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Meet the Team
The DATTA Vic Team
Office Bearers and Board Members
Zowie is the Head of Technology at Hoppers Crossing Secondary College. Prior to taking on this role, took a break from Textiles teaching to work as Creative Coordinator for Lincraft, helping produce creative craft, knitting and sewing projects for all skill levels. Zowie co-authored the Cambridge VCE Units 1-4 PD&T Text Book and Workbook. She has been involved in the DATTA Vic committee for several years as the representative for Textiles teachers, and in 2019 was elected as Vice President. She was elected President in 2023. |  Vice President - Jill Livett Jill is currently teaching Design and Technology to Middle Year students at Overnewton Anglican Community College (Melbourne). She has 25 years’ experience in teaching D&T at middle and senior secondary level, teaching in the material areas of wood with some metal and plastics, textiles and simple systems. For the last 5 years, she has also taught tertiary Technology method classes in a number of universities. Jill has been involved in curriculum writing, reviewing and resourcing, and co-authored the VCE Product Design and Technology textbook and workbooks and the DATTA Vic Support Material. She is currently the vice president of DATTA Vic.
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President - Zowie Moselen
Vice President - David Payne
Treasurer - Michael Slinger Michael is a Design, Visual Communication, and Engineering teacher with 8 years’ experience within different education systems and a professional background in Industrial Design. He is passionate about thoughtfully employing digital technology to enable new learning designs, and coaching colleagues in improving their own practice. Michael is currently the DigiSTEM teacher at St Leonard’s College, and in his role with DATTA Vic, he hopes to support more schools to establish and grow VCE Systems Engineering. | 
Secretary: Joanne Heide Joanne Heide moved to the UK from Melbourne in 1999 after obtaining a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Melbourne. She remained in the UK for 8 years teaching Design and Technology in London schools. Prior to teaching she obtained a degree in Visual Arts from Monash University and a Post Graduate in Sculpture from the Victorian College of the Arts. While living in the UK she completed a Master of Fine Art through Monash University. She has exhibited her art and design work both in Australia and the UK. In 2007 she moved back to Melbourne and currently teaches Design & Technology and Visual Arts at Melbourne Ladies College. Joanne served as DATTA Vic President from 2017-2019.
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General Board Members |
 Anthony BaconAnthony is a qualified Industrial Designer who has over 25 years’
experience of teaching Design & Technologies and VCE Product
Design & Technology. He is currently Head of Technologies at
Mentone Grammar. | 
Christopher SimpsonChris moved to Australia in 1999 and began a career in Medical Instrumentation and research, which re-invigorated his passion for electronics and design. Following this, he moved into education, working in various support roles before undertaking his DipEd and becoming a Design & Technologies & Systems Engineering teacher. He now works at Braemar College. He feels very passionate about all of the things that Design and Technologies can offer students that are not available anywhere else in school, with a really strong pull into Engineering. |
Felicity McNamara Felicity trained as a Furniture Designer, florist and Historian before undertaking her teaching qualifications 16 years ago. She has been teaching Product Design and Technology at Carey Baptist Grammar School for the past 14 years. She is a VCAA assessor as well as Top Designs presenter for the VCAA Top Designs forums. Her interests are in resistant materials and increasing interest in incorporating new technologies into the classroom and in training the future problem solvers for society |
Jacinta has been strongly committed to Design and Technology since its inception. After teaching in the classroom for many years she moved to Distance Education. It was here she developed her writing skills. Since then she has written a lot of material for both teachers and students in this subject. This includes writing for VCAA, support material for teachers, text books and workbooks for students. She has regularly run professional development sessions for teachers and students for both DATTA Vic and VCAA. She has been a committee member of DATTA Vic for over 10 years. Jacinta is generous in her support of others in the field, sharing her resources and ideas. She is always willing to talk through issues with teachers or students. | 
Michael Essex Michael started his working life as a furniture maker completing a apprenticeship in 1992 and making and designing furniture for a further ten years. After completing arts degree and diploma of education he moved to Auckland and taught a range of technology subjects from trade based furniture units to electronics and more general materials technology. Since returning to Australia he has been teaching at Lalor North College teaching Product Design at all levels with a wood focus and junior systems. After several years spent on the committee as a general member, he took on the role of Vice President in 2018, and then became Treasurer the following year. In 2023 he took up a General Member position. |
Michael trained as a teacher in England before moving to New Zealand. While working in New Zealand he was a marker and assessor for the New Zealand Qualifications Authority in Social Science and ICT. He completed his Masters of Educational Management at Auckland University before moving to Melbourne. Since teaching in Australia he has focussed his efforts in the electronic and electrical field and now teaches pre apprentice electricians. As well as being Faculty and STEAM leader at his school, Michael also teaches junior technology and VCE Systems Engineering. |
Michael Gowers Monique Dali Monique Dalli is the current President of DATTA Australia and committee member of DATTA VIC as well as Technologies teacher and Director of Learning and Growth at Xavier College, Kew. She passionate about curriculum and teacher development, she is an author, curriculum writer and sessional tutor at Southern Cross University teaching Technologies Pedagogy units. |  Rianne BurroughsRianne teaches Technologies at Templestowe College. She is heavily involved in the VEX Robotics program, and even lead a team of female students from TC to win the World VEX Robotics Competition in the U.S! Originally from Canada, she had a background in engineering prior to teaching. | 
Veena NairVeena Nair was awarded the 2022 Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching. Veena is Head of Technology and STEAM at Viewbank College, and has been involved in the work of DATTA Vic for several years. In 2016, she won the DATTA Australia Teacher of the Year award. She is committed to developing partnerships with industry and academia, establishing a successful STEAM Futures conference at Viewbank college and initiating the STEAM Club, in which 150+ students regularly participate. She is also involved in the Young Person’s Plan for the Planet program, and through this, Viewbank have developed close partnerships with low SES schools in Mumbai, allowing staff and students to support these institutions to develop their own social enterprises in their communities. |
Staff |
Executive/Education Officer: Laura Murphy 03 9349 5809 |
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USEFUL LINKS | PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
| MEMBERSHIP LINKS |
ABN 97 315 356 383 03 9349 5809 Abbotsford Convent Room C1.22 Convent Building 1 St Heliers Street Abbotsford VIC 3067 |
DATTA Vic acknowledges and pays respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who are the Traditional Owners and ongoing custodians of the land on which we work.
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