Mel Comerford
Chief Doer of Hard Things
director & founder
Years in the ECEC sector
Years since founding Astute Early Years Specialists
Times a week says "You can do hard things"
(Fun Fact: Across the year that is 1768 times!)
35 years of doing the hard work, asking the big questions and never losing sight of what it’s all about — the children.
Mel is the founder of Astute and one of Australia’s most experienced early childhood leaders. With more than 25 years in the sector, she has built her career on a simple belief — that every child deserves high-quality education and care, and that the people who deliver it deserve just as much support.
Before founding Astute, Mel spent a decade in senior executive roles at Goodstart Early Learning and C&K Association Limited — together delivering exceptional education and care to more than 100,000 children nationally. As National Manager Professional Capability at Goodstart, she led qualifications for 1,500+ students and professional development for 15,000 employees. As COO and Acting CEO at C&K, she managed the opening of 100+ services on Queensland school sites and held responsibility for a $75M+ budget and 1,200 employees.
Mel has deep experience working with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities, Commonwealth and State government departments and Ministers — and has completed study tours to Reggio Emilia in Italy and New Zealand, because great leaders never stop learning.
First and foremost, Mel is a mum to four pretty cool adult children and married to Mike — high school teacher and self-described mountain biking obsessive. She’s a foodie, a Pilates and bushwalking enthusiast and someone who genuinely walks the talk when it comes to lifelong learning.
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