About us

In October 2021, Mayor Rhys Williams was elected by the Mandurah community for a second term, receiving 85% of the community vote. In his role as Mayor, Rhys has made a strong commitment to economic diversification, community wellbeing and addressing youth unemployment. 

Prior to this role, Rhys ran a successful youth development charity which he founded when he was 17, and worked on projects in more than 100 communities across Australia and abroad. In 2015, Rhys received the Young West Australian of the Year award in recognition of this work. 

Rhys is a board director of the South Metropolitan TAFE and the Peel Development Commission, and is a former Chairman of the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and several non-profit organisations. He is currently completing a Masters in Development Studies at Murdoch University. 

Deborah Hamblin is the Mayor of the City of Rockingham. Her career has focused on education, working for Murdoch University from 1978 to 2016.  She has promoted the importance of Education in the Region while on Council and has focussed on its value in building a resilient community.

Deb is passionate about the City of Rockingham and was elected in May 2005 as a Councillor, contributing in the role as Deputy Mayor for eight years and was elected by the community as Mayor in 2021.

She value adds to her community as a Board member of Rockingham Senior High School and Warnbro Community College. Mayor Hamblin has been a member of a variety of management boards and is a valuable contributor to SM TAFEs Governing Council. 

In her Council role she has been a Commissioner on the WA Grants Commission, the Vice Chair of the Library Board of Western Australia, a Deputy State Councillor and a member of the Joint Development Assessment Panel.

She is a proud patron of Rockingham Regional Arts and a number of other organisations.

She holds a Bachelor degree from Murdoch University and a post graduate qualification from Curtin University.

Julian Coyne brings entrepreneurship, engineering and technology together. After graduating with honours in Computer & Mathematical Science in 2002 Julian founded his first company Unified - which has since delivered successful technology solutions to major clients including Toyota, Rio Tinto, INPEX, IBM, Microsoft, Landgate, Lotterywest, UWA and State & Federal Government agencies throughout Australia. Julian has since launched several other successful companies and initiatives, and has been invited to Oxford University, Silicon Valley and Singapore to present and work on the future of technology, industry, academia & government. 

Julian presently serves as WA Chairman for the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) - Australia's peak body for the technology industry. The AIIA represents global organisations including Apple, Amazon, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Optus, Telstra, Deloitte, EY, KPMG & PwC through to local SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups. In 2006 Julian was selected for the Commonwealth Government's inaugural ICT Industry Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, hosted at Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) in partnership AusIndustry and AIIA. Julian is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), a Senior Certified Professional with the Australia Computer Society (ACS), a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the Commonwealth Club of California. 

In addition to serving on the Governing Council of South Metropolitan TAFE, Julian serves as Chairman of the Autism Academy of Software Quality Assurance (AASQA) and Chairman of the Advisory Board for the State Government’s Regional New Industries Fund. 

Brian was born and raised in Bowral, NSW, from where he joined the Royal Australian Navy, graduating from the Naval College with a Diploma of Applied Science. He also holds a Master of Business Administration.

Brian specialised in information Technology, responsible for managing warship communications and data exchange networks. He has lived and worked in Australia, Malaysia, and the United States, and was seconded to the US military in Florida with responsibility for designing US communications and collaborative networks. In 2011 he led a team of US engineers to Afghanistan fielding the new network linking the regional commands with combat outposts, for which he was awarded the United States Joint Service Commendation.

Brian has been Director General of Navy Communications and Information Warfare, highlighted by his establishment of the Australian Navy Cyber Directorate and Deputy Mission Commander for Pacific Partnership, a US Navy deployment providing medical and humanitarian assistance to regional communities. He returned as the Commanding Officer of the HMAS Stirling Navy base.

Brian has transitioned to the Naval Reserve and lives in Rockingham with his wife Robin, a native of Washington DC, and their three children.

Paola Chivers is a Health Researcher and Biostatistician, working privately for DATaR Consulting.  She holds Adjunct positions with The University of Notre Dame Australia and Edith Cowan University.  Paola is the co-lead and Chair of the Western Australian Bone Research Collaboration and is on the statistical editorial board of the international journal Clinical Oral Implants Research. 

Paola has over 25 years’ experience as a teacher, academic and trainer in health and disability fields.  Over her career she has worked for not-for-profits, government, and private organisations, and taught at primary, secondary, TAFE and university levels.  Previously Paola served three terms on the Willetton Senior High School Board, the last two terms as Vice-Chair and Chair respectively and sat on both the Finance and Partnerships Committees.  Paola has also been a member of the WA Country Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee and Notre Dame’s school research committee.

Paola has a long history of philanthropic work within the disability and education sectors including governance and committee representation.  Paola continues to be an active partner in the CSIRO STEM Professionals in Schools program and is providing her expertise to the Australian Red Cross in Research and Strategy and is on assignment with the Australian Volunteers International.

Paola holds a BSc (Hons) from UWA, Graduate Diploma in Further Education and Training from USQ, and a PhD from Notre Dame. 

Erica is an experienced Chair, non-executive director, and executive. In addition to being both a member of the Governing Council of South Metropolitan TAFE and the Chair of the SMTAFE Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee, Erica holds non-executive Chair roles at Uniting WA, MNG Survey and AusVet, is a member of the CPA Australia WA Divisional Council, and Founder and Director of Navigating Innovation, her own advisory business.

Throughout her career Erica has honed skills in strategy, innovation, transformational change and the connection of profit and purpose. Erica has worked for RAC WA, Wesfarmers Energy (Wesfarmers Limited) and Argyle Diamonds (Rio Tinto Limited).

Erica has been a Certified Practising Accountant for over 20 years and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Stedman Ellis is an experienced leader, director and adviser with more than 20 plus years’ experience in senior roles in commercial, government, industry association, research and cultural sectors. With an extensive career in Australia and internationally in the mining and energy sectors, he has more recently worked across renewables (particularly battery industries), research and creative industries.

He developed key partnerships with SM TAFE as the inaugural CEO of Australia’s Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre and prior to that as COO for the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (now Australian Energy Producers). He previously held senior external affairs roles with BHP in Australia, Papua New Guina and the United States, and worked within government including as a deputy director general within the WA public service.

Stedman is excited by the opportunities for the State’s training system to contribute to the transition to a sustainable energy system and to the growth of the creative economy for the benefit of all Western Australians. He is currently a non-executive director of FORM, an independent non-profit cultural organisation with offices in Perth and the Pilbara, and projects across the State. Prior board appointments included the Australian Gas Industry Trust, the Minerals Research Institute of WA, and the Central Institute of Technology (now North Metropolitan TAFE) governing council.

Stedman holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of WA and a graduate diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Michelle Sidebottom’s professional experience has seen her design, develop, and implement local to major State-wide business and workforce developmental projects with the private sector, non-profits, registered training organisations, peak industry associations, and local, State and Federal Government agencies. She is the Director of Breakaway Tourism Pty Ltd, Breakaway Parks Pty Ltd, and Avocet Island Pty Ltd, and is a graduate of Harvard University’s ‘Harvard Kennedy School – Leading Economic Growth Executive Program’.

Key areas of her work include facility management of hospitality and tourism properties; project management; Aboriginal business and tourism development services; and consultancy in the sectors of tourism, hospitality, accommodation, recreation, business, and workforce development. Additional roles held include Deputy Chair of the Peel Development Commission, and Deputy Chair of Coolibah Care Inc.

 Michelle has worked extensively across Australia, Japan and Malaysia and is a former Board Member of Visit Mandurah; Judge for the Australian and WA Tourism Awards, Australian Hotels Association (WA) Awards, and Clubs WA Awards for Excellence; Project Manager of FutureNow Creative & Leisure Industries Training Council; and an Industry Advisory Group member of various public and private Registered Training Organisations in Western Australia.

Ashah Tanoa is a Pinjareb/Whadjuk Noongar woman from Perth, Western Australia. Ashah is a dedicated advocate for First Nations people, with a commitment to ensuring cultural preservation, and empowerment. As the Manager of the Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre at Murdoch University, Ashah is deeply committed to supporting Indigenous students in their educational journeys. Prior to becoming manager, Ashah was an associate lecturer, teaching First Nations students in the K-Track enabling program. Ashah also provided academic and cultural support to other disciplines throughout Murdoch. Her passion for empowering Indigenous communities led her to pursue a Master of Education by Research, focusing on Indigenous student retention and the factors influencing their decisions to leave university within the first year.

In 2021, Ashah received the 2021 Vice Chancellor's award for Excellence in Enhancing Learning for her effort in supporting First Nations students through the Covid-19 pandemic. Further, her expertise in the field has been recognised on a global platform, with her acceptance to present at the 2022 Higher Education Research Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) conference in Melbourne. Her presentation highlighted an evaluation of support strategies implemented to teach the hidden curriculum to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, showcasing her innovative approach to education. In 2022, Ashah was awarded the Western Australian Institute for Educational Research Fogarty Postgraduate Award for her research contribution to Indigenous participation and engagement at university.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ashah finds joy in her family life, cherishing moments with her husband, Ben, and their two young daughters, Aisla, and Willow.

Carol was appointed to the South Metropolitan Tafe Governing Council in July 2024 and brings to the Council a long and distinguished professional career in the local government sector, as well as strong legal, governance and strategic planning experience.

By way of brief background, Carol stood down as Mayor at the City of Kwinana prior to the elections held October 2023 after serving 27 years as a councillor, seventeen of those years as the City’s longest serving Mayor.

Carol holds a Bachelor of Laws (Murdoch University 1997), is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2009), the recipient of the WA Local Government Associations “Local Government Medal” (2024), and in November 2023 was awarded the inaugural “Freedom of the City” by Kwinana Council.  In 2019, she was the recipient of an Order of Australian Medal (General Division), in 2014 she was awarded Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellow Award, and in 2011 was the recipient of WA Local Government Association’s Long and Loyal Service Award.

Carol is the current vice chairperson of the Western Australian Turf Club (Perth Racing), and her past board and committee experiences range from infrastructure, local government and Aboriginal advisory committees.

Carol has a strong focus on the economic development of the South Metropolitan Region of Perth and the education and employment opportunities for its residents.  Carol will place a strong community and stakeholder engagement lens over the council’s strategic direction and decision making.