Mannix welcomes new Deans

Mannix College is pleased to announce the appointment of two Deans who will ensure the College continues to provide the highest levels of support and engagement to students and staff.

Annie McGuire has been appointed Dean of Students & Wellbeing and Anthony Stephens has been appointed Dean of Studies & Careers. Living on-site, both will join the College community in advance of Semester 2, 2022.

As Dean of Students & Wellbeing, Annie will be responsible for delivering and enhancing all aspects of the emotional, physical, social, environmental, and spiritual wellbeing supports offered by the College. As part of this, she will oversee orientation, student leadership development, wellbeing initiatives (including Mental Health First Aid training for staff and students), counselling and incident management.

As Dean of Studies & Careers, Anthony will be responsible for delivering and enhancing all aspects of the academic, intellectual and professional supports offered by the College. As part of this, he will oversee the tutorial program, guest speaker events, employability enhancement activities, learning skills workshops, and mentoring programs.

Together, the Deans will support the Principal in fostering a vibrant and engaged student community with a strong culture of inclusion and respect. Among their contributions, the Deans will support the creation of a 2023-2028 Strategic Plan and shall lead the smooth running of day-to-day student life and its associated operations.

Both Annie and Anthony are experienced educators with a strong commitment to supporting students. Their appointments represent a significant investment in the College’s support offering, with a strong focus on developing wellbeing, character and resilience, as well as on supporting students to achieve their best in their studies and careers.

Receiving her Master’s of Education from the University of Massachusetts, Annie commenced her teaching career north of Boston, USA and quickly found herself leading pastorally, academically and on the athletics fields. Annie’s student-centred approach as a teacher and school leader has been reflected in her strong commitment to student wellbeing, experience, and development. Prior to joining Mannix, Annie has held senior leadership roles in Melbourne schools including that of Deputy Principal at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic College, Bentleigh and Head of Middle School at St Leonard’s College, Brighton. Amongst much else, Annie has completed the NESLI Women’s Leadership Course, and has qualifications in restorative practices, mindfulness and yoga.

Anthony holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Melbourne, a Diploma of Education from Australian Catholic University, and has completed further studies in Arts (Theology). With a passion for Aboriginal education, Anthony has lived and worked in a variety of remote educational contexts across the Northern Territory and Western Australia, Prior to joining Mannix, Anthony taught at Wesley College’s residential campus in Clunes as a House and Curriculum Leader and has held a range of leadership roles in education, including: Acting Principal, Assistant Principal, Director of Boarding and Indigenous Workforce Learning Coordinator. Anthony is a graduate of the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute and has researched the impacts of positive behaviour and gratitude practices in residential environments.

Annie and Anthony have experience living and leading within university residential colleges and are passionate about developing student leaders. During their university studies, Anthony was the Student President of St Mary’s College at The University of Melbourne whilst Annie was a Resident Assistant at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, USA.

Annie and Anthony are looking forward with enthusiasm to embracing all aspects of College life, and to working with students, staff and stakeholders to help the College to offer the best all-around educational experience possible.

The Principal of the College, Andrew Swan, said that Annie and Anthony’s commitment to working with students and to creating the best possible opportunities for them, combined with their warm and friendly approach, were very impressive.

“Mannix is very fortunate to welcome such passionate and experienced educators and leaders to these new and exciting roles. Our community is looking forward with enthusiasm to Annie and Anthony joining us soon and to the leadership they will provide in all areas of Mannix life”, he said.

About Annie McGuire

Annie was raised and educated in the Northeast of the United States in the state of Massachusetts where her family maintains the family property.

Annie undergraduate education was in Politics with a minor in French at Saint Anselm College. She was a Resident Assistant for her third year of university and was also elected to the Student Government Association in her final year.

Receiving her Master’s of Education from the University of Massachusetts, Annie commenced her teaching career north of Boston and quickly found herself leading pastorally, academically and on the athletics fields at Masconomet Regional High School.

Migrating twice to Australia – Annie followed her passions around wellbeing and leadership – becoming Head of Middle School at St Leonard’s College. During this time she undertook the NESLI Women’s Leadership Course which centred on adaptive leadership.

Following her passion for student wellbeing Annie has undertaken qualifications in Restorative Practices, Mindfulness as well as completing her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training course.
As Deputy Principal, Annie worked to develop the teaching staff at OLSH College Bentleigh and provided a presentation for the Leadership Exchange ‘Building Teacher Capacity’. She also collaborated with Coaching Focus’s Janine Stratford on creating a forum for schools to share their learning, questions and concerns as the state of Victoria entered their first series of lockdowns in 2020.

Annie enjoys a run, yoga and good coffee. She and her family – husband Chris, daughters Caroline and Katie, stepson Harry and stepdaughter Chloe are excited to join the Mannix community – as is their Border Collie – Joe.

About Anthony Stephens

Hailing from a potato farm in country Victoria, Anthony is a former resident and Students’ Society President of St Mary’s College at the University of Melbourne and understands the challenges students may face in their transition to tertiary life, alongside an appreciation for the rewards and benefits that a College experience offers.

With a passion for Aboriginal education, Anthony has lived and worked in a variety of remote contexts across the Northern Territory and Western Australia and in regional Victoria. He has held a range of leadership roles, including Acting Principal, Assistant Principal, Director of Boarding and Indigenous Workforce Learning Coordinator. As Residential Boarding Master at Ballarat Grammar School, he lived on-site and provided after-hours leadership to students and staff. Prior to joining Mannix, Anthony taught at Wesley College’s residential campus in Clunes as a House and Curriculum Leader.

Anthony holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Melbourne, a Diploma of Education, and has completed further studies in Arts (Theology). Anthony is a graduate of the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute, where he researched and applied the principles of mentoring and coaching inherent in teaching and learning in addition to the culture of positive leadership and influence. More recently, Anthony has researched the impacts of positive behaviour and gratitude practices in residential environments, and has a special interest in the positive psychology of growth mindsets.

Anthony is a classically trained pianist, tennis and racquet sports enthusiast, lover of Vietnamese cuisine and live music.