport and Recreation and Dept of Aboriginal Affairs. Eva is a workshop presenter, tutor and senior lecturer for MWEI and Montessori consultant to ACCCO. She has also presented at seminars and conferences nationally. Eva started and ran “Inside Outside Montessori Children’s House” for ten years. IOMCH was one of the first long day care centres offering a full day Montessori programme.
Eva has experience working part-time as a validator of child-care centres in Australia. She runs her own consultancy company Montessori Links with Early Childhood as her speciality. Eva’s credentials include M.Ed (early childhood) Dip.Teach: Dip. Montessori Ed., 3-6 & 6-9: Dip. Children’s Services.
Eva is passionate about Montessori education and the need to facilitate communication, knowledge and skills acquisition, networking, mentoring and life long learning.
The Secretary – Carol Brands.
The Secretary’s role includes ensuring meeting agendas and minutes are prepared and distributed, ensuring all the legal requirements of incorporation are carried out, assisting in the organisation of board meetings. notifying the authorities of any changes in the official affairs of the MAC's financial position, record keeping, providing an annual statement, assisting with the publications and their distribution.
Carol Brands has spent most of her life as an educator of one sort or another! Determined to be a teacher from the age of three, she trained in WA, graduating as a primary teacher in 1970. She taught in a variety of schools and continued to study gaining her BA in English and History and later her Honours in Film and Television.
In 1978 she left schools to work as a Producer /Director of Educational Radio and TV with the ABC and later moved to Curtin University where she was Head of Film and Television for a number of years. During this time she commenced her Masters in Art and Design but abandoned it in 1998 to return to her first love, teaching children. She worked as a teaching Principal at Treetops Montessori School for ten years during which time she took Treetops from a small primary school to a primary and secondary school with 160 students. She also led the school in it‘s successful application to become only the second Montessori school in Australia to be registered for the International Baccalaureate for Year 11 and 12 students.
In April 2008 Carol began her own business as a writer, education consultant and speaker. She has been active in the Montessori community in Perth for many years and she remains committed to spreading the word about the benefits of Montessori Education.
The Treasurer - Sheryl Ridout.
The Treasurer's role is to monitor the group's financial processes and keep abreast of the reporting obligations. She is also responsible for liaising with independent auditors in the production of financial statements, and ensuring the board is informed of and understands the group's financial situation and performance.
Sheryl Ridout began her teaching career in 1976 as a Pre-Primary teacher in mainstream education. A move to England saw her as Deputy-Officer-in-Charge of a children’s home near Birmingham. Her introduction to Montessori education came in 1981 through a visit to a Montessori school attended by the daughter of a friend. Since then she has been involved in Montessori at many levels including playgroup coordinator, assistant, director 3-6, director 6-9, LOTE teacher, council member, Co-Principal and Principal. Currently Sheryl is a workshop presenter for MWEI. Both her daughters attended a Montessori School from age 3 to 12.
Sheryl is committed to ensuring that Montessori professionals and families are supported in a positive manner.
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