Dear Parents, Staff, Collegians and Friends of the Methodist Ladies’ College Community,
On behalf of the Methodist Ladies’ College Council, it is my great pleasure to announce that Ms Rebecca Clarke will be the next Principal of Methodist Ladies’ College, commencing in January 2023.
Rebecca is a highly experienced educational leader and is currently the Principal of Walford Anglican School for Girls. Walford is a leading Pre-Primary to Year 12 Day/Boarding School in Adelaide known for its longstanding commitment to educating its young women, with a focus on courage and compassion within an inclusive environment. Rebecca has led Walford for the past nine years and has been actively engaged in all aspects of the Walford community. Prior to leading Walford, Rebecca held the position of Deputy Principal at Woodcroft College, one of South Australia’s largest, independent co-educational schools.
As a passionate advocate for girls’ education, Rebecca has a track record of empowering her staff and students, bringing a strong relational approach to her leadership and we expect she will bring a future-focused vision for MLC. Her deep commitment to creating a community in which everyone feels a sense of belonging was evident, not only during the time members of the MLC College Council have spent with Rebecca during the recruitment process, but also in the feedback we received about her through this process.
Rebecca currently serves on two University of Adelaide Advisory Boards, in addition to holding positions on the Association of Independent Schools’ Board of South Australia (AISSA), and the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) for which she is the South Australian Branch Chair. Rebecca also serves on the board of Resthaven, one of South Australia’s largest not-for-profit aged care community service providers affiliated with the Uniting Church.
Rebecca has a Bachelor of Education and a Masters in Education Leadership (Flinders University), a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (Adelaide University) and an Executive Course Certificate in leading High Performing Teams (Cambridge Business School). As a finalist in the Telstra Business awards, and recently awarded the Educational Leadership Medal by the Australian Council of Educational Leaders, Rebecca has been widely recognised for her capability and continuous learning.
Rebecca’s interests embrace the Arts, literature and various social impact enterprises and she is also furthering her skills in golf. She is married to James Pyke, and they, along with their youngest child, Thomas, are looking forward to fully immersing themselves in the MLC community. Their move to WA also brings them closer to family based here in Perth.
Your College Council is delighted that Rebecca has accepted the role as our next Principal and looks forward to supporting her leadership of our College and engagement with the College community. As we farewell Dr Perry later this year, we do so with confidence that we have appointed an experienced Principal to lead the College into the future and Dr Perry will work with Rebecca to ensure a smooth and effective transition for our students and wider College community.
The Council has every confidence that the College Leadership team, and all staff, will join with students, families, and the whole MLC community in extending a very warm welcome to Rebecca, James and their family when they join us for the start of 2023.
Yours faithfully,
Mr Nick Henry
Chairman