Glen Education is an incorporated association governed by a board of directors as required under the Rules of the Association.
Board members are accountable to the Department of Education (DE) and are responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation, risk management and overall governance. Glen Education’s board consists of representatives that are skills-based professionals, with an interest in the local community and early childhood sector.
Katie Frazer
Chair And Non-Executive Director
She enjoys working in roles that focus on ensuring the best retirement outcomes for members. Katie is currently the Chair for the Women in Super (WIS) Victorian committee and a director of the national WIS Board. She holds formal qualifications in superannuation management and financial planning. Katie is passionate about supporting and growing organisations that are focussed on high quality and affordable early years education. As such she has previously been the President and Approved Provider for a local community based child care centre, as well as the President of Glen Education Glover Street Kindergarten.
Maxine Jacona
Company Secretary and Non-Executive Director
A proven leader with a range of corporate skills, Maxine demonstrates a key ability to provide both strategic guidance and thinking to improve performance and create sustainable value. These abilities translate across both corporate and community organisations with ease.
Maxine has volunteered on management committees of community-based organisations, including a local kindergarten as well as sporting and educational groups. She has also mentored refugees and vulnerable students one-on-one through work placements to assist them to develop vocational, employability and industry skills whilst also improving personal and social skills.
Believing that organisations can and should take responsibility to help create a positive and transformational experience, Maxine enjoys connecting with people to build a vibrant and inclusive community.
Krithika Hansen
Non-Executive Director
Within Australia, her career has spanned within iconic Australia businesses both globally and nationally in HR & Change Management roles and she is now the Director of People Experience at Pitcher Partners.
She understands the pressures of fast paced, high performance work environments and is known for the strong, yet warm and empathetic approach she takes to her work, holding her stakeholders to account for the impact they seek to achieve. A proven leader and strong communicator, Krithika is adept at positioning risks and opportunities for influence and change with senior stakeholders, including boards, senior executives and partners. She brings a commercial acumen to everything that she does, with a focus on strategic, long term outcomes.
Krithika holds formal qualifications in strategy, planning and leadership. She is currently a board member at the Victorian Housing Foundation – an organisation that supports victims of domestic violence with housing and the Pitcher Partners Charitable Foundation – supporting low income students with university scholarships to achieve their business degrees.
Krithika joined the Glen Education board in November 2020 and is passionate about quality and inclusive Early Childhood Education and supporting the board and management team to achieve its goals of a sustainable future for Glen Education. She lives within Glen Eira council and is married with three young children. She enjoys her daily exercise with her two Labradors, reading, and the arts.
Francesca Bianco
Non-Executive Director
She brings a wealth of commercial, financial management and marketing experience, drawing on a combination of technical, operational and strategic expertise to provide business advice to inform decision making and business planning.
Francesca enjoys working with teams, developing, inspiring and motivating teams towards a common goal of value creation.
Francesca joined the Glen Education board in November 2019 and is committed to contributing to the ongoing development and growth of Glen Education and its vision to be the leading provider of innovative, professional Early Years Education.
Dirk Gierlach
Non-Executive Director
Dirk has a passion for Early Childhood Education as a father of four children and has been involved in community organisations for many years. He is a multi-talented musician with interests in travel, food, sports and the arts.
Dirk has been a member of the Board of Glen Education since November 2019. He is a member of the Finance Committee. He brings an “outside in” client perspective to the Board and is dedicated to helping the Glen Education board and management team to further improve the organisation towards a sustainable and successful future.
Amanda Sapolu
Non-Executive Director
A practicing solicitor, she has served as in-house counsel for several local governments in Queensland and Victoria working across a range of different areas of law, as well as within private practice. She has also worked extensively within the governance and compliance space of local government, developing good governance frameworks, policies and procedures.
In addition to this, Amanda has worked in the tertiary space as a sessional lecturer with the University of Southern Queensland for several years as well as in the secondary sector as a legal and business studies high school teacher. Although she no longer works in the education space, it left an indelible impact on her and her perspective.
This experience, coupled with her lifelong personal pursuit of further education and learning and development, has made Amanda passionate about the role and value of good quality education. Outside of her work within local government, Amanda lives with her husband and two girls (both of whom attended child care) an elderly mother and two spoiled dogs.
Emma Sakellaris
Non-Executive Director
Her career has included senior executive positions in banking, trustee companies, mutual societies and for-purpose organisations – entities built on trust, where she worked with clients and their families to protect established legacies, across generations. She commenced her career as an English Literature teacher, prior to transitioning to the corporate sector. She has now established her own business, providing concierge and private consulting services for individuals seeking lifestyle assistance.
Emma has a strong passion for impact philanthropy and the critical importance of high quality and accessible early years education. Her expertise is supported by Masters-level qualifications across business, law and philanthropy.
Emma joined the Glen Education board in February 2025 and is highly committed to contributing to the ongoing development and strategic growth of Glen Education.
Stephen Byrnes
Non-Executive Director
With a strong track record of guiding organisations through complex legislative landscapes, Stephen is committed to fostering sustainable growth, sound financial stewardship, and a culture of integrity. In addition to his role at Glen Education, he serves on the Service and Enterprise Risk Advisory Committee for Windermere Child & Family Services and is the Director of Risk & Compliance at Haileybury. Stephen brings his expertise in risk-based decision-making and strategic planning to help drive Glen Education’s mission to provide inclusive, high-quality early childhood education that supports children, families, and communities.
