Board of Directors

The STEPS Board of Directors

Seated (l-r): Amber Bean; Susan Everson; Gundars Simsons
Standing (l-r): Dr. Trevor Dix; Peter Marmion (Chair); Rob Banfield (Deputy Chair); Steve Davis.

Amber Bean

Amber is a retired teacher, having had 35 years experience with the Department of Education teaching children with special needs.

Amber was involved with the steering committee group which brought the first community Bendigo Bank to Tasmania at Geeveston and Dover, and served as one of the initial Directors on the bank’s board.

Now Amber’s time is spent working with local charities and groups, and as a volunteer driver for Red Cross.

Amber has been a Director on the board of STEPS since 2001.

Gundars Simsons

Gundars served 38 years in the Education Department, 27 as a school principal. He has had experience in a variety of director roles ranging from family companies, a privately owned food wholesaler, and 7 years as chairman of a board that owned a large shopping centre in Hobart. He has undertaken leadership roles within the Lutheran Church in Tasmania, and is currently Principal of Eastside Lutheran College in Hobart, and thus, as he says, “CEO of a not for profit organisation”.

He has been a Director of STEPS since 2005.

“I am enjoying the congruence of purpose in my current roles. I believe not for profit organisations have a critical role to play in improving how societies care for the disadvantaged. Organisations as ethical, effective and well managed as STEPS will have a growing role and I can say with genuine pride that I consider it an honour to serve as a Director on the board.”

Steve Davis

Steve Davis is currently retired from having worked in the forest industry from 1970 – 2008. A 38 year career in forestry involved the planning of forests in the North West of Tasmania, research of Blackwood and temperate rainforests, development of geographic mapping systems within Forestry Tasmania and the State Government, and the development of peeling processes associated with regrowth eucalypt timbers.

His involvement in the local community included local government natural resource management processes, healthy rivers and tourism committees and projects with local schools at Franklin and Geeveston.

His most recent role was that of Forest Manager, involved in land management of State Forests south of Hobart, management of tourism and the Tahune Forest AirWalk, management of Island Specialty Timbers business, and a director on the board of the Forest and Heritage Centre at Geeveston.

Steve has been a Director of STEPS since 2001

Robert Banfield

Robert Banfield has lived in the lower Huon Valley for 12 years and is currently Principal at Huonville Primary School. He has lived in many parts of regional Tasmania and brings a management, learning, and social focus orientation to his role as a Director.

He is keen and pleased to provide some voluntary effort to STEPS as a sound community organisation that can and has made real positive differences to Tasmanian life. Rob sees the board as a diverse team supporting a much larger, skilled diverse STEPS team. He is keen to continue his involvement with STEPS in a forward-focussed, creative, strategic and energetic manner.

Rob has been a Director of STEPS since 2001.

Susan Everson

Susan spent the last 25 years of her professional life as Faculty Manager at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, which is part of Edith Cowan University. Her special interests in the workplace included equity issues and the establishment of a system of contact officers to combat harassment in the workplace. She also strongly supported and fostered the introduction of Aboriginal performing arts courses.

Susan says she has found, in STEPS, an organisation committed to the welfare of others and says she finds every aspect of her involvement as a board member “exciting and immensely satisfying”.

Susan has been a Director of STEPS since 2005.

Dr. Trevor Dix

Trevor has a BSc Hons, PhD and post-doctoral studies in marine biology, and is currently co-director of the international consultancy, Indo-Pacific Aquaculture. Prior to this he has enjoyed a multi-faceted involvement in marine biology and aquaculture, ranging from pure research to a 15-year stint as General Manager, Marine Operations at Tassal Ltd.

Trevor has some 40 learned publications to his name and undertakes consultancies in aquaculture across Australia and internationally. He has also managed to find “spare”time to enjoy hobby farming, property investment, building and joinery, landscaping and gardening, walking, sea fishing and snorkelling.

Trevor has been a Director of STEPS since 2001.

Peter Marmion

Peter is Principal of Lansdowne Crescent Primary School in West Hobart. He has been with the Department of Education for 33 years in positions throughout Tasmania, and has also worked in tourism, hospitality, manufacturing and fishing industries. He is a member of the Learning Services South School Improvement Board, the Huon LINC board, and the board of Fourth Sector Enterprises Pty Ltd.

Peter is a proud member of STEPS board as he strongly believes that education and training, employment, and quality housing all play a vital role in bringing about a sense of self-worth, dignity and security for all members of our community.

Peter has been a Director of STEPS since 1993, and Chairman since 1997.

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