The team behind SmartLab

Education Support Programmes commenced operations in 1995. Since that time the company has become an industry leader in providing educational programs for students. Following its success and strong reputation gained in preparing students for the Core Skills Test, Education Support Programmes has gone on to establish itself as a premier provider of quality literacy and numeracy workbooks.

With the changes to online literacy and numeracy testing, Education Support Programmes has now turned its focus on assisting students in this important area. Our online preparation resources will go beyond just familiarising students with online testing to providing a teaching tool for students to improve on possible areas of weakness with additional practice and solutions. We feel confident students and teachers are going to benefit from these excellent resources.

Brian Lewis
Founder

Brian’s qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Education Administration, Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Arts. Brian has lectured at the University of Queensland and the Australian Catholic University in teacher preparation. He has also held senior positions including Head of School, Dean of Students and Senior Year Master in one of Queensland’s prestigious colleges.

David Lewis
Founder and Director

David’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Law (Honours) and a Bachelor of Accounting (Distinction) from the Queensland University of Technology. David is also an Academic at the Queensland University of Technology, has sat on multiple boards at Queensland University of Technology and has practiced law at one of Australia’s largest national law firms.

JJ Taylor
UI Designer and Operations

JJ holds a Diploma of Graphic Design, a Bachelor of Business Management and a Bachelor of Creative Industries from the Queensland University of Technology. JJ specialises in user interaction design, video animation and graphic content for modules and tutorials.

Dr John Rex-Thew
Mathematics Content Lead

John holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (Mathematics), a Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons) and a Bachelor of Mathematics. John has spent the past 10 years working as an Academic holding lecturing and lead tutor positions at the Queensland University of Technology and the University of the Sunshine Coast. John has also performed in the role of assistant coordinator (associate lecturer) for the mathematical branch of STIMulate, QUT’s award winning student support program. John specialises in resource development including how to integrate technology with traditional learning resources.

Nathan Collins
Literacy Content Lead

Nathan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, which has influenced his extensive experience within schools across the world. He has taught at the Primary and Secondary level in public schools, and across all ages in language centres. He has also been a teacher and examiner for IELTS, an internationally recognised qualification concerning the English Language.

Jaime John
Science Content Lead

Jaime holds a Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science), a Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary – Mathematics and Science), and a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science. Jaime has been teaching since 2012 in both public and independent secondary schools, covering a wide range of subjects in junior and senior Science and Mathematics. Jaime has also been involved in school leadership, contributing to curriculum and resource development, with a particular focus on creating engaging and accessible learning materials.

Rebecca Halliday
HASS Content Lead

Zarah Heyworth
Science Content Specialist

Zarah holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Science) from the University of Queensland, a Bachelor of Science Advanced (Honours) from Monash University, and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching from the University of Waikato. Zarah has experience teaching Years 7–13 Science in New Zealand schools, developing curriculum-aligned programmes across a broad range of science disciplines.

Justin Hanes
Product Adviser

Justin’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Family Studies as well as a Master of Business Administration degree.   Justin has been in education for over a decade, primarily focusing on teaching English as a foreign language. Justin holds a TEFL certification and an Advanced TESOL certification, which have enabled him to teach English to children and adults in many different countries.

Chris Owens
Web Platform Developer

Chris Owens is a senior software engineer with more than 10 years of experience developing cloud-based applications and enterprise software solutions. Holding a Bachelor of IT with Distinction from Central Queensland University, Chris’ expertise spans cloud architecture, software development, and modern web technologies.

Peter Spence
Numeracy Specialist

Peter’s qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in Arts with a double major in English and Mathematics, a Bachelor of Education, a Graduate Diploma in Religious Education and further study in personal and career counseling. Peter has taught for many years in Queensland and New South Wales holding senior positions including Assistant to the Principal, Head of Department in Mathematics, Religious Education and Learning Skills.

Sharelle Spence
Literacy Specialist

Sharelle holds a Certificate of Teaching, Diploma of Teaching and Graduated Diploma of Early Childhood. Sharelle provides specialist experience in providing support for students of low levels of literacy. Sharelle also has significant experience supporting students and adults who have English as their second language or dialogue.

David Golden
Web Platform Developer

David Golden is a full stack Web Developer with over 16 years experience. David is a technical specialist of SmartLab and has significant experience in learning applications for schools and students.

Jamie Burke
Video Designer

Jamie is a video designer with extensive experience in 2D animation and video design. Jamie is responsible for the engaging tutorial videos across SmartLab.

Kiberly de Veza
Graphic Designer

Kiberly is a graphic designer with extensive experience in web-based graphic design. Kiberly is responsible for the creative graphic content and illustrations for modules and tutorials.

Bilal Zahoor
Content Assistant

Bilal works with the content team to bring the tutorials to life on SmartLab. This includes inputting the questions and creating interactive effects including dropdowns, drag and drop and word selection tools.

Jessica Mariz
Graphic Designer

Jess is a graphic designer with extensive experience in web-based graphic design. Jess is responsible for the creative graphic content and illustrations for modules and tutorials.

Mikee Aranjuez
Graphic Designer

Mikee is a graphic designer with extensive experience in web-based graphic design. Mikee is responsible for the creative graphic content and illustrations for modules and tutorials.