Leading Reform Summit 2024 Speakers

Dr Rosenberg was a public servant in both state and federal departments of health for 16 years, before joining the Mental Health Council of Australia, as Deputy CEO, from 2005-2009. His PhD considering accountability for mental health in Australia was completed in 2017.

He has worked as a consultant on several mental health and suicide prevention projects in Australia and overseas and been a member of several boards, councils and committees. He is currently a member of the Right Care, First Time, Where you Live Project Advisory Committee.

Sebastian’s expertise is in mental health policy, leading the Economics and Systems Science stream at BMC. He has more than 50 published journal articles and is a regular contributor to public debate about mental health policy in Australia.

Jannette is a credentialed mental health nurse working throughout different clinical and education contexts over 18 years, both in Queensland and Ireland. Most recently she worked as a mental health nurse educator with Metro North Mental Health-RBWH, with an conjoint teaching appointment at ACU. Jannette is passionate about partnering for change, developing workforce capacity and wellbeing, workplace culture, and supporting the transformation of mental health contexts to be contemporary Mental health services delivering on community expectations and promoting human rights.

Kobie is an experienced nursing leader, clinical supervisor, and mental health and alcohol and other drug educator. She is a credentialed mental health nurse and a Fellow of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses.

Kobie is dedicated to building positive and supportive workplace cultures that promote compassionate, recovery oriented, trauma informed care. Prior to commencing with the Office of the Chief Nurse Officer, Kobie lead the Least Restrictive Way Project in the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist and she continues to work closely with the Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Branch to support the implementation of Better Care Together: A plan for Queensland’s state-funded mental health, alcohol and other drug services to 2027.

As CEO, Geoff is responsible for leading QuIHN and its workforce of multidisciplinary teams to provide holistic care across Queensland. QuIHN is a specialist Alcohol and Other Drug service providing a continuum of care across Harm Reduction, Therapeutic, and Clinical services.

Geoff has worked in the AOD and related sectors for over two decades. He holds professional qualifications in Health Science, Public Health, and Business Administration. He is passionate about creating meaningful differences through positively impacting health outcomes for individuals and populations. Geoff is also a proud father of a 4-year-old daughter, who does not share his keen interest in dad jokes and secret handshakes.

Michelle Sanders has 27 years’ experience working in designated lived-living experience roles across a variety of locations and services, specialising in
Lived-Living Experience (peer) Workforce development in the community and non-government sectors as well as public mental health and alcohol and other drugs services. She is the Commission’s first Director of Lived-Living Experience, appointed in August 2023, and leads a newly established designated Lived-Living Experience team to support the Commissions’ commitment and activities to strengthen Lived-Living Experience leadership,
peer workforce development and lived-living experience engagement.

For the last eight years, Karen has worked at the Queensland Mental Health Commission across various portfolios. Having both a personal lived-living experience of mental ill-health and caring for family members experiencing mental ill-health, eating disorders, and alcohol and other drug use, Karen is currently in a designated lived-living experience (family, carer and kin). She is leading work to build the Commission’s capacity and capability to partner with people with lived-living experience. Karen holds a teaching degree, as well as a postgraduate degree in governance and public policy. Her eclectic career has seen her teaching in both primary and secondary schools, as a sexuality and relationships educator, and within the Department of Education developing health curriculum and policy, including co-authoring the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum.

Peggy is a psychiatrist who was one of three Commissioners appointed to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. She formerly held roles including Senior Clinical Advisor at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care; Chief Executive Officer of the National Mental Health Commission; and Director-General, ACT Health. She has also served on several Boards including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Health Workforce Australia and the National eHealth Transition Authority.

In January 2018, she was admitted as an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medical administration in the area of mental health through leadership roles at the state and national level, to the discipline of psychiatry, to education and to health care standards.

Dr Porter implemented and managed the first W.A. Therapeutic Community for complex/comorbid AOD presentations, then helped implement and manage the first Multisystemic Therapy (MST) program within Australian Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), for families with children & youths having conduct disorders. This intensive outreach service has been recognised with leading State and National awards for crime and violence prevention, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, mental illness treatment, and overcoming health inequities.

Dr Byrne is a leading international expert on Lived-Living Experience, acknowledged as a thought-leader in workforce development and the change management strategies required to build authentic, effective and impactful Lived Experience workforces. Louise’s work is informed by her Lived and Living Expertise and multiple, first-hand, life-changing adverse experiences which have had a profound impact on her life. Over the last 20 years Louise has worked in a broad variety of designated Lived-Living Experience roles.

Louise’s seminal 15-year program of research has supported the growth in understanding, awareness and development of Lived Experience workforces, nationally and internationally, and helps shape the perspective of Lived Experience work as a respected, credible, evidence-based discipline. Louise’s work as a strategic consultant and trainer assists meaningful translation of the research findings and promotes an evidence informed approach to implementation.

In recognition of her significant contributions, Louise was recently recognised in the Stanford Top 2% of Scientists list – the world’s most highly cited researchers, and the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Australian Mental Health Prize: Lived Experience.

Gerry Naughtin has worked in the psychosocial sector for over fifteen years through his roles as Chief Executive of Mind Australia from 2009 to 2018, member of the NDIA Independent Advisory Council and in the last six years, working in the NDIS, as strategic adviser. Gerry’s professional training was in social work and he completed a PhD in 2008.

His work involves providing psychosocial subject matter expertise advice and stakeholder liaison. In 2023, he was seconded to the secretariat for the NDIS Review Panel and provided advice to the Review Panel on matters psychosocial. Since returning to the NDIA, he has worked in the Strategy, Design and Implementation Group, within the NDIA.

Dr Bear is a treaty partner from Aotearoa New Zealand who lives and works on the Sunshine Coast's unceded Land, the Custodians of which are the Gubbi Gubbi peoples. Dr Bear is the inaugural Policy Director for MHLEPQ. MHLEPQ is the peak body for people with lived and living experience of mental ill-health, distress and suicidality, a member-based organisation involved with systems advocacy, contribution to the Consumer movement and connecting stakeholders with lived experience, expertise and leadership.

Cate brings a profound depth of knowledge and extensive lived expertise from her eight years of work with NGOs and HHS as an Advanced Peer Support specialist. Her dedication to Lived Expertise advocacy at both state and national levels has been instrumental, particularly through her significant contributions to the MHLEPQ and the human rights discussion paper, “Shining a Light.” Working alongside individuals who have endured dehumanising, traumatising, and trust-violating experiences within systems meant to protect them has been both rewarding and distressing for Cate. This journey has only strengthened her unwavering commitment to addressing critical human rights issues and advocating for those whose voices need to be heard.

Simone Heald is a visionary leader with 18 years of executive management experience in the health sector and holds qualifications in nursing, midwifery, a Graduate Diploma in Childbirth Education, a Graduate Diploma in Adolescent Health and Welfare, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Health and Human Services Management. Her extensive background spans acute, primary, and community healthcare, with a proven record in health system reform and service sustainability.

Simone’s leadership is rooted in a profound understanding of the healthcare system’s complexities and the unique needs of the communities it serves. Her commitment to addressing health inequities through a social determinants of health framework drives her work, ensuring improvements that positively impact underserved populations. Her collaborative approach to leadership not only tackles current health disparities but also fosters long-term, sustainable improvements in community health and wellbeing

Simone oversees Melbourne’s Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR), where NRCH has held the lease since its inception in 2018. Recently, NRCH successfully secured the tender to continue operating this vital service in partnership with three other health providers under the North Richmond Health Partners consortium. This collaboration brings an enhanced model of care to clients and leverages the strengths of each partner to ensure comprehensive, integrated services.

Dr Nathan Stam is an experienced clinician, academic and public health expert with a specialisation in acute opioid toxicity, morbidity and mortality associated with problematic drug use, and public health interventions designed to reduce overdose-related deaths. Nathan is a Principal Research Fellow and currently leads the research and evaluation program at North Richmond Community Health (NRCH) while also working as the Acting Director of Education (Teaching and Learning) at the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne.

Nathan has broad ranging clinical and public health experience in this field through his roles as the previous Executive Manager of the Medically Supervised Injecting Room/AOD programs at NRCH, having worked as a Paramedic with Ambulance Victoria, worked with Victoria Police in the Medical Advisory Unit and through extensive work investigating drug-related deaths with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Since April 2019, Sara Walsh has significantly contributed to the work of the Western Australian Mental Health Commission, focusing on policy development and Stakeholder Engagement. Currently, in the System Development Division, she champions the expansion of the Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces across the Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug and Suicide Prevention sectors. As a committed ally, Sara actively supports inclusion, diversity, and the reduction of stigma within the LGBTIQA+SB and Lived Experience communities, promoting a culture of acceptance and understanding.

Tony Lee (he/him) is Yawuru of mixed Asian heritage from Broome, and is an advocate for suicide prevention and positive SEWB in the WA Aboriginal community and the Rainbow community. He shares his lived experience of being a Blak, gay Asian man who has lived in remote, rural and urban communities, who has lost loved ones, cared for community and had his own mental health challenges shaped by his intersectional identities.

Tony has worked in Aboriginal affairs for 50 years in a range of different portfolio areas including native title, community and economic development, health, youth mental health, education, employment and training, policy and strategic development, mediation and conflict resolution, public sector management, Ministerial advisor as well as running his own consulting business and continues to do this through various boards and committees.

He was part of Sydney WorldPride 2023, First Nations Advisory and in 2022 founded Kimberley Blak Pride Limited, a Blak Queer not for profit organisation. Tony has always been a strong advocate and champion for positive changes for Australia's First Nations mob for 5 decades and continues this as the Co-chair of BDI's Indigenous Lived Experience Centre's Advisory. Tony was one of the co-authors of the "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience-led Peer Workforce Guide"

Ellie is a nationally recognised thought leader on lived experience-led transformative systems change and founder of LELAN (South Australia’s peak lived experience consumer organisation). She combines her personal, professional and socio-political worlds to do this, with a focus on innovation, social justice and leading together.

Through LELAN Ellie has visioned, led and partnered with others on numerous cutting-edge projects to strengthen lived experience leadership and reshape systems to better meet the needs and preferences of people most impacted. This has included the development of the Model of Lived Experience Leadership, the Lived Experience Governance Framework, a working partnership with Mind Australia on the co-design of the Healing Place, a peer-led residential service which was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and leading the advocacy for and work to systematically embed the Alternatives to Suicide approach across South Australia.

Ellie has completed the Company Directors Course and is an individually appointed member of the legislated South Australian Suicide Prevention Council. Ellie was previously the Lived Experience Advisor (Consumer) with the SA Mental Health Commission and had her own Private Practice as a Therapist & Consultant. She also loves cheese, particularly the stinky oozy kind.

Dr Rubin is also an adjunct Senior Lecturer at Monash University, and a previous Chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry’s Victorian Branch. Kerryn has over 2 decades of experience in public and private mental health services. His areas of interest include general adult psychiatry, psychotherapy, and trauma focused care. Kerryn has clinical and academic expertise in Supported Decision Making, reducing restrictive interventions and compulsory care, recovery oriented services, and co-production processes. Kerryn is a passionate advocate for trauma-informed care, and the reduction of restrictive interventions, whilst maintaining safe and therapeutic hospital environments. Whilst Kerryn has been Clinical Director at Peninsula Health they are the first public mental health service in the state to have eliminated the use of seclusion in all of their inpatient units.

With a master’s degree in social planning and community development, Farina has significant NDIS experience, first as a Local Area Coordinator in both Melbourne and Brisbane, and later, leading a Queensland-wide team of NDIS Psychosocial Recovery Coaches. She brings this and more than a decade’s experience in social policy research and the grassroots not-for-profit sector to her role at the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, where she leads the peak body’s response on psychosocial supports for people both within and outside the NDIS.

Malcolm McCann is the Executive Director for Gold Coast Health’s Mental Health and Specialist Services. Before moving to the Gold Coast, Malcolm worked in the UK in health leadership, including acute, community and mental health services management; the latter two as an NHS Trust Board Executive member for more than 15 years. Malcolm also has extensive experience of primary care and was a Primary Care Trust Chief Executive for five years, gaining expertise in commissioning, integration and partnership working. Malcolm is passionate about Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs services, is a compassionate leader, committed to value in the public service and is a believer in ‘stronger together’.

Sandra Eyre is the Senior Director, Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Strategy and Planning Branch, Clinical Planning and Services Strategy Division, Queensland Health.

Sandra is responsible for leading strategy and planning as it relates to state-funded mental health alcohol and other drugs services. She led development of the new five year plan – Better Care Together which has attracted record state funding and prior to this, the previous plan Connecting Care to Recovery 2016-2021.

She has previously worked in senior roles across Social Policy and Intergovernmental Relations at the Department of The Premier and Cabinet and the Strategic Policy in Queensland Health. Sandra has policy expertise across a range of health and social policy areas including national health reform, intergovernmental relations, multicultural health, maternity and women’s health, domestic and sexual violence.

Sandra holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Business – Communication from the Queensland University of Technology. She has held senior social work positions in hospitals and community health services, the Family Law Court and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW).

Dr Sam Manger is a clinical and academic General Practitioner and industry healthcare consultant with a focus on lifestyle and social determinants. He is the Academic Lead of the Postgraduate Degrees in Lifestyle Medicine at James Cook University College of Medicine and Dentistry, as well as the Immediate Past-President of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. He is an Ambassador for the Federal Government initiative Equally Well Australia, Advisory Group Member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, host of The GP Show podcast for health professionals and was awarded the RACGP QLD GP of the Year in 2021.

As the Manager of Lived Experience at Queensland Health, Craig Worland is deeply committed to mental health & AOD advocacy and firmly believes in the transformative power of personal experiences in healthcare. His journey in this field has allowed him to make significant contributions to AOD & mental health services in Queensland, a responsibility he takes very seriously. Queensland Health's large Peer Workforce is composed of individuals who bravely use their lived experiences with mental health, substance use, and suicidality to support others on their recovery journeys. Craig has dedicated himself to promoting the integration of lived experience perspectives into mental health and AOD care delivery and policy development, believing that this approach is crucial for truly effective and compassionate care.A firm believer in ongoing learning, Craig recently completed Yale University's leadership development program, LET(s)LEAD. This experience has further enhanced his skills and knowledge in the Transformational Leadership, enabling him to better serve the mental health AOD community.As he continues his work in this field, Craig's goal remains steadfast: to advocate for the recognition and integration of lived experience in AOD & mental health care. He is committed to contributing to improved outcomes for individuals and communities across Queensland, and looks forward to the continued growth and evolution of this vital aspect of healthcare.

Adrian Carson is a Cobble Cobble man from Queensland’s Western Downs Region who was born and spent the majority of his life on Turrbal, Jagera and Quandamooka country in South East Queensland. Adrian has thirty years’ experience in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, and was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) Ltd, a Community Controlled Health Organisation responsible for coordinating the planning, development and delivery of comprehensive primary health care and integrated social support services to Australia’s largest and fastest growing Indigenous population. Adrian is also a former CEO of the Queensland Aboriginal & Islander Health Council (QAIHC) – Queensland’s peak body for the Community Controlled Health.

Jordan is a youth consumer representative who specialises in mental health advocacy and transitions of care. Jordan advocates for improving system navigation, reducing service duplication, empowering consumers to have more input into their healthcare, and respecting the rights of marginalised consumers. She is the Deputy Consumer Co-Chair of the National Mental Health Consumer Carer Forum and works across systems and levels of government to ensure that all consumers have a voice in decision making. Jordan is currently studying a Bachelor of Public Health and works as a psychosocial disability peer worker.

Marina has developed a wealth of expertise in family carer peer work through 10 years identified roles specialising in advocacy and provision of support to families, kin, unpaid carers and other supporters in public health, mental health and alcohol and other drug service environments.

Marina has augmented her lived-living experience as an unpaid family carer with recognised qualifications in mental health peer work and a commitment to ongoing professional development and peer practice supervision. Marina additionally brings many years of community volunteering with Lifeline, Care for Life suicide prevention network, and the Hearing Voices movement to her current professional role as a Senior Carer Peer Coordinator.

Irene has been the Chief Executive Officer of Arafmi since 2019. Arafmi is the Queensland Peak Body for Families, Unpaid Carers and Kin of people impacted by mental health issues (Mental Health Carers). In addition to systemic advocacy, Arafmi also provides capacity building programs to mental health carers, including a 24/7 support line, group and 1-1 supports, education workshops and respite.

Originally from Glasgow in Scotland, Irene now calls Brisbane home. Irene has 25 years’ experience working in mental health and disability leadership roles in Queensland and Scotland, working in NGO’s and policy advocacy roles in local government.

She also is someone with a lived experience of recovery from mental illness and is a mental health carer. A retired hockey umpire, with over 100 international ‘caps’, including a Commonwealth games, Olympic qualifying tournaments and two indoor world cups, Irene gives back to the sport by coaching emerging and elite umpires at an Australian and international level.

Amelia Callaghan has worked in the health sector for over 25 years, with experience in both government and non-government services.

Amelia has a background in service delivery in both mental health services and alcohol and other drugs services and is a passionate advocate for early intervention services aimed at reducing the long-term impact of mental illness on children, young people and families.

As an Executive Director at the Commission, she provides strategic leadership in policy and program direction and is responsible for ensuring the implementation of Shifting minds and its accompanying sub-plans, Every life and Achieving balance.

Amelia has also held national, state and territory management roles prior to joining the Commission.

Ivan Frkovic was appointed Commissioner from 1 July 2017 and brings substantial policy, academic and patient-centred experience to the role, having worked in the Queensland mental health system for over 30 years.

With a focus on strengthening partnerships and collaboration, he oversees delivery and implementation of the State's strategic plan for mental health, alcohol and other drugs - Shifting minds.

Ivan’s experience across government and non-government organisations provides valuable insight to help bring all sectors together to focus on delivering better mental health outcomes for Queenslanders.

He has made a significant contribution to community mental health through published papers and articles.