The Chief Executive/Chief Review Officer and Deputy Chief Executives make up the Leadership Team.
Tim Fowler - Acting Chief Executive and Chief Review Officer
Tim Fowler is ERO's Acting Chief Review Officer (CRO) and Chief Executive.
Tim has been seconded to us from the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), where he has been Chief Executive since April 2013. Prior to TEC, Tim was Deputy Chief Executive, Quality Assurance at the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
Tim has held international and management positions in Australia and New Zealand in both the private and university sectors after starting his career in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Deborah Wood - Deputy Chief Executive Review and Improvement services Māori
Deborah leads a cross-functional team supporting the best outcomes for Māori learners across the education system. This team focuses on evaluation that supports quality education for learners and their whānau, while growing what the system understands about kaupapa Māori, te reo Māori and te ao Māori to benefit all learners.
Deborah arrived at ERO in 2017 after a lengthy career as a teacher and a leader in both primary and secondary education. Joining ERO first as a Review Officer, before becoming manager of Research and Rangahau Māori where she led foundational research relating to te reo Māori and Māori learner success, and evaluated external agencies work to drive improved decision making. While her time as Acting Deputy Chief Executive Review and Improvement Services enabled Deborah to focus on ERO’s evaluation approaches to drive improved outcomes for learners in English-medium education.
Deborah has a relentless focus on ensuring quality education for all tamariki and mokopuna, so they have equal opportunities to learn and thrive in inclusive environments. She has a Bachelor of Education and Master of Education with honours.
Jeremy France - Deputy Chief Executive Corporate Services
Jeremy leads the Corporate Services Group. Jeremy joined ERO as the Manager Human Resources and was then appointed to the current role which has allowed him to gain a wide range of knowledge and experience while working with the expert practitioners in the group.
One of the key foci is on modernising our systems and equipment to support our work.
Shelley Booysen – Deputy Chief Executive: Review and Improvement Services
As Deputy Chief Executive of the Review and Improvement Services group, Shelley is responsible for our programme of review and evaluation in English-medium early childhood education and school settings, ensuring that our engagement with the sector drives improved outcomes for all learners.
Shelley has held various leadership roles at ERO over the past 20 years, following a career as a secondary school teacher, senior leader, and principal in New Zealand schools.
Shelley is committed to supporting early childhood education services and schools to focus on what matters most for learners, lifting education outcomes for every child in every community.
Carolyn Palmer – Deputy Chief Executive: Performance and Implementation
Carolyn joined ERO in 2025 bringing with her a wealth of public sector experience. She has held senior roles with New Zealand Treasury, Te Whatu Ora and most recently with the Ministry of Social Development as Director – Office of the DCE - Strategy and Insights. Carolyn holds a PhD in public finance from Victoria University.
Carolyn sees equity and excellence in education outcomes as key enablers for improving the social and economic wellbeing of New Zealanders.
Deborah Platts-Fowler – Acting Deputy Chief Executive Evaluation and Policy
Deborah leads ERO’s Education Evaluation Centre | Te Ihuwaka, delivering independent national research and evaluation to strengthen decision‑making and improve outcomes across Aotearoa New Zealand’s education system. She is an experienced research and evaluation leader with a career spanning senior roles in government, higher education, and applied research in New Zealand and internationally. Deborah brings deep expertise in leading large, mixed‑methods programmes that generate decision‑ready insights to inform policy and system improvement.
Deborah has worked across policy, delivery and community contexts, supporting informed decision‑making in complex and sensitive systems. She leads multidisciplinary teams to ensure evidence is robust, timely and focused on what will make the biggest difference for learners and the education system.
She is passionate about using evidence to make a real difference for children and young people, their families and communities, bringing together rigorous methods, ethical practice and a strong focus on impact to support meaningful change.