Melinda Farrell, Chief Executive Officer
Meet the Delta Institute Team
Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.)
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Melinda joined the Delta Institute and Delta Therapy Dogs in 2019 as its Chief Executive Officer and has been at the forefront of transformative change for the two organisations. The role of CEO plays a key role in developing the synergy of both organisations and Melinda brings with her over a decade of leadership experience in the not-for-profit community sector.
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Melinda has a proven track record of leading growth in an organisation, fundraising and corporate partnerships; all with a commitment to quality of service for the community and stakeholders.
Robyn Paikin, RTO Operations & Compliance Manager
Cert IV in Training and Assessment TAE 40116, Diploma of Human Resources, Bachelor of Arts (Organisational Psychology & English)
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As a training professional with over 10 years’ experience in adult education, Robyn is dedicated to contributing to the personal and professional growth of others, and to having a positive influence on their learning journey and career success. With a commitment to operational excellence, Robyn is focused on providing an outstanding student experience, robust learning outcomes, and high value training. Robyn has a gorgeous Moodle called Ollie whom she loves to bits! She enjoys fun and laughter with family and friends, trying new restaurants, and bakes a killer cheesecake!
Lila Tillman, RTO Academic & Operations Coordinator
Lila is responsible for coordinating the Certificate IV course and Membership areas of the Delta Institute. She has a background in media archiving, and a passion for research and continuing education. She has a cat named Max and also fosters cats.
Michelle Taylor, RTO Customer Services Coordinator
Michelle has an extensive career in customer services in both Australia and the UK across the retail, hospitality and banking sectors.
Tracey Taylor, Trainer & Assessor
BSc Animal Behaviour (U Adelaide), Cert IV in Companion Animal Services (Delta), Cert IV in Training & Assessment (TAFE SA), Fear Free™ certification (L1/L2 Kittens and Puppies & Trainer levels), Delta Therapy Dogs Assessor for SA, DCMB approved Green Collar Assessor (greyhounds).
Tracey’s earlier career was in the marketing, communications and fundraising areas that lead her to roles at the RSPCA SA and AWL SA. She saw first-hand the devastating effects people can have on animals. She decided there must be a better way to teach people how to kindly, respectfully and safely interact with the animals in their care - and so she found Delta and started as trainer in 2016.
Alison Campbell, Trainer & Assessor
BNatSc Animal Science (WSU), Cert IV Training & Assessment (TAFE NSW), Cert IV Companion Animal Services (Delta),
Cert IV Veterinary Nursing (TAFE NSW).
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​Alison started her career in the animal industry back in 2008 and found her passion for animal behaviour and training during this time. She wanted to be able to positively educate pet owners about animal behaviour and how people should be interacting with their pets. This led her to study with the Delta Institute and become a trainer and assessor when invited to join the Delta team.
Izabela Lisiecka, Trainer & Assessor
Izabela has years of experience in training and assessment in non-profit and government organisations - working with people from all walks of life and all levels of education. With a passion for training (both humans and dogs) and a drive for developing innovative learning experiences, her training sessions are informative and practical.
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Izabela is also a graduate of the Delta Institute and a professional member of The Australian Delta Society, the Pet Professional Guild, and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. She is committed to providing the most ethical, fear-free solutions to her clients’ dog training needs.
As part of her work, she avidly pursues ongoing education by regularly attending professional development workshops and keeping current on all industry literature.
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When not helping students achieve their goals and clients to enjoy better lives with their canine companions, Izabela spends time volunteering at the local animal shelter, in nature with her own four-legged friend: Major(boy) and living her tiny house dream.
Kate Denman, Trainer & Assessor
Cert IV Companion Animal Services (Delta Institute), Cert IV Training & Assessment, Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, Diploma Dog Behaviour Consulting (Dognostics), Fear Free™ certification, Delta Therapy Dogs assessor, MindDog psychiatric assistance dog trainer, state government certified greyhound green collar assessor, Bachelor of Arts in Politics and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
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Kate’s passion is private consultations for the ‘difficult’ dogs; working closely with the guardian to identify and resolve issues through ethical, science-based behaviour modification, training and management. Kate also spent four years as the Head Instructor at Canine Behavioural School, Adelaide’s largest force-free dog training school, staffed entirely by volunteers.
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Kate is owned and (hopefully!) loved by Alaska, the blue heeler cross, and Wiscy (Wisconsin) the koolie, both of whom have given her an insight into undesirable behaviour. In a former life she was a police officer and then a government media/communications adviser but investigating and resolving her dogs’ training issues led her to pursue dog training as a career.
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Kate is committed to ongoing education and regularly attends workshops and conferences. In addition to her qualifications, she has completed Dr Susan Friedman’s Living and Learning with Animals and Karolina Westlund/Illis ABC’s Advanced Animal Training course (on scholarship). She is a member of the Delta Institute, the Pet Professional Guild Australia, and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia.
Ana Goncalves Costa, Trainer & Assessor
PhD Candidate (University of Adelaide), BIntSt BIntBus, Hons (Animal Science), Cert IV Animal Companion Services (Delta), Cert IV Training and Assessment.
Ana believes it is a privilege to share our lives with animals and therefore our responsibility to ensure we have the skills and knowledge to allow them to thrive in our care. For those of us lucky enough to work in this industry, our role is to decrease the friction between animals and the home in which they live. We are their professional advocates.
Ana has spent the last four years completing her PhD on puppy development and researching the experience of puppy raising and is currently working at the University of Adelaide and Pawly Understood (a veterinary behaviour clinic) as an educator and rehabilitation trainer. She has previously worked for the RSPCA and spoken at animal behaviour conferences worldwide. She is passionate about education and is committed to creating force-free and safe learning environments for both human and furry learners.
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For those interested, Ana’s published research can be found here : https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1459-456X
Rimini Quinn, Guest Presenter
Dr Rimini Quinn is a Veterinarian and Principal of Kind Animal Behaviour Services, a Veterinary Behaviour Clinic in South East Queensland. Having graduated with honours from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science, Rimini worked in small animal Veterinary practice for over 20 years.
Her work includes experience with rescue and welfare organisations, which is a lifelong passion along with Animal Behaviour. Interest in Behaviour and Welfare lead to further study and Membership with the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in 2016. Rimini volunteers her time for the worthwhile endeavours of Pets in the Park and the Animal Care Committee for the local refuge. She lives with her human family and a dozen animals – cats, ducks, rats, bantams and a very special Papillon.