Governance

BISHOP CAM VENABLES – CHAIR

Bishop Cam Venables was born just outside Belfast in Northern Ireland.  After studying anthropology, drama, and theology he was Ordained priest and worked in Papua New Guinea as a Diocesan Youth Coordinator.  In Australia, Bishop Cam was the foundation Chaplain at St Luke’s Anglican School in Bundaberg (1994-95), the Anglican Chaplain at Southern Cross University – Lismore Campus (2000-2003), and Chaplain to the Rockhampton Grammar School (2010-14).  In governance, Cam has served in the leadership teams of three Dioceses, three community refugee settlement committees, and two Anglicare Boards.  Passionate about Christian faith, education, governance, social justice, and most forms of music, Cam is delighted to serve The Glennie School Community as Chair of Council.

MRS EMMA LOWRY (EX OFFICIO) – PRINCIPAL

Mrs Emma Lowry is the Principal of The Glennie School. With more than 20 years’ experience in independent girls education, Mrs Lowry is known for her strategic insight, commitment to student wellbeing, and ability to lead with both heart and intellect. In addition to holding a Master of Leadership and Management in Education, Mrs Lowry is a published author and speaker. Above all, Mrs Lowry is dedicated to empowering young women to become confident, capable, and compassionate leaders who are equipped to thrive in a complex world.

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MS JADE GARDINER – MEMBER

Jade was born and raised in Toowoomba and is a Glennie Old Girl, graduating in 1996.  Jade studied a Bachelor of Commerce at USQ from 1997 – 1999 and began her accounting career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Brisbane in 2000. Since then, Jade has spent many years “climbing the corporate ladder” in large global organisations, including PwC, Minter Ellison and Worley.

For the last 15 years, Jade has held a number of global executive roles within Worley, including  Finance Director for the company’s Australian operations and Delivery Lead for the establishment of the company’s first shared service centre in Kuala Lumpur.  Notably, Jade led the finance team responsible for merging two global companies, following the $4.5B acquisition of Jacobs ECR by WorleyParsons in 2019. This meant integration of hundreds of systems and 57,600 employees across 51 countries. Jade now heads up the Finance Transformation Office for the company and leads a high performing team located across the world.  Jade leads with uncompromising integrity, authenticity and more than a little bit of humour to bring the best out of her teams.

Her global roles enabled Jade and her family to relocate from Brisbane, back to Toowoomba. Jade believes her upbringing in Toowoomba and living here now, keeps her grounded when engaging with corporate execs across the world. Remaining driven by excellence whilst raising her two beautiful daughters, both current Glennie girls, is a challenging and often tiring journey. Jade has learned being in balance must include belting out a piece on the piano (often in between meetings each day), booking a family holiday or spending time with her friends, many of whom are Glennie Old Girls.

Jade is a true believer that women, with the right amount of self-belief, can achieve anything they set their mind to!

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MR JOHN GREGG – MEMBER

John has over 26 years’ experience in Education commencing as Business Manager at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School in 1997 before moving into a consulting role at William Buck Education.  John joined the Diocese in 2005 as a Financial Analyst at Anglican Financial Services (ANFIN) where he was responsible for monitoring the financial performance of Diocesan owned and controlled schools.  John moved on to become Manager at ANFIN before joining the Anglican Schools Commission in 2017 as Manager of System Finance.  During his time with the Diocese john has worked closely with the finance teams at Anglican schools assisting them in financial management and strategic forecasting.

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MRS JODIE GUNDERS – MEMBER

Jodie is a journalist and learning facilitator, with a passion for good governance and integrity in leadership. Jodie was the executive producer of the Queensland Country Hour, Australia’s longest running radio program and Lead, ABC Rural Queensland for seven years. Jodie now works in facilitation, reporter training and development, and manages the long running and highly regarded ABC News cadetship program. Jodie’s professional experience also includes marketing and project management roles at UniSQ, communications consulting and research. A lover of lifelong learning, Jodie holds a Master of Learning & Development, Graduate Certificate in Business (Leadership and D&I), Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) and a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism & History). She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a registered teacher. Jodie and her husband Peter are the parents of two teenagers, born and raised in Toowoomba.

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MRS JESSICA JONES – MEMBER

Jessica joined The Glennie School Council in 2022 and is a proud Glennie old girl and Glennie mum. After her time at Glennie, Mrs Jones undertook study at Bond University, where she completed a double degree, namely, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of International Relations (Business).

With experience in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Mrs Jones was first
called to the bar in February 2012 and shortly thereafter became a Crown Prosecutor for the Qld, receiving her permanent commission at the age 23. Mrs Jones now practices as a barrister based at the private bar in Toowoomba.

In addition to her extensive legal experience, Mrs Jones has worked on various boards and committees, including; the committee for the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland, and a member of the Qld Bar Association Regional Issues Committee.

Mrs Jones is an Adjunct Professor with the University of Southern Queensland, School of Law and Justice.

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MR DAVID KNOTT – MEMBER

David Knott has extensive knowledge of, and experience in, wealth management and investment banking, through a number of senior roles at Byron Capital (Financial Planning), and Ord Minnett (Stockbroking). David has considerable executive management and board experience, having spent the past 5 years on the Byron Capital board. This has provided David with experience in financial markets, funds management, financial management, risk management, regulatory reporting and governance.

MR MARK NORMAN – MEMBER

Mark joined The Glennie School Council in November 2015.

He and his wife Liz have three children. Both of their daughters are Glennie Old Girls. Mark attended The Southport School as a boarder for his secondary education.

After 13 years in the cotton industry, Mark and his family relocated to Toowoomba from the Goondiwindi district in 2003 to open an appliance retail franchise, Mr Rental and have been awarded Best Australian Store in the Mr Rental franchise network on four occasions.

In 1995 Mark was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study rotation crops for cotton in the US and was also a Shire Councillor of the Waggamba Shire Council from 1996 to 1998. He is a member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Toowoomba and has been awarded for his service to the community and Rotary as a Paul Harris Fellow.

Mark was a Director of The Glennie School Foundation Limited for 10 years and, with Liz, is recognised at the level of Benefactor.

Additional Sub-committee Members

MR DAVID HUNT
CO-OPTED MEMBER – RISK AND COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE

Currently retired from full-time employment, David has enjoyed a career working to implement asset management plans and strategies to improve business results.  David has a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from UNSW, and a Master of Business Administration (Technology Management) from Deakin University.

With experience primarily in the mining industry, the organisation’s safety, reliability of plant, financial consistency, and compliance measures are of high priority to David.