Our People
Matt Linn
School Partnerships Executive
In 2023, Matt joined Janison Assessments and AAS, bringing a wealth of educational expertise garnered from leadership roles within the Department of Education, South Australia, and significant teaching and administrative positions across South Australian schools. Notably, as the Head of Parndana Campus, Matt played a key role in Kangaroo Island Community Education’s three consecutive wins of Australia’s Regional School of the Year at the Australian Education Awards. His career reflects a deep commitment to understanding and addressing the diverse needs of educational institutions. Passionate about cultivating positive school partnerships, Matt focuses on empowering school communities for growth, emphasising collaboration, and innovation in the pursuit of educational excellence.
Chris McNamara
School Partnerships Executive
Chris has worked in schools for 30 years with the last 20 in both local and international leadership positions. Chris’ background has fostered in him a passion for giving every student the opportunity to progress, as well as first-hand experience working with AAS Placement tests. Chris joined Janison Assessments and AAS in 2024 after finishing his role as Vice Principal of Geelong Grammar School. His breadth of experience offers AAS schools in Victoria and across the whole of Australia, deep insight and understanding of the student data used to unlock their academic potential.
Nick Connolly
Head of Analysis & Reporting
Nick has a wide range of expertise in the theory and the practice of tests and test data. He has worked on a wide range of assessments including NAPLAN and PISA. He has also run major assessment research projects such as the National Assessment Project – Science Literacy. Nick routinely provides expert advice to external organisations who are developing their own assessments. His interests include effective use of item metadata to develop richer assessment reporting.
Tracey Ralston
Head of Exam Management
Tracey has been taking care of the key administrative tasks for Academic Assessment Services since 2009. She plans the entire testing calendar for the year, ensures that we have enough team members to administer the tests, refines and manages the process for delivering results to our schools, and manages many other tasks that help us to effectively deliver our services. In addition to her vital administration skills, she also helps to maintain the important relationships we have with our schools.
Kerry Tremaine
Head of Assessment Content
Kerry is an assessment expert with extensive experience managing assessment development projects both in Australia and internationally. She comes from a teaching background spanning some 20 years. Kerry and her team of curriculum experts are motivated by a desire to create assessments that are engaging, challenging and enlightening for students and which provide teachers and school leaders with the data they need to meet the individual learning needs of every student.
Matt Simpson
Manager, Learning Analytics
Matt works as Manager, Learning Analytics within the Janison Assessments AAS team, with a focus on PSAM. Moving from his previous Janison role in the NAPLAN online team, Matt now works directly with senior secondary schools using the PSAM system to help them uncover important insights from their data. Before working for Janison, Matt spent 20 years working in secondary education for numerous independent schools across the eastern seaboard. He is passionate about empowering educators to capitalise on the data available to them to inform discussions and plan for educational improvement.
