Mark Reeves

Mark is the founding Principal of The School for Student Leadership (The Alpine School). Since 1999 the school has expanded from one to four campuses. It has conducted international programs operating programs in Guangdong Province, China in a partnership with Utahloy International School.

Mark has worked with Catholic, Independent and Government schools, local government, and private industry in his career spanning 35 years. As well as academic studies at Melbourne University and Phillip Institute of Technology, his technical outdoor training and qualifications are from the National Mountaineering School, Nth Wales, UK.

Mark received a Churchill Fellowship in 2010 and researched contemporary educational responses to the adolescent rite of passage and received a Citation from the Gippsland Chapter of ACE for developing and running programs that enhance physical development, wellbeing, and self-esteem. Mark has published and contributed to titles including Surviving, Thriving and Reviving in Adolescence (Springer pub. 2016). He became a Fellow of the Australian College of Educational Leadership in 2015 for outstanding contribution to the study and practice of educational leadership. He has been a local government politician in East Gippsland Shire (2012-2024), and Mayor 2013-2014, 2021-2023 and continues to pursue a social-justice cause in regional Victoria. He was awarded the title Mayor Emeritus by MAV in October 2023. Mark was elected Chair of One-Gippsland in February 2023. Mark was the Labor candidate for Gippsland East at the 2018 State Elections. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has a current ABRS registration. Throughout Mark’s career, there has been a desire for continuous learning and curiosity to improve demonstrated by a regularly expanding suite of qualifications and experiences.

Mark surfs and enjoys riding and maintaining a small collection of desirable Italian motorcycles. Mark and his wife Alice successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in August 2023, a long-term personal goal. In all these endeavours Mark has enjoyed the support of his wife, Alice Hesse, and their children Tom and Ya. Both were well educated in local government schools, have university qualifications and professional careers, with Ya a published author.