Meet The ERA Team

Dr. Melissa Arkinstall is the leader of our sports science team that delivers specialised services in sports education, testing and coaching. Melissa completed her Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement) at RMIT University in Melbourne and has a PhD, specialising in Exercise Physiology. Melissa’s research has been presented nationally and internationally with numerous papers published in international journals of high regard.

Melissa is a key author of the VCE PE text book published by Macmillan Education Australia. Her expertise includes areas such as applied sports physiology, sports testing, and endurance training. Melissa is a member of the Advisory Board for La Trobe University’s Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Research Focus Area and also the National Accreditation Committee (NAC) for Sports Science in Australia, responsible for quality assurance adherence of sports institutes in this country. More recently, Melissa has accepted an appointment with Fitness Australia as a member of the Australian Fitness Industry Standards Council.

Simon has managed training teams in both corporate environments and in the not-for-profit sector, managing large scale training projects and smaller scale accredited training for several different RTOs.  Simon’s experience in Learning and Development roles has included working across different regional areas of Victoria and Tasmania and targeting training to suit complex stakeholder requirements with training interventions executed across all levels of business, from the operational workforce through to the executive management team.

Simon holds a Masters of Business Administration, a Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Leadership and Management and a Certificate IV in Training & Assessment.

Jo joined the ERA team in 2019. She began her career in the ski and surf industry which then led to her working in the Finance and Energy industries.

She loves to connect with people of all ages, diverse backgrounds and different interests.  Jo prides herself on delivering an exceptional level of customer service.

Adrienne is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who joined the ERA team at the start of 2016. Adrienne completed her Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement) and then went on to complete her Masters of Clinical Exercise Physiology at Deakin University. She has had experience working in private practice, GP clinics, aged care, community settings and sporting clubs. To complement her current position as an educator at ERA, Adrienne also practices as an AEP privately in both Malvern and Port Melbourne.

Adrienne has had experience working with a diverse range of conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, respiratory, musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. She has a particular interest in women’s health, weight management, metabolic conditions, and developing and implementing group exercise programs.

Adrienne is a passionate Exercise Physiologist and is excited to be sharing her knowledge with ERA students. During her spare time, she has great enthusiasm for swimming, hiking and the great outdoors!

Leanne joins ERA with over 8 years of Quality and Compliance knowledge and experience within the VET sector.  She has worked in administrative and senior management roles for small and large training providers that provided both Victorian and National training programs.

Leanne is tenacious and determined! She has recently joined our Exercise & Rehabilitation clinic and is going to be the next Lara Croft!

Nathan joined the ERA team in 2018 from the University sector where he built his experience in student placement coordination. After completing a Bachelor of Business Management/Sport and Recreation Management at Victoria University he worked in a number of different administrative and management roles in Australia, as well as internationally in Austin (USA) and Berlin (Germany).

Nathan is part of our team organising placements and is here to support all students throughout their entire learning experience at ERA.

Nathan is a long-suffering Carlton supporter and country music lover!

Grace is a former graduate of Deakin University where she completed a Bachelor of Health Science majoring in Nutrition and Exercise Science. She joined the ERA team at the beginning of 2018 after completing her Industry Internship with us, gaining a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance.

Grace is involved in many aspects of the students learning experiences and assists students in obtaining the most from their time with us at ERA.
Having been a student at ERA, this holds Grace in great stead to be the student ‘go-to’ person!

Grace has a great passion for the fitness industry and many sports, particularly AFL as she is currently playing for a women’s amateur club.

Grace is looking forward to working alongside and supporting the students as they complete their course in Allied Health Assistance.

Nick joined ERA with a Bachelor of Exercise and Health Science which he completed at Australian Catholic University, as well as a Masters of Secondary Teaching, specialising in Physical Education and Health at Monash University.

Nick has extensive experience in coaching throws events in athletics, having spent the last 8 years coaching athletes from a high school through to national level. He is also has experience teaching Physical Education at multiple schools throughout Melbourne and is passionate about combining his PE background with his experiences in performance testing.

Nick is a fanatical Collingwood supporter, and loves to go rod and spear-fishing in his spare time

Daniel first began his journey with ERA in 2011 as a student enrolled in the certificate III and IV in fitness qualification. Following this Daniel went on the complete his Bachelor of Physiotherapy (honours) at Monash University.

Daniel has now re-joined us at ERA, now as a valued staff member!

Since graduating from Monash, Daniel has worked predominantly in private practice and sporting environments. To date, Daniel has had the opportunity to be involved with various elite athletes and teams including being a physiotherapist at the Commonwealth Games, working within the Women’s AFL at their draft academy, as well as various informal roles at national and international martial arts events where he also competed as an athlete- most notably the IBJJF world championships.

Outside of work you can usually find Daniel exploring the Mornington Peninsula with his dogs Atlas and Nova, or at the movies with family and friends.

Jarrod has been involved with ERA since 2017 as a Physio mentor and High Performance Coach.  

After completing a Bachelor of Human Movement he went on to complete both a Masters of Physiotherapy and Masters of High Performance Sport. He now divides his time between private practice physiotherapy work, working with athletes in physical preparation and his time here at ERA. 

Jarrod is passionate about helping people optimise function and performance, while assisting students to learn and develop skills as aspiring health and exercise professionals. 

In his spare time he can be found at a local café, sporting event or at the beach. 

Bryanna joined the ERA team in 2017. Bryanna began her career in the beauty industry which led to her working internationally, including Europe and the USA. As a highly organised and process driven person, Bryanna was a perfect fit for business administration which became her next career progression move. Her time spent working in the real estate sector enabled Bryanna to develop a broad skill set with a focus on attention to detail. Bryanna has the ability to be able to connect with people from all walks of life to deliver an exceptional level of customer service.

Bryanna has always had a passion for the health and fitness industry and enjoys being the go-to person in the office for our staff and clients!

Sarah is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who began at ERA mid 2018. Sarah completed her Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science followed by her Masters of Clinical Exercise Physiology at Deakin University. As well as working at ERA, Sarah currently practices as an AEP in a private practice in Parkville.

She works with a range of conditions including musculoskeletal injuries, cardiovascular diseases, mental health, persistent pain and metabolic diseases. Sarah is passionate about helping people experience the benefits of exercise, so they can achieve their goals and improve the quality of their life.

In her spare time, Sarah keeps active herself through a variety of different sports and exercise as she loves the challenge of learning new skills. Sarah loves to share knowledge, and is excited to share her clinical experience with our students!

Sian is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who has just recently joined the ERA team this year. Sian completed her Master’s Degree of Clinical Exercise Physiology at Deakin University in 2017. The biomechanics of the body is what ignited her passion using exercise as medicine to assist in positively making a change for others. Apart from her work with ERA, Sian currently practices as an AEP over various locations at GP clinics and runs group Clinical Pilates classes at a spinal centre.

She works with a range of conditions including cardiometabolic diseases, persistent pain and musculoskeletal conditions. “Thinking outside the box” is her holistic approach that she uses with all her patients, as well as sharing her experiences and knowledge with ERA students.

Sian has an interest in self-teaching, which is why she enjoys spending her free time playing the ukulele and singing, as well as maintaining her own fitness with gym and hiking.

Bio coming soon!