Our Board
Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project - Board of Directors
Adam Furphy - Chair
After completing a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at RMIT Adam returned to Shepparton. He is currently the Managing Director of J. Furphy & Sons a Shepparton-based business established in 1864. He has a strong interest in regional education and is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE and is the past Chairman of the LaTrobe University Shepparton Campus Regional Advisory Board. Adam is a current member of the LaTrobe University Council, a member of the Shepparton Art Museum Foundation Board, a Trustee of the Shepparton Mechanic’s Institute, a member of the Board of Directors of the Galvanizing Association of Australia, and a member of the Weld Australia Council. Adam commenced as Chair when the Board was established in 2012.
Ross McPherson - Director
Ross is the fourth generation of the McPherson family to lead McPherson Media Group, which has published The Shepparton News and other local papers since 1888. Before joining the family company Ross worked as a journalist and practiced as a commercial lawyer and remains Editor-in-Chief of the group’s newspapers. He is the past president of the International News Media Association, a former deputy chairman of SPC Ltd, and a former deputy chancellor at the University of Melbourne. Among many industry and community engagements, Ross is a director of Youthrive, a trustee of the Goulburn Valley Health Foundation, and a patron of Fairley Leadership.
Elizabeth Capp - Director
Elizabeth has been Head of Campus at La Trobe University, Shepparton since November 2018. A leader with over 20 years of experience in university management, she has held a range of faculty and central division management roles at Melbourne, Monash, and La Trobe universities, and has worked in academic program management, student services, faculty management, human resources, and community engagement. She is passionate about widening higher education participation and supporting local students to succeed at university. Elizabeth is a member of the Greater Shepparton Secondary College Council; Goulburn Regional Partnership; Goulburn Murray Resilience Taskforce; and the Furphy Literary Award Advisory Board.
Mohammed Yassin - Director
Mohammed is an ex-refugee, from Iraq, who lived in Iran and Syria before settling in Shepparton at the age of 18. Academically, he completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Melbourne and works in the field of cancer research for several years. He is the founder of Culture and Co. which provides cultural consulting and training services to government, not-for-profit and corporate. He also serves as a Board member and the Secretary of the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria, is a member of the Inner-Metro Metropolitan Partnership and is a Project Lead at Spectrum MRC whose focus is delivering services to migrants and refugees. Mohammed is a former Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
Rob Francis - Board Member
Rob is the Executive Director, North Area for the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS), working across the Hume and Loddon Mallee regions. He joined Corrections Victoria in 2008, working on Drug and Alcohol policy and then as a Department Liaison Officer, for the Minister for Police, Emergency Management and Corrections later continuing his career with Corrections Victoria in a number of strategic. Rob is passionate about working with stakeholders and disadvantaged groups, particularly working with communities to reduce the number of people in contact with the criminal justice system. Rob has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons), a Bachelor of Social Work, a postgraduate certificate in Substance Abuse Studies and is an alumnus of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.
Anna Agati - Treasurer
Anna is a Shepparton local who has a Bachelor of Business (Accounting)/Bachelor of Applied Science (Computing) from LaTrobe University and a Graduate Diploma of Data Science from Monash University. She is the Manager at Shepparton-based firm, Sofra Partners Chartered Accountants.
Amy Robinson - GSLP Executive Officer
Educated at Notre Dame College, Amy pursued a career in hospitality and at 19, she purchased and ran a restaurant before being appointed as manager of catering operations of the Nagambie Lakes Leisure Park. After completing a degree in Business Management and further studies in Training and Assessment, Amy joined Berry Street in 2012. As manager of the regional arm of the Registered Training Organisation, Amy oversaw the delivery of accredited training to at-risk youth in the Seymour and Shepparton communities. Amy commenced with GSLP in 2018 in the role of Coordinator of Secondary Education and Innovation and has led several co-designed community initiatives that promote engagement in secondary school and assist with transitioning to work or further study. Amy commenced in the role of GSLP, EO in March 2022.