Our People

Marcus is passionate about health and co-founded Health Horizon, the largest collection of health innovations globally that allows innovators to showcase, seek funding and promote their innovations.

Marcus’s board experience is diverse. He sits on government committees, startup, non-profit, public and private sector business boards. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). Marcus is passionate about health and education. He is strongly supportive of the vision and objectives of MissingSchool believing that it will continue to disrupt the market and change lives. 

Megan is co-author of an Australian-first report on school connection for sick kids which received a Prime Minister’s statement of support in 2015 and triggered widespread media. She then led action for a corresponding Australian government report, and designed the governance framework that shaped its findings. Megan created the Australian-first telepresence robot initiative connecting students with serious illness to their classrooms.

She’s a Churchill Fellow, a keynote and TEDx Speaker, and was nominated as a finalist for the ACT Australian of the Year award in 2018. In 2019 she was ACT winner and national finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards in the For Purpose and Social Enterprise category, named on the Australian Financial Review list of 100 Women of Influence in Australia, and received the CWB Innovation Award. In 2020 Megan was awarded a Deakin Alumna of the Year. Her work is passionately driven by her experience as a mother to a young son who survived a life-threatening illness. 

Scott has worked with several not-for-profits and draws upon his knowledge and experience to ensure MissingSchool’s accounting is compliant, efficient and effective.

Scott has children of his own and knows first-hand that a child’s education is important and that positive change makes an impact. Through MissingSchool, Scott is committed to ensuring that we keep seriously sick children connected to their school communities.

Lara strongly believes in the vision of MissingSchool as she witnessed firsthand the impact missing school had on her cousin when he was sick. Lara watched her Aunty work tirelessly to support her son through a serious illness whilst advocating for his education at the same time. 

Lara hopes that she can support MissingSchool to continue to advocate for the education of other sick kids by keeping them connected to their school life.

Hugh understands the multiple burdens and stresses families and carers face when dealing with seriously ill children including the things many people don’t consider such as care of the sick child’s siblings, grief and trauma, strain on relationships, geographic relocation, financial hardship and more.

He sees a continuing relationship with the school community as critical to maintaining some kind of “normal” for seriously sick kids and their families.

Her role on MissingSchool’s telepresence robot pilot brings together her professional background in complex international program management, her desire to see problems solved through systems change, her wonder at the technological age we live in.

Passionate about education, Sarah is eager to apply her skills to show how telepresence robots provide better connection and learning opportunities for seriously sick kids.

In addition to this clinical experience, she has held teaching, research and administrative roles within Behaviour Management, Counselling and Clinical Neuroscience disciplines. Vira has a strong dedication to serving people with limited opportunities, advocating for their needs within the wider community, assisting them to create strong identities, and contributing to positive family relationships. Vira assists MissingSchool in evaluation, and developing and expanding the systems that facilitate connection for seriously sick kids.

Qing graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) with a master’s degree of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development, specialising in Gender and Development. Qing works with MissingSchool as a monitoring and evaluation intern. She believes that all students should be able to access regular education, regardless of their physical conditions or backgrounds. 

Sara also works with Australian social enterprises, advocacy groups and companies. She is passionate about finding practical and meaningful ways to bring evaluation thinking to projects and organisations so they have the best possible information to guide their work.

Being part of the MissingSchool Telepresence Robots Pilot Project enables Sara to bring her diverse skills and experiences to an exciting Australian project with huge potential to change lives.

Her work has spanned Independent, Catholic and State schools as well as TAFE and University levels. As the recipient of a Premier’s Teachers Scholarship her research focused on school strategies to support the learning of students with serious medical conditions. Jenny’s work in this field has been published in various contexts and presented at regional forums, conferences and school professional development events.

Jenny works as a voluntary advocate in her specialty area in addition to running her own business as a private education consultant. She served four years on the national board of Ronald McDonald House Charities and resigned this role in late 2017.

During this period, although she was no longer working, Gina preserved her sanity by maintaining her volunteer involvement in her children’s classrooms. When her son’s health stabilised, she made a career change and moved full-time into education. She now works as a classroom teacher, and is firmly committed to ensuring that the needs of all students are met, even when they can not attend school.

Gina is proud to be one of MissingSchool’s founding members but dreams of a day when all kids with serious health conditions receive full support from their schools as a matter of course. Gina is the co-author of Australian-first research, School Connection for Seriously Sick Kids : Who Are They, How Do We Know What Works, and Whose Job Is It?

After her son’s first transplant Cathy joined a US listserv for cancer parents and became acutely aware of the lack of children’s services in Australia. Cathy met Gina and Megan as their children were treated at the same centre in Sydney.
The three decided to form MissingSchool in 2012, recognising that there was no clear pathway or voice for parents advocating for their children’s needs for educational support and connection. Cathy is the co-author of Australian-first research, School Connection for Seriously Sick Kids : Who Are They, How Do We Know What Works, and Whose Job Is It?