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The Chair of Council is appointed by the Synod of the Uniting Church on nomination of the Council.

Our Council is responsible for the governance of St Stephen’s School and appoints the Principal to take responsibility for the leadership and management of our School.

St Stephen’s School Council members are volunteers who passionately contribute their exceptional professional skills to the good governance of the School. The Council members provide a broad range of corporate skills and experience at a senior level – including financial, governance, educational, legal, planning, and technical.

Meet the Council

John Sobolewski

Chair of Council

B.COMM, CA, GAICD

John is currently the Chief Financial Officer with Lithium Universe Limited, and has held numerous executive level roles including Chair, Managing Director, CEO, CFO and Company Secretary within the mining industry.

John has also served on the Boards, and as Chair, Deputy Chair and President for several sizeable NFP entities.

John is married to Melissa, and they have a son in year 12 at St Stephen’s.

Michael Schrick

Council Member

BSC MECH ENG, MBA (UWA), AICD

Mike joined Council’s Governance Committee in 2016 as a member and is currently the Convenor of the Planning Committee
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Mike is the founding principal of 80 Twenty, a leading business improvement consultancy based in Perth.

Mike is an experienced professional with over 12 years senior operational experience in both large and medium sized companies. In addition to holding senior operational and general management positions within large and SME businesses in both the UK and Australia, Mike has also owned and operated a niche manufacturing business in Australia.

Mike has over 15 years consulting experience in the area of Business Improvement and Turnaround serving various size companies across a range of industries.

Mike is married to Plum and they have two adult children, both having attended St Stephen’s School.

Sheel Gor

Council member

UCL SCHOOL OF PHARMACY – LONDON MPHARM HONOURS

Sheel joined Council’s Planning Committee in 2019.
Sheel is a registered pharmacist in Australia (AHPRA and SHPA) and is currently working on projects including research and co-authoring on a paper for review on the current practices in clinical rotation in the field of laboratory medicines.
As Director for Teaching and Learning  and Lecturer at Curtin University, Sheel managed and coordinated focus groups in various fields of medicine and organisations ranging from the Department of Health to Telethon Kids Institute.
Sheel is a Member of the Athena Swan Charter, committed to the encouragement, recognition and advancement of the participation of women involved in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine in higher education and research and is also a member of HERDSA – Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia.
Sheel and her partner Kushal have a son attending St Stephen’s School at Carramar campus.

Adam Myers

Council Member

B.Comm, FCA, CA BVS

Adam is a member of the Council and Convenor of Finance Committee.

Adam is a Deal Advisory Partner in BDO Perth’s Advisory team with over twenty five years’ experience in Corporate Finance and Audit and is a member of the leadership team in the Perth office.

Adam specialises in expert reports, valuations and financial modelling for a wide range of industries. Adam has extensive experience in IPOs and has advised on a number of transactions involving international parties conducting business in Australia.  He has worked in BDO’s London and Orange County offices which has enabled him to broaden his knowledge.  Adam has served on the boards of NFP’s including the McGovern Foundation and West Perth Football Club.

Adam is married to Georgina and they have three children currently attending Duncraig Campus.

Daniel Wright

Council member

Daniel joined Council in 2023 having been a member of the Governance Committee since late 2021. Daniel is an officer in the Australian Defence Force and an experienced management professional, specialising in strategy and risk. He has worked in a number of sectors including defence, oil and gas, mining and health and is currently the Commanding Officer of the 10th Light Horse Regiment in the Australian Army. He is also Director of Strategy for Executive Risk Solutions and a board member of Soldiers and Sirens, a not-for-profit organisation supporting police and defence veterans.

Jaco van Staden

Council Member

Jaco joined the Planning Committee in 2021 and joined Council in October 2022. Jaco has a wealth of commercial, industrial and residential property development and construction experience spanning across Australia and South Africa, including managing construction projects in remote WA.

As the Operations Manager of Thomas Building,  Jaco is responsible for delivering many major projects including large integrated residential, hospitality and commercial projects. Jaco is also a Registered Building Practitioner in WA and serves on the Board of a not-for-profit Aged Care Facility.

Jaco and his wife Alana have two boys at the Duncraig Campus, they worship at Grace Reformed Church in Joondalup.

Ed Pepper

Council Member
BEng (Hons), MSc, GAICD
Ed is an experienced senior executive with a strong background in leadership, strategy and governance gained in his 25 years in the resources industry.  He has worked for both large corporates and SMEs, most recently as CEO of a Western Australian specialist mining services provider.
In recent years Ed completed the AICD Company Director qualification, applying this learning to the Board of Governors of the Energy Club of WA, where he is also the Vice President.
He brings a collaborative, people-focused approach and a broad commercial perspective to the School Council.
Ed and his wife Tracey have two daughters, both of whom attended the St Stephen’s Duncraig campus.

Rev David Jackson CSM

Moderator

Rev David Jackson was installed as Moderator of the Uniting Church WA on 25 October 2025 following his election at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Synod of WA. As Moderator, he serves as the pastoral head and spokesperson for the church during his three-year term, guided by the theme “We are a Pilgrim People.”

Following ordination David served in the Tasmanian Parishes of Georgetown and the West Coast Patrol. He then had placements in the Synod of Western Australia, serving in Karratha and Maylands-Mt Lawley congregations. He later served as an Army chaplain, deploying to Timor-Leste, Bougainville, Iraq and Afghanistan, and was awarded the Conspicuous Service Medal in 2007.

Following his military service, David continued ministry through disaster recovery chaplaincy and Frontier Services in regional WA. David describes his passion for the Uniting Church as being rooted in its commitment to addressing poverty, racism and advocating for the inclusion of all people in decision-making.

David shares life with his wife of 49 years, Diane and together they have three children and six grandchildren.