Suncoast Christian College is a ministry of Suncoast Church (a member church of The International Network of Churches (INC).
About the College Board
The College Board is responsible through the Committee of Management of Suncoast Church to the National Executive of International Network of Churches (the governing body).
The College Board’s governance role is to maintain oversight of the College by determining and monitoring its strategic directions, developing policies, monitoring the effectiveness of the Board’s and the College’s performance, and establishing control and accountability systems.
Mr Andrew Ryan – Chairman
Andrew is currently employed as the Director of Facilities Management with the University of the Sunshine Coast. Andrew is responsible for overseeing the Facilities Management Department, comprising over 60 staff, who are focused on planning, maintaining and operating the buildings, parks and transport systems, and providing support services to serve the students and staff across all campuses, including the Sippy Downs Campus and the Moreton Bay campus at Petrie.
Having had a background in both private sector engineering consultancies and Government management, Andrew has held the role of Director of Infrastructure Planning with Moreton Bay Regional Council, and previously the roles of Director of Infrastructure Services with the Sunshine Coast Council, and the Caloundra City Council.
Andrew was awarded the honour of being selected as the Institute of Public Works Engineering (Qld) “Professional Engineer of the Year” for 2015, due to his contributions to the engineering profession and the wider community.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, a Masters in Business Administration (Technology Management), and a Company Director Diploma from the Institute of Company Directors. Andrew is also an RPEQ, a Fellow of Engineers Australia, and a Fellow of the IPWEAQ.
Andrew’s four children all attended Suncoast Christian College throughout their school years, with the two youngest having the privilege of becoming Lifers, and he has been an active member of the Suncoast Church Committee of Management for over 10 years.
Ps Jonathan Gullo – Lead Pastor Suncoast Church
Jonathan’s experience in education and the schooling sector has spanned over 10 years. The vast majority of that time has been within pastoral care.
His background is in ministry and sociological studies, and he first began work at Suncoast Christian College straight out of university as the College Chaplain.
Jonathan spent time working at schools in the United Kingdom in both teaching and behavioral management. He has significant experience working within community organisations in helping to engage with culture. Jonathan has a strong interest in pop cultural studies and leadership development, which has seen him travel globally as a public communicator.
Since June 2014, Jonathan took up his tenure as Lead Pastor of Suncoast Church. His main commitment and passion are towards the ongoing vision and mission of the Suncoast community.
Mr Mark Furler - Deputy Chairman
Mark Furler has worked in news media for more than 35 years, based on the Sunshine Coast. He was promoted to National Digital Editor helping to oversee the regional and community digital titles for News Corp. Mark was formerly Group Digital Editor for News Regional Media where he oversaw more than 40 digital sites. A multi-award-winning journalist, he has worked in digital media since 2007 and was formerly Editor in Chief of the Sunshine Coast Daily where he was involved in three PANPA Newspaper of the Year wins. Mark has a Bachelor of Communications from the Queensland University of Technology and was Dux of Bethesda Christian College in his graduating year. He was also awarded the PJ Daniels Caleb Encouragement Award for academic achievement.
Mark is passionate about great storytelling and helps to train reporters in regional newsrooms from Darwin to Hobart. He has been married to his wife Julie for 30 years and they have three children.
Mr Deon List
Deon graduated from the University of Queensland in 1996 with a Bachelor of Pharmacy and obtained registration in 1997. In 1999 at the age of 23, Deon moved to South Australia and purchased all three pharmacies in a small country town. In 2002, Deon relocated back to Queensland and purchased a pharmacy in Nambour. This store was a finalist in the Pharmacy of the Year competition, after winning the award of State Pharmacy of the Year. Deon has worked for a big pharma company occupying the role of a sales supervisor. Deon achieved his Master of Business Administration degree in 2012. Deon has owned and operated many businesses in his career across several industries.
Currently, Deon is the Managing Director of a small chain of pharmacies and other retail outlets employing over 150 staff across two states. Deon’s four children have all attended Suncoast Christian College.
Ms Meloney Lee
Meloney has a Bachelor of Accounting, majoring in Accounting and Auditing, from the University of South Africa, and served Articles of Clerkship with the Johannesburg office of KPMG. She is the founder and proprietor of Alchemy Accounting and Business Services, and serves as Managing Director of Paint Master (Australia) Pty Ltd.
Her journey forward in faith led from Accounting to Art, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Art (Fine Art) with distinction from Curtin University in 2018, and with a Bachelor of Art (Honours) in 2020.
Meloney has won numerous awards for her paintings, including being an RADF grant recipient and receiving a Commendation from Curtin University for her work. Her paintings serve as visual parables – a contemporary expression of timeless truth – with a close focus on nature and the embedded Word used to engage the viewer with notions of faith.
She serves on the Board of Suncoast Christian College, and was treasurer for Suncoast Church Committee of Management from 2008 to 2013.
Mr Russell Madden
Russell is a Sunshine Coast born and bred local with corporate experience in directorship and leadership roles within several national and multi-national property companies spanning over the last 25 years.
During a sabbatical from his profession, Russell, his wife Helena and their four children embarked on a challenging yet exciting journey to develop a family-focused kid’s TV series off the back of their successful live show. The show currently airs nationally and in several other countries which allowed the family to tour and support causes close to their heart for many years.
In 2016 Russell once again entered the corporate arena working throughout Queensland and interstate as a specialist in the area of tourism and hospitality going concern valuations. However, the call to ministry was always close to Russell’s heart and despite success in his professional career, he enthusiastically accepted when offered the role of Kids and Families Director at Suncoast Church in 2020. Russell is responsible for the development of programs and events and oversees a large amazing team of volunteers. Russell is also privileged to work closely with Suncoast Christian College’s Student Well-Being Team and Primary Chaplain. In addition, he is part of the Scripture Union Local Chaplaincy Committee of Management for Palmwoods and Woombye State Schools and runs a STRENGTH program for Year 6 boys at Palmwoods State School.
Russell previously served on the Suncoast Christian College Board as board secretary between 2008 and 2012 and played a pivotal role in negotiations with the Stage Government to construct a pipeline under the College for the Northern Pipeline Interconnector.
Russell and Helena have been married since 1996 and have four children. Their two daughters and two sons all enrolled in Suncoast in Prep with three since graduated in 2016, 2019 and 2021 and the fourth due to graduate in 2024.
Dr Alison Willis
Dr Alison Willis is the Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching in the School of Education and Tertiary Access at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Alison’s career has spanned multiple levels of education – Primary, Middle and Secondary schools, and undergraduate and postgraduate university programmes. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and a senior lecturer at UniSC. Alison is a past student, staff member and parent at Suncoast Christian College.
An invited speaker and writer for various professional learning forums, Alison serves on multiple advisory Boards, and has a strong track record in educational leadership. Alison provides professional learning and development for teachers, educational leadership, working with teams of teachers in curriculum development, and as a coach in pedagogy. As an educational researcher, she investigates the effects of disruption, stress and trauma on learning. Alison has worked in DFAT programs with teachers from Indonesia, West Papua Uganda, and Vanuatu. She is a part of the Indigenous and Transcultural Pedagogies Research Group at UniSC and actively works with The Salvation Army in Southern Africa to support community education initiatives. She conducted her doctoral research in Northern Uganda, and her Master’s research was a comparative study of Australian and Finnish students’ learning dispositions. Her research has given her a strong foundation in qualitative research methods, and she has been an invited qualitative methods specialist on commissioned research projects.
