“Education is the key to a better future, a future that is sustainable, creative, empathetic, open-minded and compassionate. We are blessed to have the Montessori pedagogy that has been tried, tested and born fruit for over 100 years." 

Nick Tobias founded award winning architecture and interior design firm Tobias Partners about 20 years ago. Keen to contribute to discourse beyond practice he has served as a judge, juror, panellist, expert witness, speaker and TV host. He is a committed philanthropist and is a director of Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Art Month Sydney. Nick has two sons at Montessori East and is very passionate about the school and the future of bringing its best practice model to the world. Nick leads the capital appeal team for the school and is the chair of the ME Foundation.

“I feel very motivated to be able to contribute to the Montessori Foundation through my experience as an executive and banker. My dream is to help secure Montessori East's financial future."

Simon Bassett has 35 years’ experience in Financial Markets with various Commercial and Investments Banks in Australia and overseas. In a variety of roles he headed up trading, sales, research business functions. He was Global Head of Capital Markets for Westpac Banking Corporation based in Sydney. His last role in banking was in the digital area of financial markets at NAB. He now works in a family business as the practice manager for Lighthouse Child and Adolescent Psychology based in Double Bay. He has three children who all went to Montessori East from 1996 to 2006. In his spare time he loves to coach Touch Football and coached the Australian under 18 girls side to a Youth World Cup gold medal in Malaysia in August 2018.

“I believe the Montessori method is essential for our young people. It is a proven method for producing upstanding and educated individuals with a moral and social intelligence which is more relevant today in our fast-paced society than when it was created by Maria Montessori over 100 years ago. Given a chance to implement the Future Proof Project Montessori East School will have a positive and lasting effect on the direction of our education system and be able to provide guidance and direction for the less fortunate schools with the Open Source Platform integrated in its strategy.”

Sandra is a musician and DJ. Her background is in IT, radio, graphic design and managing electronic music events. She studied piano at the Conservatorium of Music, Adelaide, has a diploma in audio engineering and bachelors in business & marketing. Sandra has three children. Two daughters are at Montessori East and her son is now in high school. While bringing up her family Sandra is furthering her studies in piano and music composition. She is a great believer in Montessori education. The guidance of the teaching method has greatly supported her children’s learning and understanding of the world around them. The close knit and supportive community also makes this education system a learning experience for life that she would like to be made available to every child to the end of their secondary schooling.

“I believe that ME has proven its business model as a leader in Australian Montessori pedagogy and it is time that Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs has a permanent high-performing Montessori school. I expect and hope the ME Foundation is able to effectively support this ambition.”

Peter Shorthouse, originally English, has been living in Australia for 20 years. He and Victoria have one daughter, Emily, who attended ME from 2007-2013. Peter was ME’s School Council Treasurer from 2007-2013 and has been an MEF Director since 2014. Peter joined and remains on the MEF Board because he truly understands the impact of Montessori education and sees it in his daughter’s ongoing maturity. He would like to help ensure that there is a permanent future for the school and more broadly for Montessori education in Australia. Peter is a Senior Partner with Crestone Wealth Management, and previous careers include chartered accountancy, management consulting and investment banking.

Andi is a strategist and transformations leader with a passion for the future of work and innovation in education. Andi has extensive experience in both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.  Andi is currently a Head of People Operations at Atlassian and a Chair of Atlassian's Sydney Foundation Council whose goal is to bring 21st century skills to disadvantaged youth globally. She brings and fosters an innovative mindset, collaborative and agile approach to all aspects of her work and life. Andi is a founder of the Atlassian Future Teams program which brings innovation to classrooms across Australia.

Felicity has had a long association with Montessori East as a parent of four past students including one of the school’s first seven primary pupils and first school graduates. Felicity has served on the Montessori East School Council and was responsible for the growth of the ME Alumni program from 2013-2016. With years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Felicity is recognised for her commitment to fostering connections within her community and is particularly interested in transformative education, environmental sustainability and a thriving performing arts sector. Felicity is an academic at UNSW Business School, in the Centre for Social Impact and School of Management.