Anne Tonkin
Anne has over 40 years’ experience in the education sector in Victoria and the Northern Territory, working as a teacher in diverse settings in rural and metropolitan Victoria, over 16 years leading change and improving outcomes as a school principal, including five years leading a large urban primary school and preschool in Darwin, NT. In her most recent role, Anne worked at the Executive level of the Victorian Department of Education and Training, sharing her knowledge and experience to lead central office teams in developing and implementing programs and supporting architecture to build teacher and school capacity for improving student outcomes.
Anne is passionate about enabling school leaders to enact their leadership for the greatest impact on student and staff learning and wellbeing. This includes understanding and leveraging opportunities to work in partnership with school families and communities. She brings her extensive knowledge and experience in school leadership, including a doctoral study in Victorian schools on ‘Leading Innovative and Successful Schools’ and is inspired by the possibilities of creating coaching cultures to better support the work of school leaders and teachers, especially in these challenging times.
Anne is highly regarded for her coaching and mentoring approach with teams and aspirant leaders in her workplaces, many of these professional connections continuing beyond this time. She has been acknowledged for her executive leadership with both State (Victorian) and National ACEL Fellowships for Outstanding School Leadership. Anne has presented on school leadership in the Victorian, NT and national contexts, leading and facilitating conferences and presentations at state, national and international (China) levels. She regularly presents to University of Melbourne Master of Education students.