Strategic Leadership Team

Jacqui Francis - Executive Director 

Under the stewardship of Executive Director Jacqui Francis, Townsville Catholic Education has responsibility for ensuring that each school is adequately and equitably resourced through the provision of centralised services. This acknowledges that our Diocese supports several small schools in rural and isolated areas, as well as schools that from time to time experience fluctuating enrolments.

The Executive Directorate includes the functions of Governance and Special Enterprise Projects, Finance and Marketing & Communications. 

Reporting to the Executive Director, Jacqui Francis, are three directorates to provide a system approach to funding and the establishment of a range of system positions to deliver school-based services. At the same time, the Catholic Education Office works toward creating an atmosphere of local autonomy and responsibility within each school community.

John Nuttall, Director - School Improvement Services

The School Improvement Services Directorate, led by John Nuttall will focus on the improvement of our schools’ management, facilities and infrastructure, through combining the Education Consultants, Facilities, Planning and Development, Information Technology Services, Maintenance, Accommodation, and Sustainability teams. The Directorate is accountable for:

• Providing overall accountability for the management of a significant capital budget and major maintenance.
• Ensuring schools and colleges in the Diocese of Townsville have the leadership, resources and specialist student services available to achieve quality outcomes for students.
• Informing long term and operational staffing requirements based on the school capital works and development programs
• Delivering growth to enrolment in schools and sustainability of Catholic education throughout the Diocese.
• Delivering an integrated program for school improvement initiatives.

Louise Vella Cox, Director - Mission and Learning

The Mission and Learning Directorate will focus on on educational outcomes for all students through combining Catholic Identity with Learning and Teaching, alongside First Nations Education, Inclusive Education, Information and Resources, Vocational Education, and Gumburu.

The Directorate is accountable for:

• Ensuring the integration of Catholicity, First Nations perspectives, and associated initiatives across Diocesan schools and colleges, and collaborative delivery of services across the other Directorates in Townsville Catholic Education.
• The collaborative development of strategy and policy to create an environment that provides for school improvement and best practice.
• Leading the development of the Religious Education curriculum and quality pedagogy through staff formation to drive improvement of teaching and learning outcomes and to enable evangelisation to occur.
• Liaising with First Nations communities to ensure cultural and learning needs are embedded in school environments.
• The development of curriculum and quality pedagogy to drive continual improvement of learning and teaching outcomes.
• Developing and analysing learning and teaching data to ensure strategic and operational support to schools and colleges having optimal impact on learning, and teaching for students and the communities we serve.
• Developing a school culture that promotes learning.
• The development of expert teaching teams and a sustainable curriculum.

Jennifer Blackshaw, Director - Workforce, Safety and Wellbeing

The Workforce, Safety and Wellbeing Directorate, led by Jennifer Blackshaw will integrate People and Safety, Student Protection, Student Wellbeing, and Pastoral Services, with a clear focus on supporting our staff and students and is accountable for:

• Leading and continuously improving organisational services (i.e. Human Resources Management, Student Safety and Wellbeing, Financial Management, and ITS Management).
• Contextualising these services to the operating environment.
• Ensuring TCEO has a culture that drives excellence in delivery of these organisational services.
• Ensuring these services contribute to achievement of TCEO outcomes.