The College Council
GOAL College is an independent, co-educational senior secondary school delivering an active HSC, in partnership with our HSC Teammates. We bring out the best in our students by taking a different approach to the final years of high school. By valuing personal growth alongside academic learning, we help our students prepare for life after school.
At GOAL College, we do school differently.
Dr Paul Moy
Chair
Paul has a PhD in economics and has worked the majority of his career in financial services, most recently as a Group Managing Director at UBS in London. Paul retired as the Global Head of Infrastructure and Private Equity in December 2016.
Paul has extensive experience in infrastructure and private equity including investing in energy and electricity markets in Australia, Europe and North America. He has Board experience in these regions in for-profit businesses and has also been a non-executive director of a number of not-for-profit businesses in Australia.
Paul also has broad public policy experience including as a Deputy Secretary of the NSW Treasury and as a member or Chair of enquiries into electricity industry reform in NSW and Queensland. Paul is also a former member of the National Competition Council.
Dr Moy is also a non-executive director of the Cancer Institute NSW, Chair of QIC Global Infrastructure Investment Committee and a member of the Investment Committee for MA Financial Services’ MA Sustainable Future Fund.
Kate O'Donnell
Executive Director
Kate is the inaugural Principal at the College, a position she has held since 2015. Prior to taking this role, Kate had 25 years of experience in education, and has held senior policy and implementation roles both in Australia and internationally.
Prior to returning to Sydney to start the College, Kate spent four years working in the United States in a senior leadership role in education with America Achieves, and in that role worked alongside the OECD on reporting international trends in Educational Attainment, as well as advising district and state leaders on the implementation of the Common Core in the USA.
Before her work in America, Kate was the Director of Educational Measurement and School Accountability for the Education Department of New South Wales where she led the development of new technologies, and
assessment models as well as supporting teachers, principals, district and state staff across NSW in understanding and using data effectively to help students learn.
Kate has also held the position of Chief Assessor for Writing for Australia, responsible for training hundreds of markers across Australia in effective assessment of student writing from Year 3 to year 10 and developed, in conjunction with the Australian Council of Educational Research, an online learning module for teachers to improve their skills and get accreditation in writing assessment and development.
Kate has been involved in motor sport for most of her adult life and most recently was a class winner, along with driver David Currow, in Targa Tasmania.
Meredith Jones (She/Her)
Director
Meredith Jones is Director Communications and Engagement with Sydney WorldPride 2023, prior to this role she was the Director Strategic Engagement at the Greater Sydney Commission.
Meredith’s engagement work has been awarded the 2018 NSW PIA award for Public Engagement and Community Planning, as well as the 2018 IAP2 Core Value Australasia Planning Award.
Meredith has worked extensively across government for two decades including the NSW Department of Education and the NSW Fire Brigades. She has also worked in state ministerial offices.
Meredith is a board director for The Aurora Group, one of Australia’s oldest and most respected LGBTIQ+ philanthropic organisations. Meredith has a Bachelor of Arts from Sydney University majoring in English Literature and a Master of Legal Studies from the University of Technology Sydney.
Philip Carroll
Director
Philip Carroll brings complementary skills, qualifications and experiences to the College Council. A successful senior executive career in complex government businesses, including in public/private settings, saw Philip in a number of key roles including as an advisor to government, a Chief Finance Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Australia’s largest registered training organisation. Philip later founded Philip Carroll and Associates, a collaborative independent consultancy specialising in corporate advisory, business risk and governance advice.
Philip holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and a Bachelor of Legal Studies. Recognised as a strategic thinker and leader, he is an accomplished non-executive Director and Chair with appointments in international, commercial, and not for profit organisations.
With an in-depth knowledge of the New South Wales education sector and a passion for young people’s education, Philip has also had a lengthy involvement in grassroots sport. He continues to be an active sports official.
Claire Burrell-McDonald
Secretary
Claire Burrell-McDonald comes from a family of educators and first joined the College staff in 2017. As the College’s Grants and Projects Manager, Claire secures grants from government and non-government organisations to support the College’s outreach and mentoring programs and provides support to the College Council and executive team.
She has previously worked in medical and arts administration, with experience in fundraising, database management and wealth research. In her previous role at Musica Viva Australia, she worked with the national Development team to raise funds to support Australia’s largest school music education program, bringing live
performance to thousands of students in rural, regional and remote Australia. She believes passionately in the power of community to make a difference, and in the right of all young people to have equal and unobstructed access to education in all its forms.
Outside her work with the College, Claire is a working classical musician who performs regularly and has an active teaching studio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (English Literature/Music) and a Graduate Diploma in Music Performance from the University of Sydney and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she completed a Master of Opera Performance in October 2022.
Committees
To sharpen its focus on key issues, the College has established the following committees:
Governance, Audit and Risk – Philip Carroll (Chair)
Learning and Teaching – Kate O’Donnell (Chair)
