AHISA’s 2019 Biennial Conference, held in Perth at the beginning of October, was a chance for AHISA members to officially welcome the Rev. Chris Ivey as AHISA’s National Chair. The appointment is for two years and follows the Chairmanship of Dr Mark Merry, Principal of Yarra Valley Grammar School in Victoria.
The Rev. Chris Ivey is Principal of St Andrew’s Anglican College in Peregian Springs, Queensland, a Prep to Year 12 co-educational day school with 1300 students. He commenced as Principal at St Andrew’s in 2007.
The Rev. Ivey has been a member of AHISA’s Board since 2015, as elected Chair of the AHISA Qld Branch. He has been AHISA’s national treasurer since 2016. He has also contributed to AHISA’s shadowing program for aspiring principals and mentoring program for new Heads.
The Rev. Ivey has also contributed more broadly to the development of educational leadership in Australia as a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) and as a member of the Australian College of Educators (ACE).
In his address to AHISA’s Biennial Conference, the Rev. Ivey highlighted the value of diversity in the independent schools sector – and therefore the value of diversity in AHISA’s membership. He also emphasised the importance of autonomy in maintaining the rich diversity of Australian schooling and in sustaining the power of schools to respond to the needs of their communities.
‘A priority for AHISA over the 2019-21 biennium will be to continue to protect and preserve the autonomy that is a prerequisite to lead our schools,’ said the Rev. Ivey. ‘It is our autonomy that enables us to respond to the unique contexts of our schools, and give timely release to the immense innovative capacity of our schools.’
