Speak Out February 2019

Association news

A changing of the CPD guard… Farewell to Sharon Crane and welcome Maree Brown

Some further staff farewells Meredith Prain, Professional Support Advisor After 18 years of involvement in leading and supporting the Association’s mentoring and professional support program, we say farewell to Meredith Prain. Meredith’s passion and commitment to member support through both the mentoring program and professional supervision guidelines, originally commenced with Meredith taking on the role of the Vic Branch Mentoring Coordinator in 2000. She then went on to be the speech pathology lead in the MentorLink Allied Health program. Following this Meredith became the National Mentoring Coordinator in the Association’s own dedicated mentoring program. After a short break, and as the program and our members’ needs evolved, Meredith returned to the Association in the role of Professional Support Advisor, developing the mentoring program and its online resources, providing clear guidelines on the distinction between mentoring and professional supervision, and contributing to policies and documents which guide the profession on minimum standards of professional supervision. Meredith has supported countless members and in recent years also provided targeted support for our early career members, particularly in their transition from provisional to full CPSP. Meredith will be greatly missed, however we wish her every success in the new opportunity with Able Australia, to establish a National Centre of Excellence in the area of Deafblindness. Joanna Shorland, PSR Advisor Joanna Shorland will shortly be leaving SPA at the end of February to take up further PhD studies. Joanna has provided excellent support in relation to self-regulation functions of the profession, including coordinating the documentation for application for full NASRHP membership, as well as ensuring member compliance with the PSR program through advice and undertaking random audits of members. Joanna has been a great asset to the Association with her knowledge and thoroughness and we wish her every success in her PhD candidacy.

FOLLOWING THE CELEBRATION of Sharon Crane’s 20 years of working at SPA last year, it was with sadness that we have had to say farewell to Sharon who resigned from her position as Senior Advisor Professional Education and Certification, as of the end of January. Sharon has been an integral member of the SPA team over the past two decades and has led the development of both a high quality professional education program and a rigorous self-regulation scheme (in the PSR program). Sharon’s knowledge, dedication and passion for

Sharon Crane

the profession has been highlighted through all of what she achieved and she will be sorely missed by members and her colleagues. Our best wishes Sharon for a successful and fulfilling next venture – one we are sure will include lots of travel and fun times with your family. With the changing of the guard, we warmly welcome Maree Brown into the role of Manager Professional Education. Maree comes with a wealth of knowledge and skills, and is passionate about supporting our members in their professional development and career growth. Here are some words of introduction from Maree: “I have over 25 years’ experience working within the adult learning sector, initially within aviation before moving across to medical. I am a passionate advocate of high-quality adult education and am committed to continuous professional development, both professionally and personally. Most of my experience within medical education relates to continuous

professional development delivered to practitioners and their staff on behalf of organisations such as AHPRA, the Rural Workforce Agency of Victoria (RWAV), WorkSafe and TAC as well as various professional colleges and associations. What I find particularly rewarding about working within this sector is the intrinsically motivated learners it attracts. My personal commitment to professional

Maree Brown

development has seen me attain a qualification as a primary school teacher, a Certificate IV in Training & Development, Diploma in Vocational Education & Training, and Diploma in Training Design and Development. I am currently working on my Honours year in Adult & Applied Learning where I am expanding my knowledge of contemporary andragogical theories and practices. On a personal note, I live in Essendon (but am not a supporter) with my husband Jason, my two children Adam (15) and Sandrine (12) and (most importantly) our darling dog, Lottie whom we adopted from Lort Smith. I love feedback as it strongly informs continuous improvement, so if you have feedback you’d would like to forward, or have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

Recruitment is underway for the above positions with an option for the appropriate candidate to take on both roles.

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February 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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