Board member profiles
GIULIANA BAGGOLEY Appointed August 2011
Giuliana Baggoley is an optometrist in clinical practice and is also employed as clinical policy adviser for Optometrists Association Australia.
Giuliana has previously served on the Optometrist Association of Australia Boards and currently serves on the ACT Clinical Senate and her local school board.
The majority of her professional life has been spent in rural and regional Australia and she now lives in Canberra where she is married with two young children.
Giuliana’s interests include health, media and the arts. Giuliana thrives on community involvement. “I am interested in people’s stories and I value how different experiences and lifestyles enrich a community.”
JACK MANNING BANCROFT Appointed August 2011
At 19 years of age and in the third year of his Media and Communications degree, Jack founded the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), partnering 25 Indigenous and non-Indigenous university student volunteer Mentors with 25 Indigenous students from Alexandria Park Community School in a pilot Program.
Jack has since become the CEO of AIME and in 2012 the Program now operates out of 10 university campuses across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Heading up a group of 42 staff, Jack and the team are currently working with close to 1000 university student volunteers who will mentor over 1000 Indigenous high school students in 2012. The Program is currently increasing the Indigenous rates of school completion and university admission across the East Coast of Australia – to the point where some of our sites are already exceeding local and national averages.
At 27 years of age Jack's vision is to see Indigenous high school students finishing school and entering universities at the same rate as their fellow Australians.
Jack was the 2010 NSW Young Australian of The Year, has recently been awarded the Young People’s Australian Human Rights Medal and was also the University of Sydney’s 2010 Young Alumni of the Year.
SIBYLLA BUDD Appointed August 2006
Sibylla Budd grew up in Canberra and moved to Melbourne to study acting at the Victorian College of the Arts, where she graduated with a degree in dramatic art.
Since then, Sibylla has shot to prominence with her role in the Australian drama, The Secret Life of Us, and Australian feature film The Bank. Her other television work has included roles in The Farm, All Saints, Something In The Air, Kath and Kim, Sea Patrol and Canal Road.
Sibylla's film credits include September, The Bank, The Book of Revelation, September and The Bet, for which she was nominated for an AFI award for best supporting actress in 2007. Sibylla has also worked solidly in theatre with the Melbourne Theatre Company, Company B (Belvoir street theatre), The Griffin, Newtheatricals, and The Queensland Theatre Company.
MARIA COSMIDIS Appointed August 2011
Maria Cosmidis is currently employed
by the South West Sydney Community
Legal Centre as the Executive
Officer. She has a long history of working
in the field of multicultural affairs, being the
current Chairperson of the Metro Migrant Resource
Centre and sitting on that board for over 10
years.
Maria is currently undertaking her Masters of
Management as part of a scholarship with the
Australian Sports Commission’s “Sports Leadership
Grants and Scholarships for Women”. She is also a
member of the “Next Generation of Corporate
Leaders” program initiated by Women on Boards and
UBS Investment Bank.
She is also one of the producers of a movie review
show on a local Sydney radio station and enjoys
heated debate amongst co-reviewers on the latest
film releases.
A passionate sport participant and fan, Maria
enjoys watching and playing sport and spending time
with her young daughter. Being of Greek heritage,
Maria and her family travel to Greece
regularly.
BARBARA DAVID Appointed August 2008
Barbara David has broad
experience with both young and mature-age
Australians. Her career has included time spent as
a high school music teacher as well as a lecturer
and researcher in social and child psychology at
the Australian National University.
Barbara has retired from lecturing and is currently
reliving the student experience, undertaking a TAFE
Diploma in Visual Arts. She was awarded Arts and
Media Student of the Year in 2007.
Barbara's passion for informed investigation of
social issues continues in her ongoing supervision
of PhD students. Their research covers topics such
as the role of modeling (imitation) in children's
gendered behaviour, and the part played by
perceptions of capability in the perpetuation of
inequality in the workplace.
KHOA DO Appointed August 2006
Khoa Do was born in
Vietnam, but left with his parents and brother in a
small fishing boat in 1980. They arrived in
Australia and settled in Western Sydney, where Khoa
developed a passion for storytelling and
cinema.
Khoa began working in the performing arts in the
late 1990s, developing and producing a number of
shows and films. Over the years, he has worked
extensively with marginalised communities in film –
working with homeless youths, former prisoners and
refugees of many nationalities. Khoa's works
include Footy Legends in 2006, starring Anh Do,
Angus Sampson and Claudia Karvan. His first feature
film, The Finished People, was a gritty and
realistic story about at-risk adolescents on the
edge of survival.
Khoa has been nominated for AFI Awards, IF Awards,
Film Critic’s Circle of Australia Awards and was
recently awarded prizes at the Orlando, Canada and
Vietnamese International Film Festivals.
In 2012, Khoa wrote and directed a mini-series on
capital punishment, Better Man, starring David
Wenham, Bryan Brown and Claudia Karvan.
Khoa has also worked as a volunteer with Open
Family Australia at Cabramatta in Sydney, assisting
at-risk youths. He was awarded Bankstown City's
Young Citizen of the Year Award in 2002. In January
2005, Khoa was announced as Young Australian of the
Year, the first-ever filmmaker to have been awarded
the accolade.
KAREN HAYNES Appointed August 2011
Karen
is from Brisbane and since 2008 she has been a
Queensland Baptist Pastor. She is Associate
Pastor at Windsor Road Baptist Church, and Brisbane
city congregation. Her ministry primarily
focuses on young adults and newcomers to
Australia.
She also works for Australian Baptist's
Cross-Cultural Agency, Global Interaction. As
“Young Adults Consultant” for Queensland, she works
across the state to increase awareness and
involvement in cross-cultural work.
Karen is also a member of Queensland Baptist’s
Administrative Services Group, the property and
finance committee of Queensland Baptists.
Karen has worked with young people and their
families since she was teenager. She began her
working career in administration and business
roles, after completing a Bachelor of Business, but
then changed direction and completed a Master of
Divinity and a Graduate Diploma of Ministry through
Malyon College a member of the Australian
College of Theology.
NATHAN HINDMARSH Appointed August 2011
Nathan Hindmarsh is considered one of Australian
rugby league’s great forwards. He captained the
Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League (NRL)
as well as playing his entire 330-game, 15-year
career with the Eels.
Since retiring in 2012 he has taken on roles as the
National Rugby League (NRL) game development
coordinator and will be part of the Fox Sports
team, hosting and co-hosting a number of sport and
rugby league shows.
Nathan was also a New South Wales State of Origin
and Australian international representative
second-row forward. He was the first player to make
10,000 tackles in the NRL.
Nathan five times, consecutively, received the
Provan Summons award (most popular player in rugby
league) and has also been named ‘Women’s favourite
Son’ at the annual Women in League awards for the
past three years.
He was also the 2009 recipient of the Ken Stephens
medal for outstanding services to charity. His
dedication to community programs such as Can
Assist, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Hope
Rwanda, The Nathan Hindmarsh Cup and his ongoing
work with numerous One Community programs secured
him the medal.
Nathan grew up in country New South Wales.
He is married to Bonnie and they have three boys -
Archie, Buster and Rowdy.
SOPHIE KOWALD Appointed August 2006
Sophie works at the Australian Communications and Media Authority and is a Master of Laws candidate at the University of Melbourne. Previously Sophie has worked as a research fellow on cross-border tobacco advertising control at the Centre for Media and Communications Law, a judicial associate in the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia and as a casual university academic in law and media studies.
For many years, Sophie has been a singer in choirs around the country, including The Australian Voices, Canticum, The Melbourne Chorale and, most recently, the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Sophie was born in Canberra and raised in Brisbane. She now lives between Sydney and Melbourne with her husband and daughter.
JOHN LEE Appointed August 2006
John is the Chief Executive of the Australasian Casino Association. He is responsible for delivering the strategic and operational outcomes for the organisation.
Early in his career, John worked in hospitality including an extended period working for some major Australian iconic resorts. John has also held senior positions in Government, notably as head of communications and marketing for transport for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and as a Director General in NSW. He has run major transport logistic companies and prior to this role John was the CEO of the Tourism and Transport Forum (Australia).
John has spent most of his life based in western Sydney where he has been involved in numerous community and charity projects. John is married and his family includes two daughters and a son.
JANEMAREE MAHER Appointed August 2008
Associate Professor JaneMaree Maher is Director of the Centre for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, in the School of Political and Social Inquiry, at Monash University in Melbourne. She has degrees in Law and Arts (Hons) from the University of Melbourne (1991) and gained her PhD in 1999 from La Trobe University.
JaneMaree teaches in the areas of media and popular culture, and gender, culture and power. She is currently involved in research focused on how families manage working and caring.
JaneMaree has experience as a board member in girls’ education and recently participated in the Victorian Government Centenary of Suffrage Reference Group, celebrating women’s right to vote.
She has three teenage daughters who share her passion for the Essendon Football Club.
PAULA McNAMARA Appointed August 2008
Growing up with parents in the hospitality industry, Paula made her first coffee at 15 and has worked in a variety of cafes and restaurants in Melbourne, Sydney and London. Working in businesses focused on food Paula loves the sense of community and familiarity that builds up over time between regular customers and staff—in a big anonymous city, the local cafe and shops can be a small haven of neighbourliness.
Returning to study Paula recently finished an Arts Degree at Sydney University, majoring in English literature and Australian History. With an interest in theatre, film and television, time constraints have made television her main form of entertainment. She loves documentaries, particularly stories about real people and the challenges life throws our way.
Paula lives in Sydney with her teenage daughter.
NIGEL MILAN, AM Appointed August 2011
Most of Nigel’s
career has been in television and broadcasting, in
both the public and private sectors, in Australia
and New Zealand. He has also held numerous
non-executive directorships in not for profit
organisations. He was a member of the board of the
Fred Hollows Foundation from 1997 – 2007 and was
Chair from 2002.
He was National Chief Executive Officer of the
Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) from October
2006 until October 2010. He is currently CEO of the
Livestock Health and Pest Authority based in
Orange NSW.
He was Managing Director of the Special
Broadcasting Service (SBS) from 1998 until 2006.
Under his tenure, SBS’s television and radio
audiences grew significantly as did the quantity
and quality of Australian (including indigenous)
produced programs on the network.
In Australia, he had a successful commercial radio
career in CEO and leadership roles in the
Macquarie, Bond Radio and ARN networks. He was
Chief Executive Officer of Radio New Zealand from
1991-1995.
Nigel and his wife Judi own a small cattle farm in
the Southern Highlands of NSW. His daughter Lucy is
a teaching musician and singer, she lives in
London.
JAIME PHILLIPS Appointed August 2011
Jaime Phillips’ career has taken her to regional
and remote communities across Western Australia.
Working in the private sector, Jaime develops
community strategies for large resource and
infrastructure projects. As a director of Palea
Project Associates, Jaime moves between corporate
offices, construction sites, mines and remote
towns. She is inspired by projects that
create jobs, address disadvantage and capture the
imagination of local and Indigenous people in the
regions.
Jaime has an honours degree in History and English
from the University of Western Australia and is
involved in Perth’s creative sector. She volunteers
on urban design and art groups and is fascinated by
plans to revitalise the cityscape of
Perth.
Jaime has served on the National Advisory Council
of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the
Advisory Committee of the Western Australian
Maritime Museum.
PETER PHILLIPS Appointed August 2011
Peter grew up in Frankston and now lives with his
wife and two young sons, Will and Tom, in
Melbourne.
Following university, Peter worked in Canberra as
an economist with the Commonwealth Treasury, and
has maintained an interest in economics and
regulatory policy since then. Peter is the
director of a small regulatory and governance
consultancy, specialising environmental and
regulatory frameworks.
Peter has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons), Master of
Applied Finance and Master of Regulatory Studies,
and is currently working on a regulatory history of
Victoria for his PhD. He has a keen interest
in Australian history and is in receipt of a
research grant to write a history of Australia in
the First World War.
Peter is involved in a number of small community
groups, including his sons’ football team and
various church committees. Peter also serves
as a Justice of the Peace and is a board member for
an organisation working with people with
disabilities
GRAHAM RIXON Appointed August 2008
Graham Rixon is currently engaged in part-time
educational consultancy work particularly in the
areas of school registration, middle schooling,
technology in education, strategic planning and
executive coaching.
He stepped down as Principal of Penrhos College a
Uniting Church School, Perth, Western Australia at
the end of 2007 - a position he held since
September 1986.
Graham is a passionate educator and has worked on a
number of state and national committees aiming to
improve the quality of education in both government
and non-government schools. He is currently an
Educational Consultant for the Western Australian
Department of Educational Services.
Graham is the Chairman of the Amanda Young
Meningococcal Septicemia Foundation - a non-profit
organisation working in the area of community
awareness, survivor and carer support and
offering grants for research to develop a
Meningococcal Type B vaccine.
Graham grew up in Melbourne where, along with his
career in education, he was active with Lifeline
and his local Uniting Church. He moved to Perth in
1986 with his wife, Meredith and two children.
Graham and Meredith share interests in travel,
reading, cycling and kayaking.
NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA, AM Appointed August 2008
Natasha Stott Despoja AM is a former Senator for South Australia (1995-2008) and former Leader of the Australian Democrats.
Natasha has made a significant contribution to a wide range of policy debates. She was a spokesperson on portfolios including foreign affairs, higher education, science and biotechnology, Attorney-General's, privacy, women, work and family.
Natasha is an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at The University of Adelaide, teaches a course in politics at The University of Adelaide and is a columnist for The Advertiser.
She is a Director of beyondblue, the Burnet Institute and the South Australian Museum. She is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Museum of Australian Democracy.
Natasha lives in Adelaide with husband Ian and their children Conrad and Cordelia.
JOSEPHINE TIDDY Appointed August 2006
Dr Josephine Tiddy is the Managing
Director of JTCT Consultants specialising in
dispute resolution and organisational wellness. She
provides strategic, legislative, governance and
policy advice and investigates, mediates and
resolves disputes to organisations in educational
and not for profit sectors.
Josephine is a director with over 20 years
experience, currently serving on various boards and
statutory committees and is a Fellow of the
Australian Institute of Company
Directors.
Prior
to establishing JTCT in 2000, Josephine was
Commissioner for Equal Opportunity in South
Australia, administering State and Federal laws for
16 years, as a statutory office holder and the
Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunity
Commission.
During
that time, she successfully managed and promoted
controversial and complex legislative and social
changes throughout South Australia and nationally -
changes which have been accepted as common practice
and integrated into the Australian
community.
Josephine has written
widely on equality, fair treatment and
discrimination. Her book, It’s Just Not
Fair, describes the personal stories of
Australians, supported by the law, who confronted
and changed the way our society thinks, works and
lives.
She was awarded an
honorary doctorate by The Flinders University of
South Australia in recognition of her national
contribution to administrative law, public policy,
dispute resolution and legislative
reform.
Josephine
is actively involved with the community and has
extensive knowledge and understanding of a wide
variety of community views. She is a Justice of the
Peace and has worked with people from the early
years of a nursing career, which she followed by
establishing and managing the first Australian
Nurse Counselling Service, at the South Australian
Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
CRAIG WHITE Appointed August 2008
Craig has served as a
Queensland police officer for almost 20
years.
He has been awarded both the National Service Medal
for 15 years Police Service and the Queensland
Police Service Medal for good conduct.
Craig has served throughout Queensland including 10
years working in remote communities in Far Northern
and Central Western Queensland. During that time he
was involved in implementing a number of publicly
funded projects aimed at reducing substance abuse
and domestic violence.
As well as being a serving member on numerous
boards and committees, Craig is currently involved
in a number of community organisations. He holds a
Masters Degree in Business, Graduate Diploma in
Human Resources and a Diploma in Public Safety
(Policing).
Craig is married and has three children and enjoys
spending spare time with his family.
PETER WILLIAMS Appointed August 2011
Peter Williams is a Fellow of the Dietitians
Association of Australia and a Visiting Principal
Fellow at the University of Wollongong, where he
was previously Associate Professor of Nutrition and
Dietetics.
Before working at the University of Wollongong,
Peter was the Director of Scientific and Consumer
Affairs at Kellogg for three years, and previously
worked as the Chief Dietitian and Food Services
Manager at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in
Sydney.
Peter has been an active researcher in nutrition in
Australia, with over 100 peer reviewed
publications. He has served on National Health and
Medical Research Council working parties for the
review of Dietary Guidelines for Australia and the
review of Nutrient Reference Values, and is a
member of the steering committee for the Heart
Foundation's Pick the Tick program. He has also
conducted consultancy projects with the NSW
Department of Health to help develop Nutrition
Standards for Adult Hospital Inpatients.
Peter is among those selected to be on the Federal
Government’s The National Food Policy Working Group
which includes representatives from supermarkets
chains, farmers, service providers and leading
scientists. From 2005-2011 Peter was a
member of the Board of Food Standards Australia New
Zealand and now serves on the the Therapeutic
Goods Authority's Advisory Committee on
Complementary Medicines (ACCM).
In his spare time Peter enjoys cycling, bushwalking
and yoga.