Introducing the HALT Association NSW Board - 2025
Emma Mansfield
President // Public Relations
Emma is currently the Director, Strategy and Projects at the NSW Department of Education and proudly accredited at Lead Teacher. Since achieving her accreditation, Emma has held a number of school and system leadership positions where she demonstrates her unwavering commitment to ensuring high quality teaching across all schools in NSW. Emma has played a key role in the establishment of the HALT Association NSW and is returning to support the HALT Association NSW in her role as President. She continues to promote the work of HALTs through her continued advocacy and celebration of teaching expertise across NSW.
Jacqui Hood
Vice President // Professional Learning
Jacqui is currently the Professional Experience Advisor for the NSW
Department of Education and is proudly accredited as a Lead
Teacher. Prior to this role, she served as a PDHPE teacher at
Denison College of Secondary Education, where she held various
leadership positions in the school and network. As a returning
board member and lifelong learner, Jacqui is passionate about
ensuring that every teacher is known, valued, and cared for. She
believes every interaction matters and strives to create
connections that empower individuals, enabling them to thrive
both inside and outside the classroom.
Andrew Cornwall
Secretary // Publications & Newsletters
Andrew is currently the Coordinator of the HALT Talent Pipeline at the NSW Department of Education. He has held several roles in schools across sectors and is accredited as a Highly Accomplished teacher. Andrew is passionate about the importance of teachers working together to build their capacity in and outside the classroom. He has been a strong advocate of HALT accreditation and is excited to rejoin the board and continue to celebrate and advocate for teacher voice and agency.
Josh Harnwell
Treasurer // Partnerships
Joshua Harnwell is Director of Teaching and Learning (P-12) at Arden Anglican School. He leads professional learning for the school, oversees accreditation of staff, as well as teaching and learning. Engaging in developing teacher practice through in a variety of roles in previous schools led to national AITSL certification as a HALT, being accredited as a Lead Teacher 2014. Since that time, he has encouraged teachers in their accreditation at all levels, to reflect on their practice and seek to develop into expert teachers by using the standard descriptors and implementing evidence-based teaching practices. Joshua was involved in the early formation of the NSW HALT Association and is excited to continue to promote HALT accreditation as a Board Member.
Abby Saleh
Board Member // Communications
Abby is currently an EAL/D Education Leader at the NSW Department of Education (working across schools in the Metropolitan South Directorate) and Sessional Academic at Western Sydney University (teaching Bachelor of Education and Master of Teaching courses). An accredited Highly Accomplished teacher with a passion for building teacher capacity, Abby is a strong advocate for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and their teachers. She actively encourages every teacher to get their expertise recognised through HALT accreditation and is currently completing a Master of Educational Leadership because she strongly believes that ‘Who dares teach, must never cease to learn!’ (John Dana)
Vicki Sheehan
Board Member // Professional Learning
Vicki is currently Dean of Staff at Meriden, an independent school for girls in Strathfield. She has been there for 16 years, before that, teaching in many schools in the Catholic system and in Canada. She obtained her Highly Accomplished Accreditation in 2014 and considers it one of the most transformative and practical ways to improve teaching and further your career. She also holds a Masters in Educational Leadership and is a NESA HALT assessor. Her current role involves supporting teachers through various levels of accreditation and mentoring early career teachers. She is passionate about helping teachers to be the best they can in a career that is the best job around.
Nerina Bridges
Board Member // Partnerships
Nerina is currently an Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction at Samuel Terry Public School. She is passionate about building teacher expertise through evidence-based practices including explicit teaching and mastery learning. Accredited as an Highly Accomplished Teacher since 2021, Nerina is an advocate for HALT accreditation. She became an external assessor with NESA in 2023 and currently mentors aspirant HALTs across two networks in Western Sydney.
As a newly appointed board member, Nerina is excited and honoured to continue promoting HALT accreditation and the positive impact that HALTs provide to NSW schools, teachers and students.
As a newly appointed board member, Nerina is excited and honoured to continue promoting HALT accreditation and the positive impact that HALTs provide to NSW schools, teachers and students.
Kerrie Quee
Board Member // HALT Conference & Event planning
Kerrie has been a primary school teacher for 40 years and is currently working as EAL/D Education Leader for the Department of Education in the Regional South Operational Directorate. She is a sessional academic working for Western Sydney University. Kerrie teaches in the Master of Teaching and is a Professional Experience advisor.
Kerrie is accredited as an Highly Accomplished teacher. She has been a NESA HALT assessor for 7 years and mentors aspiring HALTs.
Kerrie is passionate about building leadership capacity through mentoring and coaching and working with pre-service/early career teachers to build research informed pedagogical knowledge to improve classroom practice.
As a newly elected board member, Kerrie is excited to support and promote the work of HALTs in NSW.
Kerrie is accredited as an Highly Accomplished teacher. She has been a NESA HALT assessor for 7 years and mentors aspiring HALTs.
Kerrie is passionate about building leadership capacity through mentoring and coaching and working with pre-service/early career teachers to build research informed pedagogical knowledge to improve classroom practice.
As a newly elected board member, Kerrie is excited to support and promote the work of HALTs in NSW.
Melinda Haskett
PTC Member
Melinda’s career in public education spans 25 years, starting as a high school Social Science teacher in South West Sydney and achieving High Accomplished Teacher accreditation in 2015. She is currently a Director in the NSW Department of Education and outside of her role represents the profession on a number of national HALT panels and advisory groups. Melinda is a member of the PTC Board and this year was awarded a NSW Teachers Guild Honorary Fellowship. Melinda is a strong advocate for the recognition of HALTs and the role they can play in building the status of the teaching profession and improving teaching quality.
Sub-Committee Leadership and Members
Sub-Committees |
Board Members |
Members |
|
Partnerships |
Nerina Bridges |
Emma Mansfield Josh Harnwell |
|
Professional Learning |
Vicki Sheehan Jacqui Hood |
|
|
Communications |
Abby Saleh |
Stefanie Thom Andrew Cornwall Denise Robens Scott Fisk Joshua Bowman |
|
HALT Conference and Event planning |
Kerrie Quee |
Amber Fuller Kuldip Khehra |