Catherine Shaw (previously Oehlman) is the founding Head of The Nature School. She was a finalist in the 2021 and 2023 Australian Education Awards (Primary Principal of the Year). Catherine has received a National Award for Services to Outdoor Education Australia, and was recently announced as the most Outstanding Business Leader in the Port Macquarie Region.
Catherine is an accomplished educator, writer, poet, and self-confessed bird nerd. During the last twenty years, she has taught across almost all grades and contributed to English Syllabus development in NSW. Catherine also writes for a range of publications online and off, and presents regularly at conferences. She advocates for the use of quality Australian literature and has an enormous collection of nature-related books. She is passionate about Australian wildlife and habitats, and believes education about our unique endemic species is key to their protection and survival.
When she isn't writing about teaching or teaching about writing, Catherine is probably bushwalking with her two teenagers or chasing endangered Swift parrots with her camera and photographer husband.
Karen Marlin joined the Executive Team in 2019 as our inaugural Business Manager – and we’d be lost without her! Karen holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is an experienced CPA in the education sector. For the past 18 years she has worked in Independent Schools in NSW. In addition to roles such as Head of Finance of a large school, Karen was instrumental in starting two new schools for Indigenous students on the Central Coast. This involved funding, registration, community engagement, land acquisition and Council DAs.
She has served as a member of the Association of School Business Administrators (ASBA) National Conference Committee, and is currently the ASBA Regional Chair for the Mid North Coast. She has vast experience in strategic planning, financial management, government funding, risk and compliance, grant applications, IT system implementation, recruitment and HR, and financial modelling for multimillion dollar educational buildings. Karen’s skills and experience are invaluable as we grow The Nature School.
A country girl at heart, the move to Port Macquarie has allowed Karen and her family to return to a more relaxed lifestyle out of the city.
