Leadership & Governance

School Executive Team

The School Executive Team is responsible for managing the School’s regular business and operations.

Susan Just, Principal

Susan Just, Principal

Beginning her teaching career in government schools in Queensland, Susan Just went on to gain extensive teaching and leadership experience in the independent school sector in Australia; she has been the Principal of three independent girls’ schools in Queensland and Canberra. Degrees Susan holds include a BA (UQ), Dip ED (UQ), M.Ed Admin (UNE) and Advanced Management Course (Harvard). Susan’s areas of interest in curriculum and teacher development have led to her participation in a number of peak educational bodies, committees and task forces. She is currently a representative for Asia-Pacific on the IB Heads Council and was awarded a Fellowship with Australian Council for Educational Leaders (VIC) in 2021. Susan is a member of the Australian Heads of Independent Schools Association and is on the Board of Trustees for the Invergowrie Foundation. Her interest in STEM education for girls has seen the establishment of the School's digital fabrication lab at Lauriston and the implementation of STEM-based activities from the early primary years, which are designed to positively influence students in developing confidence and skills.

Nat Fanariotis

Nat Fanariotis, Deputy Principal - Wellbeing

Nat joined Lauriston at the beginning of 2024. As a passionate, dynamic, and values-driven professional, she specialises in educational leadership and the effective implementation of evidence-informed approaches to enhance schoolwide wellbeing. Nat holds a Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary)/ Bachelor of Health Sciences (Deakin University). With 15 years of experience in education, Nat has dedicated her career and further study to the wellbeing field. She has held various senior leadership positions in government and independent schools, including her most recent role as Head of Wellbeing at Caulfield Grammar School. Prior to her time at Caulfield, Nat held the position of Implementation Lead at Beyond Blue, contributing to the success of the national mental health in education initiative, Be You. In her role as Deputy Principal - Wellbeing, she will undertake strategic and operational responsibilities, focusing on building wellbeing literacy among students, staff, and families; enabling high-quality proactive and responsive pastoral care for all students; strengthening partnerships between home, school, and the community; and integrating wellbeing into the learning experience and environment.

Chris Toms

Chris Toms, Vice Principal & Head of Junior School

Chris Toms is an experienced educator and has taught at Lauriston for over ten years; in that time he has held the positions of Year 4-6 Classroom Teacher, Director of Learning and now Head of Junior School. Chris has played a crucial role in leading and managing the Junior School teachers in the development of curriculum, assessment practices and reporting from Kindergarten to Year 6. He has developed initiatives aligned with current educational research and practice and collaborated with the School’s Executive on the implementation and evaluation of the Strategic Plan. Prior to Lauriston, Chris worked for Kilvington Grammar School and held positions including Team Leader for Years 3-6. He holds a Master of Education from Monash University, where he focused on Leadership, Management and Information Technology. He also holds a Bachelor of Education from Deakin University and a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Melbourne.

Dr Alison Manson​

Dr Alison Manson, Vice Principal - Head of Campus

Alison joined Lauriston in 2022. Her role is to lead the Howqua management team in decision making and operational matters for Howqua. She is also responsible for collaboratively developing the curriculum, for leading, engaging, inspiring and supporting all Howqua staff, and working closely with the entire Howqua community. Alison has a Bachelor of Human Movement and Master of Education from the University of Tasmania and a Doctor of Philosophy in the area of Mathematics. Since 2015, she has held the roles of Head of House, Wellbeing Coordinator and Outdoor Education Coordinator at Fahan School in Hobart, Tasmania. In addition to attending to the wellbeing needs of the girls in her House, Alison had responsibility for the Outdoor Education program from Years 3 to 12 including the Year 9 Lumina experiential learning program and the Outdoor Leadership courses for Years 11 and 12. Alison is also a teacher of Mathematics and has taught at The Friends School in this capacity. Between 2010 and 2014, Alison also held the position of Boarding House Manager at The Friends School where she and her family lived and worked with the boarding students and staff.

Lindy Grahn

Lindy Grahn, Assistant Principal - Learning and Innovation

Lindy Grahn has extensive experience in education and has held positions of leadership in both independent and international schools. Most recently, Lindy was appointed Coordinator of Curriculum and Teaching at our Howqua campus before taking on the role of Assistant Principal – Learning and Innovation at the Armadale campus. Lindy has extensive expertise in curriculum development – she has been involved in writing VCE and IB Mathematics courses and is currently an examiner for IB Mathematics. Lindy has also been a teacher of IB and VCE Mathematics courses for many years. As a leader in pedagogy, Lindy has always endeavoured to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM-related fields. She has been successful in managing change and leading her teams to the best educational outcomes. Lindy considers it a privilege to lead and teach at Lauriston and to be involved in helping each student achieve her potential. She is inspired by the Lauriston Mission and believes that our young women are given the skills and confidence to go out and shape their world. Lindy holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Psychology), a Bachelor of Arts (English and Swedish) and a Diploma in Education from The University of Melbourne. She has also completed a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from Monash University.

Kate Hehir

Kate Hehir, Assistant Principal - Junior School (Curriculum and Learning)

Kate Hehir is a passionate Junior School educator with over 25 years’ experience in teaching, both in Australia and in the United Kingdom. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Bachelor of Education (Deakin University) and a Masters in School Leadership (Monash University).  Kate is passionate about working with other educators to enhance and embed innovative curriculum, assessment and reporting practices aligned with current best practice. She is excited by the opportunities the Lauriston Fabrication Lab allows for technology to be integrated authentically into the curriculum and is dedicated to designing learning experiences that encourage girls to be courageous, creative, imaginative, curious and resilient. Kate has been a leader of Lauriston’s Cultures of Thinking group, improving teaching and learning using instructional rounds and employing visible thinking routines across the School. She was awarded Lauriston’s Sun Bursary to participate in the Project Zero Classroom Summer Institute 2017 at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to further her studies on Cultures of Thinking. A member of the School’s Executive, Kate is dedicated to the successful implementation of the Strategic Plan.

Catherine Tan

Catherine Tan, Business Manager

Cathy is a Chartered Accountant with a background in business services and tax. She initially worked in small and second-tier accounting firms before moving away from the accounting field to become Group Financial Controller of a leading patent and trademark attorney firm. Prior to her commencement at Lauriston, Cathy completed her Master of Business Administration.

Nick Thornton

Nick Thornton, Director of the Lauriston Institute

Nick Thornton has a wealth of experience working in the education and leadership sectors; before he started with Lauriston, Nick had worked as the CEO of a leadership training organisation, a Regional Director and Principal in the government education service and General Manager of disability services for SCOPE. Nick is also an experienced teacher, beginning his teaching career in Portland, and has taught Accounting, Legal Studies and Economics in several secondary schools as well as lecturing in Accounting at Deakin University. The Lauriston Institute is responsible for the ongoing professional learning of teaching staff and teacher assistants. Working from the ethos that the quality of teaching has a direct effect on educational outcomes for students, Nick works to ensure that the ongoing professional learning of staff at Lauriston is of the highest level.

Susan Just

Principal

Susan Just has been working as an educator for over 20 years. Beginning her teaching career in government schools in Queensland, Susan went on to gain extensive teaching and leadership experience in the independent school sector in Australia; she has been the Principal of three independent girls’ schools in Queensland and Canberra. 

Degrees Susan holds include a BA (UQ), Dip ED (UQ), M.Ed Admin (UNE) and Advanced Management Course (Harvard).  
Susan’s areas of interest in curriculum and teacher development have led to her participation in a number of peak educational bodies, committees and task forces. She is currently a representative for Asia-Pacific on the IB Heads Council and was awarded a Fellowship with Australian Council for Educational Leaders (VIC) in 2021. 

Susan is a member of the Australian Heads of Independent Schools Association and is on the Board of Trustees for the Invergowrie Foundation. Her interest in STEM education for girls has seen the establishment of the School’s digital fabrication lab at Lauriston and the implementation of STEM-based activities from the early primary years, which are designed to positively influence students in developing confidence and skills. 

Susan is a passionate supporter of resilience and wellbeing programs for girls and, to complement her own reading, she has completed training courses in Positive Education with Professor Martin Seligman and Dr Karen Reivich from Penn University and Associate Professor Lea Waters from the University of Melbourne, as well as Mindfulness training with Dr Craig Hassed from the University of Melbourne. 

In her spare time, Susan enjoys walking and cycling. She also thoroughly enjoys reading; currently, she is hooked on the Donna Leon detective novels involving Commissioner of the Venetian Police, Guido Brunetti, as the main character. 

Nat Fanariotis

Deputy Principal - Wellbeing

Nat joined Lauriston at the beginning of 2024. As a passionate, dynamic, and values-driven professional, she specialises in educational leadership and the effective implementation of evidence-informed approaches to enhance schoolwide wellbeing. 

Nat holds a Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary)/ Bachelor of Health Sciences (Deakin University). 

With 15 years of experience in education, Nat has dedicated her career and further study to the wellbeing field. She has held various senior leadership positions in government and independent schools, including her most recent role as Head of Wellbeing at Caulfield Grammar School. Prior to her time at Caulfield, Nat held the position of Implementation Lead at Beyond Blue, contributing to the success of the national mental health in education initiative, Be You.

Nat is committed to establishing systems, practices, and capabilities in school communities to protect, promote, and respond to student wellbeing. In her role as Deputy Principal – Wellbeing, she will undertake strategic and operational responsibilities, focusing on building wellbeing literacy among students, staff, and families; enabling high-quality proactive and responsive pastoral care for all students; strengthening partnerships between home, school, and the community; and integrating wellbeing into the learning experience and environment.

Passionate about equipping every student with the tools needed to feel good, function well, engage optimistically in learning, build meaningful relationships, and navigate life’s inevitable challenges, Nat is dedicated to creating a positive impact on the Lauriston community.

Chris Toms

Vice Principal, Head of Junior School

Chris Toms is an experienced educator and has taught at Lauriston for over ten years; in that time he has held the positions of Year 4-6 Classroom Teacher, Director of Learning and now Head of Junior School. Chris has played a crucial role in leading and managing the Junior School teachers in the development of curriculum, assessment practices and reporting from Kindergarten to Year 6. He has developed initiatives aligned with current educational research and practice and collaborated with the School’s Executive on the implementation and evaluation of the Strategic Plan. 

Prior to Lauriston, Chris worked for Kilvington Grammar School and held positions including Team Leader for Years 3-6. He holds a Master of Education from Monash University, where he focused on Leadership, Management and Information Technology. He also holds a Bachelor of Education from Deakin University and a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Melbourne. 

Chris is a parent to two young children and also enjoys playing tennis and golf in his spare time. 

Dr Alison Manson

Vice Principal - Head of Campus

Alison joined Lauriston in 2022. Her role is to lead the Howqua management team in decision making and operational matters for Howqua. She is also responsible for collaboratively developing the curriculum, for leading, engaging, inspiring and supporting all Howqua staff, and working closely with the entire Howqua community. 

Alison has a Bachelor of Human Movement and Master of Education from the University of Tasmania and a Doctor of Philosophy in the area of Mathematics.  

 Since 2015, she has held the roles of Head of House, Wellbeing Coordinator and Outdoor Education Coordinator at Fahan School in Hobart, Tasmania. In addition to attending to the wellbeing needs of the girls in her House, Alison had responsibility for the Outdoor Education program from Years 3 to 12 including the Year 9 Lumina experiential learning program and the Outdoor Leadership courses for Years 11 and 12. Alison is also a teacher of Mathematics and has taught at The Friends School in this capacity. Between 2010 and 2014, Alison also held the position of Boarding House Manager at The Friends School where she and her family lived and worked with the boarding students and staff.

Lindy Grahn

Assistant Principal
Learning and Innovation

Lindy Grahn has extensive experience in education and has held positions of leadership in both independent and international schools. Over the course of her career, she has held curriculum and pastoral leadership roles, including VCE Coordinator at Fintona Girls’ School, Senior School Mathematics Coordinator at MLC and Head of Year at the Australian International School in Singapore. Most recently, Lindy was appointed Coordinator of Curriculum and Teaching at our Howqua campus before taking on the role of Assistant Principal – Learning and Innovation at the Armadale campus. 

Lindy has extensive expertise in curriculum development – she has been involved in writing VCE and IB Mathematics courses and is currently an examiner for IB Mathematics. Lindy has also been a teacher of IB and VCE Mathematics courses for many years. As a leader in pedagogy, Lindy has always endeavoured to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM-related fields. She has been successful in managing change and leading her teams to the best educational outcomes. Lindy considers it a privilege to lead and teach at Lauriston and to be involved in helping each student achieve her potential. She is inspired by the Lauriston Mission and believes that our young women are given the skills and confidence to go out and shape their world. 

Lindy holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Psychology), a Bachelor of Arts (English and Swedish) and a Diploma in Education from The University of Melbourne. She has also completed a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from Monash University.

Kate Hehir

Assistant Principal – Junior School (Curriculum and Learning)

Kate Hehir is a passionate Junior School educator with over 25 years’ experience in teaching, both in Australia and in the United Kingdom. She has taught at Lauriston for over 10 years and has held the positions of Year 3, 4 and 6 Classroom Teacher, Reporting Coordinator, Director of Curriculum and, most recently, Assistant Principal – Junior School (Curriculum and Learning). Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Bachelor of Education (Deakin University) and a Masters in School Leadership (Monash University). 

Kate is passionate about working with other educators to enhance and embed innovative curriculum, assessment and reporting practices aligned with current best practice. She is excited by the opportunities the Lauriston Fabrication Lab allows for technology to be integrated authentically into the curriculum and is dedicated to designing learning experiences that encourage girls to be courageous, creative, imaginative, curious and resilient. Kate has been a leader of Lauriston’s Cultures of Thinking group, improving teaching and learning using instructional rounds and employing visible thinking routines across the School. She was awarded Lauriston’s Sun Bursary to participate in the Project Zero Classroom Summer Institute 2017 at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to further her studies on Cultures of Thinking. A member of the School’s Executive, Kate is dedicated to the successful implementation of the Strategic Plan.

Catherine Tan

Business Manager

Cathy is a Chartered Accountant with a background in business services and tax. She initially worked in small and second-tier accounting firms before moving away from the accounting field to become Group Financial Controller of a leading patent and trademark attorney firm. Prior to her commencement at Lauriston, Cathy completed her Master of Business Administration.

Nick Thornton

Director of the Lauriston Institute

Nick Thornton has a wealth of experience working in the education and leadership sectors; before he started with Lauriston, Nick had worked as the CEO of a leadership training organisation, a Regional Director and Principal in the government education service and General Manager of disability services for SCOPE. Nick is also an experienced teacher, beginning his teaching career in Portland, and has taught Accounting, Legal Studies and Economics in several secondary schools as well as lecturing in Accounting at Deakin University. 

The Lauriston Institute is responsible for the ongoing professional learning of teaching staff and teacher assistants. Working from the ethos that the quality of teaching has a direct effect on educational outcomes for students, Nick works to ensure that the ongoing professional learning of staff at Lauriston is of the highest level.

Download our latest annual report and strategic plan

School Council

Lauriston Girls’ School is administered by a Council, comprised mostly of parents, former School parents, or Old Lauristonians. The role of the School Council is to oversee and maintain the long-term viability of the School as a provider of primary and secondary education of the very highest standard. 

Learn more about the results of the School and the work of the Council in the Annual Report and Strategic Plan.

Claudette Leeming

Chair - OL (1991)

Elise Gillespie

Chair, The Lauriston Foundation Inc. - OL (1996)

Melissa Dixon

OL (1985)

Gill Dvir

Kathy Ge

OL (2005)

Rachel Irons

OL (1989)

Louise Kanis

Victoria Moffat

OL (2002)

Robert O’Brien

Mark Schubert

Susan Just

Principal

Catherine Tan

Claudette Leeming

Chair - OL (1991)

BAIntDes RMIT, GAICD

Elise Gillespie

Chair, The Lauriston Foundation Inc. - OL (1996)

BComm (Melb), GAICD

Melissa Dixon

OL (1985)

BComm (Melb), CA, GAICD

Gill Dvir

B. Eng (Monash)

Kathy Ge

OL (2005)

LLB (Hons)

Rachel Irons

OL (1989)

LLB, BA (Monash), Dip Interior Design (RMIT)

Louise Kanis

Cert Superannuation Mgmt

Victoria Moffat

OL (2002)

BA Bus (Events)

Mark Schubert

ChemEng (Hons), MFin (Lon)

Robert O'Brien

Assoc Prof, EdD, MEd, BA, BTeach, MAICD, CHSE

Susan Just

Principal

BA, Dip Ed (QLD), MEd (Admin) (UNE)

Catherine Tan

Business Manager / School Council

BEc (Monash), MBA (Hons) (Swinburne), Grad Cert Gov Prac. Dip Project Mgt, CA