Council Profiles
Esme Bowen
Esme Bowen is a director of Volunteering Australia and Paraplegic Benefit Fund, and Chair of the WA Carers Advisory Council reporting to the Minister, a member on both the Ministers Community Volunteering Reference Group and the Ministers Single Use Plastic Action Group. She is an RAC Honorary Life Member, RAC Past President and RAC Council Member retiring in March 2020, and a previous director of the Australian Automobile Association. Esme is also a life member of Wheelchair Sports WA. Esme has been a company director of and remains involved in a Perth based family surf business. She has been involved in tourism and hospitality ventures in the Kimberley region of WA. Esme has almost 30 years of nursing and disability Board experience and worked as a community road safety advocate for many years. She holds a BSc (Nursing) FAICD.
Mary Butterworth
Mary Butterworth has more than 40 years of experience in the disability sector, with the past 12 years working with people with developmental disability and their families at Developmental Disability WA. Mary has a strong governance background and sits of the boards of Inclusion Australia, Microboards Australia, ADHDWA, Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability 2019 – 2022, WA State Secretary – Australasian Society on Intellectual Disability. She is Chair – Coalition of Disability Advocacy Organisations.
Michael Chester
Michael Chester initially joined Uniting to bring focus to the transition of disability and mental health services to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). His role then expanded to provide leadership across all operational teams, to faciliate the delivery of person-centred community services that maximise the resources of Uniting in order to meet strategic objectives and achieve its purpose of providing best practice support to the most vulnerable members of the community. A Master of Business Administration and Australian Institute of Company Directors graduate, Michael takes a relationship-focused approach to business development, stakeholder engagement and client retention.
Amy Clark
After growing up alongside a brother with complex intellectual and physical disability, Amy Clark is passionate about equitable representation in policymaking and championing a society and economy built around Australia’s most vulnerable groups. Amy advocates for the employment and inclusion of people with disability as a Policy Advisor at Good Sammy, the Vice President of Our Voice Australia, and as a family advocate on various Government and industry working groups. Prior to joining Good Sammy, Amy worked in professional services business development and marketing.
Carrie Clark
Carrie Clark brings a wealth of experience to DAWA, as CEO Kiind and from previous roles in senior community development and communications in the mining sector and local government. Kiind supports families raising children living with disability, developmental delay, autism, genetic, rare, undiagnosed and/or chronic conditions. Carrie has a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development and Sociology. She has lived and worked in regional communities and has a lived experience of disability with a brother with additional needs.
Charmain FitzGerald
Charmain FitzGerald is the Executive General Manager Corporate and Business Transformation at NOPSEMA. She has experience across multiple organisations and industries including strategic and business planning and execution, transformational change, portfolio, program and project management, financial and risk management, and business development and improvement. Charmain has lived experience in caring for a family member with disability and has been the lead of the Enabling All Abilities Identity Resource Group and a member of the Inclusion Council at RAC. She has also established partnerships with organisations and educational institutions, and presented at sector specific events, forums, and discussion panels, to support the delivery of positive outcomes for people living with disability, their families, and carers, in the WA community.
Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick is the CEO of Telethon Speech and Hearing. He has over 15 years experience in a range of general management and human resources roles. In recent roles he has focused on delivering sustainable change in operations and outlooks in organisations by focusing on strategy development and execution, change management, partnership development and embedding organisational improvements.
Paul Fleay
Paul Fleay is the CEO of Intelife. An innovative company that is passionate about supporting people with a disability into employment. Prior to this role Paul spent 14 years as the CEO of Australian Inclusion Group, a company that runs 4 social inclusion focused businesses. Paul was an inaugural Board member, and subsequent Deputy Chair of Western Australian Individualised Services (WAIS), Chair of the National Sport Inclusion Alliance and sat on the Access and Inclusion User Group for the development of Optus Stadium. Mr Fleay holds a Bachelor of Science from UWA, a Graduate Diploma of Education from Edith Cowan University and a Master of Business Administration at UWA.
Neil Guard
Neil Guard has extensive (26 years) leadership experience in a range of Board, executive and CEO roles in public and highly competitive private sector and not-for-profit environments. Since December 2002, roles have included CEO in two State Government agencies and in a large NFP organisation focused on mental health recovery. Large range of networks and collaborations built inside government and community sectors.Currently Chair of two NFP organisations and Board member of another. Previously, Chair of the National Drug Research Institute, WA Association for Mental Health (WAAMH), Shelter WA and Wheelchair Sports WA.
Sally Hollins
Sally Hollins is an experienced business professional with a track record for developing domestic and international businesses. She has lived experience with disability and a passion and commitment to improve the lives of people with disability. She has a strong working knowledge of the disability sector, especially NDIS and DES. With hands on experience developing new programs, policy and processes to manage risk, she was the CEO of Edge Employment Solutions and before that Willie Creek Pearls.
Kathy Hough
Kathy Hough is the CEO of Far North Community Services and has worked in rural and remote WA supporting people with disability for 35 years. Kathy has experience in a civic, voluntary, direct care and senior management roles including 13 years as a host family. Championing rights, inclusion and equity have been a driver for Kathy to take on roles such as Board member and Deputy Chairperson of the Disability Services Commission from 2010-2017. Kathy chairs the Council for Regional Disability Services (CORDS) in WA and is an independent advisor on rural and remote issues for the Independent Advisory Council for the Australia Disability Strategy. Kathy holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Human Services), a Masters in Regional Development and post grad Certificate in Australia Rural Leadership.
Bruce Langoulant AM
Bruce Langoulant AM is a DAWA Board and Council Member. He is the retired Chair of the Disability Services Commission Board 2007-2022 and was a DSC Board Member (2001-2022_. He is Chair of the Meningitis Centre Australia. He is Founding President 2009-2015 and former Asia Pacific Leader and Trustee of The Confederation of Meningitis Organisations Inc. He is the D-Dads founding member and convenor. He is father and co carer of Ashleigh (born June ’89) who at 6 months contracted pneumococcal meningitis. Ash is profoundly deaf has CP and epilepsy, has never walked or talked and has significant intellectual disabilities.
Susan Male
Susan Male is an experienced executive, board director and consultant. She originally trained as an Occupational Therapist, and has worked in hospitals, community and industrial health settings in Australia and overseas. She has an MBA and has worked in management consulting and senior commercial roles, including in banking, health insurance, and utilities. Susan has more than 15 year’s experience as a director in Western Australia, including recently as Chair of Rocky Bay. Susan has a career long involvement in health and disability.
Erin Marhshall
Erin Marshall is a proud member of both the Board and Council of DAWA. She is also a Board member of Avivo and has worked for the State Government of Western Australia for over 16 years, as a Justice of the Peace. She lives with multiple disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy. Erin believes that those who can advocate for others with disabilities should do so – particularly for those who cannot advocate for themselves”.
Grace Mills
Grace Mills is a young person living with disability. She has experience in a range of community organisations including the Youth Disability Advocacy Network, Diverse Leadership WA, VisAbility and the City of Perth Access & Inclusion Advisory Group. She’s been a member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability and the Telethon Kids Institute Youth Advisory Group. She was a staff member of Inclusion Solutions (2016-2022) and is currently involved with the Australian Inclusion Group, the Department of Health Disability Health Network Executive Advisory Group, the NDIA Independent Advisory Council Home & Living Terms of Reference Group and the NDIA Home & Living Policy Steering Committee.
Victor Patrick
Victor Patrick is a disabled Aboriginal Elder from the Bunuba tribes in Fitzroy Crossing WA. Born in the Martuwarra River and raised in Derby by a missionary couple at the United Aborigines Mission hostel. Victor went to school in Derby but had to go to Perth throughout his childhood until he at the age of 13 for treatment for injuries sustained during birth in the Martuwarra river. Victor started working in a sheltered workshop in Shenton Park. He went there from spastic institutions such as Sir James Mitchell Spastic Centre, the Spastic hospital for children in Osborne Park and a school for spastic children in Mount Lawley. With the help of an Aboriginal nursing sister from the Quad centre in 1988 Victor went to an aboriginal health workers school and trained and then worked as an Aboriginal health worker. Victor is currently working to get the Derby Ability Centre up and running in the Kimberley. As well as being a valued DAWA member, Victor is on the First Nations Advisory Council to the NDIA and on the Board of the First Peoples Disability Network.
Monique Power
Monique Power is a results-driven professional, with more than 20 year’s experience in community services working with the vulnerable and in different capacities at all levels of government. Monique has a wealth of lived-experience and knowledge when it comes to understanding the complexities and intricacies of the NDIS. She has always been passionate about the most vulnerable people within the community and dedicated her life to pioneering change and opportunity for all. Inspired by her daughter Emmilou, Monique founded and co-directs an organisation called RippleAbility that focuses exclusively on paediatric disability supports and the NDIS and a foundation that offers free support and training to families.
Gina Price
Gina Price is a dedicated professional with 10+ years of experience in education and disability-related settings including leadership and management roles as well as teaching. I am someone who positively engages with all employees, families, and stakeholders alike. Gina has lived experience with disability. Gina moved up to a leadership role soon after, opening up Activ Kalgoorlie’s, the regions first community service for people with significant intellectual disability.
Katie Rodwell
Katie Rodwell is a senior corporate affairs and communications specialist and has spent over 20 years running high impact PR campaigns in both agency and in-house teams across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. She has consulted across a range of industries including financial services, telecoms, not-for-profit, travel and tourism, government, and professional services. Katie currently leads the consumer and retail practice of a national PR agency which has offices in Perth and Sydney, bringing broad expertise in strategy, planning and campaign management to her work. A mother to four children, two of whom have intellectual disabilities, Katie serves on the council of Disability Assembly WA and was a previous board member of Down Syndrome WA.
Russell Smith
Russell Smith has supported people with disability for almost 40 years. Russell commenced as a direct care worker 39 years ago and has taken up various roles including, senior management, to support people across Regional NSW, Pilbara and Kimberley regions of WA, and the Indian Ocean Territories, in addition to metropolitan areas in both states. Russell first became interested in supporting people who have disability through personal experience of family members having lived experience. Russell holds a Graduate Diploma in Business Management and is an Alumni member of Leadership Western Australia. Currently works as senior Manager for My Place WA (disability service provider). Russell is an active reference group member of Leadability WA and was recently appointed as a council member of Disability Assembly of Western Australia (DAWA).
Gordon Trewern
Gordon Trewern is the Group Chief Executive Officer of PeopleKind Group. He is widely involved with disability, justice, mental health, allied health and housing sector issues. Gordon joined Nulsen in 1982 as a support worker was appointed CEO of Nulsen Disability Services in 1994.Gordon has overseen the growth and diversification of the Group beyond disability accommodation services, to ensure the company remains contemporary to an ever changing and volatile policy and service environment. Having spent 29 years as CEO of the Group, Gordon has seen significant changes and developments within the human services sector which has provided him with a unique insight into the provision of services to vulnerable people within our community.
Tony Vis
Tony Vis (BJuris, LLB, FAICD) is privileged to be inaugural Chair of the Board and the Council of DAWA. With over 40 years’ experience in Chair, NED, CEO, C Suite and legal roles with major organisations he has worked across multiple sectors including aged care, insurance, health, property and disability for 25 years. His last executive role was CEO of Activ Foundation Inc (2007 to 2016). He currently is also on the Boards of Southern Cross Care (WA), Therapy Focus Ltd, PathWest Medical Laboratories WA and is a member of the Carers Advisory Council WA. Tony’s passion is enhancing an individual’s experience in their community. He has lived experience as a carer for elderly parents and neighbours as well as having a nephew and a niece with disability.