Open Colleges is built on team engagement, passion and diversity and our people are focused on a commitment to improving the standard of education opportunities available to adult learners in Australia, no matter who or where they are.
The culture of Open Colleges is founded on over a century of commitment to high standards, accessibility, affordability and real engagement between students, trainers, support staff and management, as well as dedicated faculty direction.
Our people are here because they have all been students at some time, and are now top professionals in their field, committed to providing you with the best student and stakeholder experience possible.
Education Leadership Team
Anthony Böhm
Joint CEO
Anthony has extensive experience in the private education sector having worked in senior executive positions in Australia and the UK.
Anthony is currently the Joint-CEO of Open Colleges and in this role leads the design, development and delivery of Open Colleges Australia’s courses as well as the provision of student and learner support services.
Prior to this, Anthony was co-founder and CEO Operations for Think: Education Group - one of Australia's leading providers of campus-based education and training. Anthony also held senior executive positions with Kaplan Inc. (New York, London and Sydney) and IDP Education Australia (Sydney). Anthony has a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) with Merit and is co-author of a number of seminal research publications in the area of international education.
Anthony was a member of the NSW Vocational Education & Training Accreditation Board (VETAB) and has previously been a member of the NSW State Committee of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET). He was also a member of the NSW Tertiary Pathways Review Committee of the NSW Department of Education & Communities.
Simon Hitchick
General Manager, Education and Training
Simon’s leadership role is accountable for the quality of the learning experience at Open Colleges. Previously, Simon provided specialist consultation services to Registered Training Organisations drawing on his extensive VET sector experience.
With over ten years’ experience in the VET sector, Simon started his career as a workplace trainer/assessor and progressed to senior management positions in several private RTOs including St John Ambulance Australia.
Simon has also facilitated professional development programs for industry bodies including the Australian Council for Private Education and Training and VELG Training, as the General Manager of Australia’s National Audit and Registration Agency.
During his four years with TVET Australia, Simon played a key role in the development of NARA’s regulatory approach and represented the organisation on a range of policy issues, national projects and reviews.
Paula Irvine
Head of Faculty Business, Management and Services
Head of Faculty, Finance and Accounting (Acting)
Paula has more than 20 years' experience in the vocational education and training sector and is a passionate advocate of online learning in Business, Finance & Accounting.
Prior to joining the Open Colleges team, Paula was General Manager of Real Estate Education at Kaplan Professional and the Education Manager for the Australian Property Institute of NSW. Paula has a Bachelor of Arts (Adult Education) and postgraduate qualifications in management.
Karin Rule
Head of Faculty, Health and Wellness
Karin is the Head of Faculty Health and Wellness which covers the areas of health, nursing, alternative natural therapies, beauty and fitness. She is responsible for leading and managing teams of trainers/assessors who have a variety of qualifications as well as industry and vocational currency and experience.
Karin has extensive qualifications including a Masters of Business Administration, Bachelor of Social Science, Graduate Diploma of Vocation Education and Training and Enrolled Nursing.
Having worked in the health and community services sector for over twenty years Karin then moved into adult education with the desire to share her experience and expertise with others. With over a 10 years’ experience in vocation education and training, Karin has held a variety of positions with community education centres, private registered training organisations and public education providers, working at both a state and national level.
Karin is very passionate and enthusiastic about supporting and encouraging students through their learning experiences and producing graduates who are competent and job ready.
Pam Newell
Head of Faculty, Community Services
Pam has worked in senior management roles for over 20 years and specifically in the learning and development sector since 2003. Pam has particular expertise in the qualifications from the Community Services and Health Training Packages. Pam was previously the General Manager of Selmar Institute and prior to this the General Manager of the Australian Institute for Workplace Learning.
Pam has the Advanced Diploma of Community Services Work and Advanced Diploma of Business Management together with qualifications in training and assessment.
Andrew Barnum
Head of Faculty, Creative Industry
Andrew has over 25 years’ experience as a Designer, Educator and Artist specialising in the areas of music, painting and poetics. He is passionately dedicated to social-connection, content creation and constructive adaptation to 21c conditions.
Andrew’s mission is to educate commerce, industry and students through an expressive and productive conversation that acknowledges the value of a creative, cultural economy. Prior to commencing at Open Colleges, Andrew was Head of College at Billy Blue College of Design. He holds an Associate Diploma in Graphic Art from RMIT and Master of Arts (Research) from UTS.
Kim Wright
General Manager, Student Services & Systems
Kim leads the Faculty Support Divisions, which includes the Student Support, Registrar, Course Development & Improvement and Quality & Continuous Improvement divisions.
Kim has extensive experience and broad-ranging expertise in the education and training sector - particularly in quality service delivery, change management, business systems, project management and business process engineering. Prior to joining Open Colleges, Kim held senior management positions with Think: Education Group and IDP Education.
Katina Kalergis
Director of Partnership Development
Katina is the Director of Partnership Development and has more than 15 years experience in the vocational and education training sector. Katina is responsible for establishing high value partnerships with corporations, sector specialists, universities, professional peak bodies and recruitment agencies that provide students with benefits associated with courses studied at Open Colleges. Katina is also responsible for supporting the growth and sustainability of existing partnerships and representing Open Colleges in corporate and education communities.
Katina was the Education Manager for Thomson Education Direct (a predecessor of Open Colleges) and was responsible for the development, implementation and delivery of an extensive portfolio of accredited and non accredited courses. After leaving Thomson, Katina joined the Australian Institute of Professional Education as Academic Director. Katina has a Master in Professional Education and Training (specializing in Online Learning), Bachelor degree in Education, Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment and a qualification in Music.
Nancy Davis
Manager, Quality & Continuous Improvement
Nancy oversees quality and continuous improvement across Open Colleges, drawing on her background as an education and training professional with more than 12 years' experience.
Nancy has extensive experience in conducting internal audits and establishing quality systems and processes, having previously worked as Director of Compliance with the Australian Institute of Workplace Learning (AIWL). Nancy has strong experience in leading project teams that are working on significant VET projects; including developing training programs in a variety of business, education, commercial and learning environments.
Nancy has a Certificate IV in Workplace Training & Assessment, a Bachelor of Management, an Associate Diploma of Applied Science, a Diploma of Business Administration and an Associate Diploma in Horticulture.
Sheldon Kerr
Head of Online Learning
Sheldon is responsible for the online learning team and for the strategic development of Open Colleges’ virtual learning platforms to promote highly engaging experiences for online students.
Prior to joining Open Colleges, Sheldon was the Development Manager for SEEK Education in Sydney, as well as the Head of OS Development for Enovation Solutions in UK/Ireland. Sheldon brings his extensive experience in web application infrastructure, architecture and strategic planning to his role as Head of Online Learning.
Michael Allara
General Manager, Course Development
Michael is responsible for leading a team of course development professionals to create new cutting-edge courses and to ensure that Open Colleges’ current courses reflect the latest industry trends and developments.
Prior to joining Open Colleges, Michael has spent over 10 years working in digital information, content, and publishing industries with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Ninemsn, and the Dymocks group of companies. He has also built up extensive experience as a consultant helping organisations with consumer-focused digital production and product development. Michael has a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Information Systems and Marketing.
View members of our Advisory Board
