Ben has been on the Board at Melba since September 2015 and was elected President in November 2017.

Ben holds a law degree and is a Chartered Tax Advisor (UK & Australia). He is a Partner at BDO Australia, and previously worked for large professional services firms in London and Singapore.

Ben was born in England and moved to Melbourne in 2008 where he now resides with his wife and four children. Ben’s interests include yacht racing and scuba diving.

Samantha joined the Karden Disability Services board in 2014. After the merger with Melba in July 2018 she joined the Melba Board. Samantha lives in Ballarat and has a Bachelor of Commerce. She runs her own businesses and has a background in both corporate and small business across a number of industries including retail, food, community and retirement living.

Michelle joined Melba’s Board in September 2015 and was elected Treasurer in November 2017.

Michelle holds a Business degree and is a Certified Practicing Accountant and an affiliate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Michelle’s career has included roles in financial management, project management, process improvement and business transformation. 

Jan Calvert has been on the Board since 2000 and currently holds the role of Secretary. Jan is the mother of Miles who attends Melba Avenue Community Connections. Jan is a strong advocate for her son and others who attend the day service and has contributed in a range of consultation groups at Melba for over a decade.

Matt Brett (GAICD) is the child of Deaf parents and has been associated with disability throughout his life. Matt has extensive experience in disability and equity in higher education. 

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Matt has published widely on disability and equity issues and been involved with over $1.5 million in externally funded research grants.  He  is currently employed as Director of Academic Governance and Standards at Deakin University. He is a Graduate of The Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ilona holds a Bachelor of Business and is currently the Human Resources Manager at Loy Yang B Power Station. Ilona has over 25 years of experience working predominately in the HR field in various industries including Power Generation, Corrections and Education.

Ilona grew up in the Latrobe Valley and now resides in Warragul. Her interests include travel, renovating houses, interior design and spending time with her adult children.

Natasha is a policy evaluator and research consultant and runs her own freelance practice, Ludowyk Evaluation. She holds degrees in Arts and Science and a Masters in Criminology. Natasha routinely works across sectors including health, mental health, disability and community development.

Natasha lives in Ballarat with her partner and two children. She joined the Melba board in 2019.

Jonathan joined the Melba Board in 2018.

Jonathan is the brother of Daniel Pickering who attends Melba Avenue Community Connections. He has a Bachelor of Arts and Economics and has a background in campaigning, community organising and communications.

While currently a Communications and Community Engagement Advisor at the Victorian Health and Human Service Building Authority (VHHSBA), Jonathan enjoys spending the weekends with his brother seeing the occasional movie or Phil Collins concert. 

BIO COMING SOON

leadership team 

Sarina Bunnett,

General Manager,

Support 

Coordination 

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Glenn Collins,

General Manager,

Information 

and

Communication Technology 

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Sasha Eden,

General Manager,

People and Culture

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(In Transition) 

Chief Outcomes Officer

Kirsten Filmer,

Executive Office Manager

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Aaron Fry,

General Manager,

Outcomes East

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David Glazebrook,

General Manager, 

Innovation and Development

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Rachael Jones,

General Manager Outcomes,

Central Highlands and Wimmera

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Penny Harris,

General Counsel

Dr Anneke Jurgens,

General Manager,

Practice,

Quality and Safeguards

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Angela Quero,

General Manager, 

Outcomes South

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Kerrie White,

General Manager, 

Outcomes Gippsland

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Karen Wijsman,

General Manager, 

Finance

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Organisation chart