UWS Early Learning Ltd Board of Directors

Susan Hudson – Director and Chair

Susan Hudson is the Director HR Strategy and Services at the University of Western Sydney. During her 18 years at the University Susan has managed the Executive Projects Unit which oversaw major projects including the development and implementation of Our People 2015, the University’s staffing strategy. She was also the foundation College Manager for the College of Arts, Education, and Social Sciences at UWS and held roles as Campus Coordinator, Student Centre Manager and Manager of Assessments and Progressions.

Prior to this Susan was the Academic Registrar, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of Sydney.

Susan holds a BA (UWS) (major in communications) 2000, Grad Cert Business Administration (Uni of Queensland) 2001, Masters in Leadership and Management in Education (University of Newcastle) 2007 AICD, Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is a Justice of the Peace and has two grown daughters and one grandson.

Sue Benzie – Director

J.P. Cert Teach TDeaf Cert, Dip Teach, BED, MLMEd. Grad Cer Ed Stud, MACEKM MACE

Sue worked with the NSW Department of Education between 1967 and 1993 in Preschool Teacher of the Deaf, classroom teacher and Administration positions within schools. Sue trained as a Reading Recovery Teacher in the first group for the Metropolitan West Pilot Study of the program.

In 1964 Sue joined the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children as the Preschool Director for the RIDBC Nepean Preschool. In 1997 she was appointed Manager, Preschool Services and in 1998 as Manager of RIDBC Early Childhood Services (Hearing Impairment) until her retirement in January, 2012. In this role Sue was responsible for two Early Education Intervention Programs and  three Preschools and provided a consultative role to one other RIDBC preschool. Sue continues her involvement at RIDBC as a casual presenter for the RIDBC Renwick Centre for research, teacher training and professional development.

Sue has presented at conferences and been an active committee member on several committees relevant to early childhood and early childhood intervention  policy, procedures advocacy and funding.

Sue has three adult children and four young grandchildren.

Ellen Brackenreg – Director

BA (Psych), BSW, MBA, GAICD

Ellen is the Director of Student Support Services at UWS. She has extensive experience in senior management positions in WA Health and at the University which includes over 20 years key management committee experience. Her vast experience extends from her work in children’s services, student support services, allied health services and psychiatric services. Ellen’s professional experience includes child and adolescent services, residential child care, child care management committee and until recently she was a company director of UWS Residential Colleges LTD. Ellen holds a BA in Psychology and B. Social Work degree from the University of Western Australia. She also holds a Masters of Business Administration (Deakin University) and a Diploma from the Institute of Company Directors. She has 3 teenage children all of whom attended child care at UWS.

Mrs Denise Fraser - Director

BEd Early Childhood, Grad Cert HRM

Denise is an academic staff member in the School of Education at the University of Western Sydney, teaching in the Early Childhood program and working as course advisor in that program.  She also has extensive experience in the governance of children’s services at both local and state government levels. For the past 8 years Denise has been actively involved as a Board member of a large not for profit provider of child care in Long Day Care, Pre-school and OOSH services as well as a number of other child related activities.

Patricia (Trish) Diane Mullins - Director 

BA/LLB, QSM(NZ)

Trish has extensive experience as a lawyer and industrial relations practitioner as well as considerable experience in major funding applications, government relations and strategy/policy development roles in the University. She was responsible for the development of the proposal to approach existing child care centres on UWS campuses to merge and form a new legal entity to operate all of the Centres which then became UWS Early Learning Ltd. Through her family involvement Trish has previously been a member and then President of the Board of Directors for another Child Care Centre in Randwick.