Governance Documents
Annual reports
Board of Governance
Leigh Delaney – President
Leigh has a passion for supporting people and has a strong commitment to social justice. He has worked closely with people in the disability sector and supported them through advocacy and maintaining employment. Leigh has also worked in a voluntary counselling capacity and management positions.
Lorelle Taylor – Vice President
Lorelle completed a Bachelor in Psychology and a Master of Rehabilitation Counselling which has enabled her to spend the last eight years working with people managing mental illness. Lorelle is currently employed by headspace as a supervisor of the headStart Work and Study Program (previously the IPS Program). Lorelle is a member of the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors (ASORC) and the Tasmanian Association of Vocational Rehabilitation Providers (TAVRP).
Russell James – Secretary
Russell is currently employed by the Royal Hobart Hospital as a Mental Health Nurse and has prior experience at the Alfred Hospital (in Melbourne). He has had the opportunity to be involved in policy development, report and submission writing and is currently completing a PhD with a project titled: Advance statements within the Mental Health Setting, which explores the use of advance planning tools within the mental health setting.
Lukas Praditya – Treasurer
Lukas has a background in Organisational Psychology and Accounting. Previously he worked in a global energy company for five years, mostly in human resources and business administration area, before moved to Tasmania to continue his study. He then completed his Master of Professional Accounting education from the University of Tasmania and currently is an associate member of CPA Australia.
Melinda Ferrier
Melinda is currently the Northern Tasmanian Regional Manager for Life Without Barriers and her programs include Youth Mental Health Services Statewide, Out Of Home Care/Foster Care and Disability Services. Melinda has worked in the human sector industry for 30 years as a psychologist and in management positions and she also has a marketing, PR and communication background.
Glen O’Keefe
Glen is currently employed by Colony 47 in a key senior management role that supports mental health programs across the organisation. Glen is Executive Manager of Colony 47’s Psycho-social Adult Community Mental Health, Australian Disability Enterprise, Start Fresh Services and Partners In Recovery programs and he has over 16 years experience sitting on a variety of boards.
Heather Fahey
Heather has many years of experience as a school Principal and an Education Administrator. Heather is currently employed by the Teacher Registration Board as a Registration Support Officer and auditor, and by the University of Tasmania as a student mentor. Heather is a member of the Rotary Club of Tamar Sunrise Community Service Committee and is on the organising committee for the International Women’s Day Breakfast.
Brittany Szlezak
Brittany has been volunteering and working in mental health and community development for over 10 years. She is a qualified social worker and has enjoyed a varied career in mental health at both the front line and system levels of mental health care. Passionate about reform and system change, Brittany currently works as a project officer with the Tasmanian Mental Health Reform Program. She is a volunteer for the Glenorchy City Council on their Healthy Communities Advisory Committee and has been named as a finalist for a Tasmanian Young Achiever Award, 2020.
Brittany is interested in innovative ideas that encourage communities to break cycles of poverty as well as the improvement of access to information and help when people need it most.
Brittany is comfortable sharing that she holds her own lived experience as a carer for people with mental illness as well as her own lived experience. This is Brittany’s first ever Board appointment and she looks forward to being able to contribute to such a proactive and community driven organisation.
