Senior Executive
KRB Senior Executive
Kincoppal-Rose Bay is in the hands of our very capable leadership team who each share a passion for education and fostering a culture of learning and community within KRB.
Erica Thomas
Principal
Erica Thomas commenced as Principal of Kincoppal-Rose Bay in January 2023. A highly experienced and passionate educator with a strong focus on academic excellence and student wellbeing, Erica is an advocate for the positive influence of modern education.
With a career in education spanning over 30 years, Erica has held a number of senior leadership positions in independent schools across NSW including Acting Principal, Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School at Queenwood and Director of Teaching and Learning and Director of Boarding at Kincoppal-Rose Bay. Since 2014, Erica was Head of School at Newcastle Grammar where she oversaw a significant transformation of the school.
Erica holds a Bachelor of Education (Macquarie University), a Masters of Education (University of New England) and a Graduate Diploma in History (Monash University). She is an active member of the Association of Independent Schools Advisory Council.
Carrie Scanlan
Head of Senior School
Carrie is an outstanding educator of girls, leading our senior campus as the Head of Senior School. With over twenty years of experience, she has extensive knowledge in the field of positive education and for the past nine years has successfully contributed to the strategic and operational direction of Kincoppal-Rose Bay on the School’s Leadership Team.
Carrie is passionate about ensuring that every student is able to achieve personal excellence; by creating an environment where each student feels supported, academically challenged and inspired to achieve. Carrie’s ability to build strong relationships with students, staff, and parents alike has earned her a reputation as a strong, empathetic and forward-thinking leader. As Head of Senior School she is committed to working collaboratively across the school to ensure the best educational offering for all senior students.
Carrie is an exceptional communicator and strong role model for our students in the Senior School. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts degree from Australian National University (ANU), a Master of Teaching degree from Sydney University and a Graduate Certificate in Positive Psychology from Melbourne University.
Rachael Symes
Head of Junior School
Rachael is a widely experienced and innovative school leader who has worked in Australia, Singapore, Spain and Switzerland. She has a deep respect for traditions and values and is the embodiment of a lifelong learner. The achievements of which she is most proud include building community in global contexts through developing meaningful relationships, implementing wellbeing and academic initiatives to improve student learning outcomes, inspiring staff to embed a nurturing and high performing culture, and leading whole-school strategic agendas. Rachael’s warm approach is immediately evident and she builds positive partnerships with parents.
Rachael earned her Bachelor of Education from Queensland University of Technology and later gained her Master of Educational Leadership from Monash University in Melbourne.
Danielle Brandon
Head of Strategy and Performance
Danielle Brandon commenced as Head of Strategy and Performance at Kincoppal-Rose Bay in July 2024. A dynamic educational leader with a balanced forward-thinking approach, Danielle is committed to fostering both the individual and collective growth of students, staff and the broader community. She is dedicated to strategically aligning KRB’s vision with actionable goals, ensuring the highest standard across every aspect of the School’s performance.
Previously the Head of Junior School at Kincoppal-Rose Bay, Danielle championed a love of learning in the early years. She led teachers from ELC to Year 6 to embed initiatives that blend academic rigour with a deep understanding of the emotional and social needs of students. Prior to this, Danielle held various leadership roles in both curriculum development and student wellbeing across the Independent and Catholic sectors.
Danielle holds a Bachelor of Education (Primary) with the Australian Catholic University.
Lisa Patterson
Head of Academic Excellence (7-12)
With over 20 years of teaching experience in Sydney as well as overseas, Lisa has held leadership positions at a number of independent girls schools in NSW including Monte and Queenwood.
Lisa is passionate about teaching and loves the energy that students bring to the school environment.
As Head of Academic Excellence, the Director of Studies role is responsible for creating systems and structures to support excellence in teaching and learning at KRB. This includes operational elements such as managing the timetable, the subject selection process, assessments and reporting systems and curriculum compliance, as well as overseeing staff who are responsible for academic programmes and working with students and families to meet academic needs.
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science majoring in Mathematics and a Master of Teaching.
Brennan Sharpley
Director of Mission
Brennan is an experienced and enthusiastic teacher in the area of Mission and Catholic and Christian identity. He has a strong commitment to continuing the development of staff and student understanding of our Sacred Heart charism. He has worked in the area of Mission across Sydney Catholic Schools for over 30 years, including in varied Religious Education and Mission leadership roles. Brennan has most recently worked as an Education Officer for the Mission and Identity Directorate of Sydney Catholic Schools. His leadership experience has included seven years in Deputy Principal roles.
Brennan is passionate about the experience of Immersion, Pilgrimage and Retreats as part of our Catholic and Christian journey.
Brennan’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Education, a Masters degree in Religious Education and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from The Australian Catholic University.
Theo Miliatos
Director of Corporate Services
Theo is a registered Chartered Accountant with 15 years of corporate finance experience working for Australia’s leading organisations across a range of projects and industries, including education. Theo has held multiple leadership positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
Theo holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Accounting and a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting from UCT.
Mary Cook
Director of Advancement & Community
Mary worked as the Director of Advancement at Loreto Normanhurst, at the College of Law, University of Sydney and Roseville College, prior to taking up the role as Director of Advancement & Community at Kincoppal-Rose Bay.
She has extensive experience in all areas of development, community relations and fundraising, having coordinated significant appeals for the new Sydney University Law School and a number of extensive building and bequest programs for schools.
Mary is committed to ensuring that all members of the KRB community – parents, staff, past parents and alumnae are able to engage as closely as possible in different ways with the life of the School.
She sees the importance of encouraging a culture of giving amongst the community to ensure the school provides an optimal learning environment for every student and to enable those families who cannot afford a Sacred Heart education the chance to be educated at KRB.