Board

Chair: Community Employers WA
Chair: Community Skills WA
Council Member: Disability Assembly WA

Neil Guard has extensive leadership experience in a range of board, executive and CEO roles in
public, private and not-for-profit sector. His previous human services roles include:

• Director Accommodation Services, WA Disability Services Commission,
• CEO, WA Health Promotion Foundation (Healthway),
• Executive Director, WA Drug and Alcohol Office,
• A/WA Mental Health Commissioner,
• Executive Director Professional Services, Communicare; and
• CEO, Richmond Wellbeing

Neil has served on a range of government and community sector Boards, and in addition to chairing
the CEWA Board, his other current Board/Council memberships are:

• Chair, Community Skills WA, a not-for-profit organisation ‘connecting the dots’ between
  industry and training providers within the health, community services, education, and sport,
  fitness and recreation sectors,
• Disability Assembly WA, a Collective Voice in WA made up of people with disability and their
  families, carers and people from the broader disability sector who volunteer their time to
  work together to reconnect the disability ecosystem.

Carol Daws BSc (Hons), MPsych (Clinical) is a Registered Clinical Psychologist and the Chief Executive Officer of Cyrenian House, one of Western Australia’s leading non-government alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services. With a career spanning more than three decades in the AOD sector, Carol has dedicated her professional life to supporting  individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use and co-occurring mental health issues.

Since joining Cyrenian House in 1988, Carol has worked across a range of roles—from clinical service delivery to senior management—cementing her reputation as a respected leader and advocate for evidence-based, person-centred care. Under her leadership, Cyrenian House has expanded to provide residential and non-residential treatment programs across multiple sites statewide.

Carol’s contributions to the sector extend beyond her organizational leadership. She sits on several key boards, including the Western Australian Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies (WANADA), the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association (ATCA) — where she serves as Vice President—the Community Employers WA (CEWA), and the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) Advisory Board.

Her commitment to excellence and social impact has been recognised through numerous achievements, including being inducted into the Western Australian AOD Excellence Awards Honour Roll and her membership in the Golden Key International Honour Society for academic achievement.

Ann Curran is the CEO of Vinnies WA, a leading social enterprise delivering emergency
relief, transitional housing and homelessness services. 
 
With over 20 years’ experience in the community and health sectors, she brings deep
insight into the systemic challenges facing vulnerable populations and a strong belief in
housing as a human right.
 
Ann’s background as a CFO has shaped her commercial acumen and expertise in
financial governance, risk management and strategic advocacy within complex, mission-
driven organisations.
 
Ann is deeply committed to building safe, stable and inclusive communities and is
passionate about advancing affordable, equitable and secure housing solutions through
the Shelter WA board’s work.

In 2022 Jen Park was appointed to the role of Co-CEO with Uniting WA.  This appointment was supported by more than 35 years’ experience in human resource management and 20 years in executive roles. As a highly experienced and passionate professional with a proven track record of leading teams, Jen has a passion for building and leading strong and effective organisational cultures, in an environment that embraces contemporary HR and diverse and inclusive practices.  Jen has worked across different and complex organisations in the financial services, local government and community services sectors.

Jen is also an accredited Change Management practitioner, member of the Australian Human Resources Institute of Australia and Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Executive Director, Family and Community Services, MercyCare

Jennie has over 25 years of experience in the Community Services Sector, with a focus on Children, Youth, Families, Disability, and the Mental Health sector. Previously, Jennie served as the State Director (WA) for Life Without Barriers and as the Executive Director for Service Delivery at YMCA WA. She possesses significant Executive Management expertise and has held several key positions on Community Sector Boards. Currently, she is Chair of the Orana House Board.

Jennie is known for her strong values and person-centred approach, demonstrating a deep commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals to become active members of their community.

Dan Minchin

Dan grew up in Perth, has lived and worked in Sydney and Melbourne, before finding his way back home. A father, husband, son, uncle, friend and neighbour, Dan believes systems and cultures in Western Australia and beyond can evolve to be more relational, wise and kind. As CEO of home care organisation Chorus since February 2017, Dan has for nearly a decade been trying to nurture new ways of working and being in the world of community care. Chorus has developed away from rigid hierarchies toward something more human—small, autonomous teams working as part of their local communities. He co-chairs the Supporting Communities Forum, a body bridging WA Government and the community services sector. He has previously been on the boards of Methodist Ladies’ College, WA Music and Primary Care WA. He has worked with national health player Silverchain, been a strategy consultant, dabbled in technology ventures, and started out as a journalist. He has been fortunate to gain educational experiences at Harvard Business School, Melbourne Business School, and the University of Western Australia.

Amanda is committed to social justice, and creatively and collaboratively solving wicked problems to enable people who are labelled or experiencing hardship and disadvantage to live good lives. Amanda has been a not-for-profit leader in Australia for over two decades. She has a wealth of experience in leadership, organisational and individual transformation, business growth and community development. She is currently Director of Western Australia for 54 Reasons, which is the Australian operating arm of Save the Children.

With a Bachelor of Social Science (Human Services) and a Master of Business Leadership, Amanda is committed to building stronger connections across government, corporate and the community sectors, creating opportunities for shared learning, new partnerships and advocating for change making at a system and community level. In a community sector career spanning over two decades, Amanda has created positive change on individual, organisational and sector levels in service of Western Australians facing hardship, vulnerability and disadvantage.

Amanda is committed to respectful relationships with First Nations people and has fostered equal partnerships with Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal Controlled organisations to enable successful Reconciliation in action, most recently in the Pilbara and East Kimberley regions, in her role as State Director of Save the Children in WA. Amanda stood as a candidate in the 2022 Federal Election representing the seat of Canning on behalf of the Labor Party, with the aim of developing new skills and first hand knowledge and experience in the political system.

Amanda believes in building on strengths in community to drive impact and long term positive outcomes. She is a fierce advocate for amplifying the voices of people who are often not seen and heard in society.

Louise Giolitto is the Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS). With over 25 years of executive leadership in the community services sector, Louise brings deep expertise across youth services, employment, homelessness, housing, education and training, mentoring, drug education, emergency relief, and seniors’ support. Her career spans small, medium, large and regional organisations, reflecting a lifelong commitment to social justice, sector collaboration, and systemic change.

Joanna Collins is an experienced executive leader with over twenty years in the community legal and social services sector. She is committed to advancing access to justice, equity and improved outcomes for regional Western Australia.

Joanna serves as a Director of Community Employers of WA and Pilbara for Purpose, contributing strong governance capability and deep insight into workforce and service delivery challenges.

As Chief Executive Officer of Pilbara Community Legal Service (PCLS), Joanna oversees integrated legal, financial counselling, tenancy and community support services across the Pilbara. Her leadership has strengthened PCLS’s
regional reach, enhanced service innovation and improved responses to complex issues such as family violence, housing insecurity and financial hardship.

Recognised for her collaborative approach, financial acumen and evidence￾based advocacy, Joanna is a valued contributor to sector-wide discussions on reform, workforce sustainability and regional investment. She is dedicated to building resilient, high-performing organisations and strengthening leadership across Western Australia’s community services sector.

Justine Colye has over 35 years of experience in the public, private, and non￾profit sectors in Australia, the UK, and Europe, with a career spanning roles from running a pub to managing a prison. In Australia, she has dedicated her work to supporting and promoting the needs and rights of some of the most marginalized and vulnerable people in the community.

For the past 14 years, Justine has served as the CEO of Rise, an organization providing services for people with mental health issues, disabilities, the aged, youth at risk, and those affected by family and domestic violence. She is the inaugural Distinguished Fellow of Leadership WA and a recipient of the WA Telstra Businesswomen’s Award (Community and Government). In 2025, Justine was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to the community through social welfare organizations. She completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Directors’ course in 2014.

Justine also holds a number of volunteer roles, including Board Director positions and hands-on support for grassroots organizations, further demonstrating her commitment to community leadership and social impact.

Kelda Oppermann is a resolute and transformative leader, with 20 years in the community service sector. As CEO of Zonta House Refuge Association, Kelda has driven sustained growth that tells a story of purpose meeting perseverance. Under her strategic and ethical leadership, Zonta House has become one of the largest FDV specialist providers in Western Australia, recognized nationally for its values-led approach that places victim-survivors at the centre of holistic, life-changing care. Kelda brings evidence-based rigor to her work – implementing sophisticated outcome measurement frameworks, Social Impact Reports, and Social Return on Investment tools that have influenced national service standards.  Kelda is passionate in working with everyone in our community to create the opportunity for safety, equity, good health and wellbeing for all.  Kelda is an experienced board director, currently holding roles in CEWA, CWSW, and Shelter WA and works collaboratively in government and community sector led working groups and committees advocating and actioning change.