Meet our Staff

Phil O’Loughlin

Phil O’Loughlin

Chief Executive

Phil joined SASSLA in 2018 after a successful career as the Executive Director, Human Resources, in the Department for Education. Phil has a lengthy career in Executive positions in the public sector and brings a wealth of knowledge with respect to human resources management, industrial relations, and employment related policy. Phil has guided SASSLA through the complex process of providing legal certainty as to its future registration as an organisation and extended and improved SASSLA’s service offering to members. Phil has been instrumental in bringing the big issues facing school and preschool leaders including pay, workload, and attraction and retention into the foreground, and making them priority issues for action. Phil welcomes contact from members on any matter that they need assistance with. Phil and the team at SASSLA pride themselves in providing members with responsive and tailored services that are most relevant to their needs.

Mardi Barry

Mardi Barry

Associate

Mardi joined SASSLA in 2021 as an Associate after a long and highly successful career in the Department for Education. She has experience in secondary teaching followed by corporate experience in the areas of child protection, equal opportunity, and employee misconduct. Before joining SASSLA, Mardi was the Director, Employee Relations, for the Department and undertook employee relations strategy development and implementation, negotiation and implementation of enterprise agreements, and the management of industrial disputes. Mardi also led employee relations policy development and review, employee complaint resolution, and performance management including managing underperformance of staff and matters of non-compensable incapacity. Mardi is highly experienced in providing advice to site and corporate leaders on matters of complaint resolution, merit selection, conduct, unsatisfactory performance and incapacity, and industrial matters.

Leanne James

Leanne James

Business Leader

Leanne joined SASSLA in 2014 and has a corporate background in local, state and federal government and holds a Masters in Human Resource Management. She is responsible for the governance of the Association along with member assistance, employee relations and support, HR consultancy, and research and policy writing. Leanne regularly carries out site visits with members and can act as a support person for members undertaking formal interviews with respect to investigations, performance management and conflict resolution. With a particular interest in industrial relations, strategic human resource management and policy change, Leanne has undertaken various research projects and reports to advocate for evidence based reform for leaders’ employment conditions and wellbeing along with staffing practices and workforce planning in the Department. Leanne is an active member of SASSLA’s advocacy team and meets regularly with Departmental executives, politicians, and other education stakeholders.

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