Our Team
Our Team
Our Corporate Team
Chief Executive Officer
Karen Dare
Karen has a social sciences background and over 30 years of experience working within the community sector.
She has worked with Communify since 1994 and has seen the organisation grow from a small neighbourhood centre with limited resources to the thriving multi-service hub that it is today. Always with a community development focus, Karen works alongside the Communify Management team to develop services and programs that will support people living the inner city communities of Brisbane.
Karen also works broadly in the community and has sat on the boards of several prominent community organisations and other representative committees including 4Walls Housing Company, Suncorp Stadium Advisory Committee and Building Services Authority.
She has a strong interest in supporting and developing responsive services within the housing, mental health, family support, emergency relief and refugee support areas.
Karen is recipient of the 2001 Centenary Medal and the Brisbane Australia Day Award for her contribution to the community sector. In 2024, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Queensland Mental Health Commission in recognition of her contribution to the development of community-based mental health services.
Chief Information Officer
Ben Bollard
Ben joined Communify in 2012 where he was charged with implementing a new client management system, Procura.
This project saw him engage with all areas of the business and has led to a number of initiatives such as the mobility project, technology initiatives to support the client directed care (CDC) reforms and the implementation of centralised reporting and output tracking.
Ben has facilitated the upgrade of Communify’s IT infrastructure including the roll out of Microsoft Terminal Services, a new telephone system and various systems to support integration between HR, Payroll and Finance.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Business (Management), Diploma of Information Technology (Networking) and a Graduate Certificate in Information Technology.
Ben enjoys renovating properties and walking his cocker spaniel, Caville on the weekend.
Chief Financial Officer
Allana Kelly
Allana is a seasoned finance executive with over 20 years experience driving financial leadership, transformation, and implementing robust governance processes in Australia and the UK.
Allana joined Communify as the Chief Financial Officer in 2023. Since, she has successfully led the finance function, optimizing governance, performance management, and implementing state-of-the-art financial systems including Sage Intacct ERP, Prospend Expense Management, and Martus Budgeting and Forecasting.
Allana holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Management. She is a Chartered Accountant and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
With a deep passion for community services, Allana is committed to using financial expertise to support initiatives that align with both organisational growth and social good.
Outside of work, Allana enjoys spending time with her large extended family, travel and playing Saturday night tennis with her husband and two boys.
Human Resources Manager
Louise Laing
Louise joined the team in 2004 and gained experience across the administration and finance teams prior to her current role as Communify’s Human Resources Manager.
Louise considers it a privilege to work in teams that provide support to the front line programs delivering services and support. She finds it humbling and rewarding to be able to work with some of the most passionate, non-judgmental people working in the front line serving our community.
Louise is passionate about supporting each staff member in their employment lifecycle focusing in particular on workforce health and wellbeing and leadership development. Louise brings a diverse skillset to her work from her experiences that include environmental science and teaching.
She appreciates the support that Communify provides to ensure her training and professional development keeps her capable and skilled in supporting a safe, respectful and dignified workplace for all.
Senior Quality Manager
Rhian Chess-Williams
Rhian joined Communify in 2016 with the role of Intensive Family Support Team Leader and the project of setting up the new service. Rhian developed a strong interest in quality and compliance, and in 2022 moved into the Senior Quality Manager role.
Rhian holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology, and more recently completed a Diploma in Quality Auditing and an Integrated Management System Lead Auditor course.
Outside of work Rhian enjoys running, being creative and karaoke.
Senior Manager Mental Health Programs
Nagadeva Higgins
Nagadeva took up his role at Communify in June 2021. He worked in Forensic and Community mental health settings in the UK after receiving a First Class honours degree in occupational therapy.
On arriving in Australia, Nagadeva obtained a role in mental health case management in the Brisbane North catchment before moving into systems advocacy for the disability sector. As a senior advisor for challenging behaviour and complex needs at the Endeavour Foundation he provided clinical, operational and strategic advice to executive and senior managers and additionally spent a number of months managing the National Complaints and Incident Management Unit.
After a spate managing a number of NDIS and mental health programs and facilitating domestic violence groups for high risk offenders he was delighted to join Communify as the Senior Manager, Mental Health Programs.
Nagadeva has training in a number of clinical modalities including Mindfulness based Cognitive therapy, Mindfulness based stress reduction, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Brief Therapy, Positive Behavioural Support and Gestalt Psychotherapy as well as core professional training in occupational therapy.
Senior Manager Community Services
Kelly Sciacca
Kelly is a qualified community services professional with over 30 years’ experience in management and front line service delivery throughout a diverse range of institutions, including youth justice, mental health, and homelessness.
Since 1999 she has held leadership roles within leading services, specialising in effective change management, transformational leadership development, consumer participation, modelling and valuing innovation and community development.
Kelly is a trauma informed practitioner who celebrates the empowerment of workers and the people we service.
Lived Experience Practice & Development Manager
Brooke Starr
Brooke Starr is Communify’s Lived Experience Practice and Development Manager. Her belief is that Lived Experience (Peer) work brings an essential human element to system reform and to improving the outcomes for people in our communities.
Brooke is passionate about developing and supporting the Lived Experience Workforce within Communify and the broader Mental Health, AOD and Suicide Prevention sectors. The intention of Brooke’s work is to make contribution to Lived Experience (Peer) practice being formally recognised as a professional discipline, increasing the recognition of the significant impact that the Lived Experience Workforce makes to system reform and to the lives of the people they work alongside.
Brooke has had over a decade of experience working within various roles in front line services as a Peer Worker, Supervisor and Manager, she has also been employed several roles on a local, state and national level leading co design projects and contributing to the development of resources to elevate the voices of Lived Experience to improve service design and delivery.
Further to this Brooke has held a mentor role with the Yale LETs Lead Lived Experience Leadership Program in 2022 and is currently a board member for the Queensland Lived Experience Workers Network.
In-Home Support Manager
Christine Stewart
Christine Stewart, In-Home Support Manager at Communify, has 10 years of experience working in the aged care services sector.
Prior to working in aged care, Christine had a background in customer service and school administration. She began her aged care career working in aged care facilities in Hervey Bay, after which she relocated to Brisbane and supported older people with dementia in a community-based role.
Christine joined Communify in 2019 in the In-Home Support team office, initially in an administration and scheduling role. She has since completed her Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management, which paved her way into management of the team.
Community Engagement Coordinator
Mish Burkett
Mish joined the Communify team in 2004. She coordinates the volunteer program and Communify’s community engagement programs and projects including Hands on Art, community gardens and the Free Range Library.
Mish loves matching volunteers’ skills and interests with a role that will be meaningful and will help to make a difference. Outside of work she has volunteered in the local community and held a management committee role with Hands on Art and supported its transition to Hands on Projects Ltd.
She holds a Diploma of Business (Governance) and qualifications in Volunteer Management. Her three sons, now adults, all have fond memories of attending Communify’s nurturing childcare centre and now provide occasional volunteer help to the neighbourhood centres.
Outside of work Mish is working on the elusive goal of becoming a successful home gardener.
Coordinator of School-Based Community Hubs
Mandy Cox
Mandy Cox has over 35 years experience working as a social worker, community development worker, and multicultural program coordinator.
She has been with Communify since 2003 managing cross-cultural community education, development, mental health, swimming, and adventure programs and contributing to a range of fundraising and advocacy efforts associated with social justice, access to housing, and legal services for people seeking asylum.
Currently, she is providing secretariat support to the Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance Program and is the Coordinator for community hubs in five Brisbane primary schools as per the contract Communify has with Community Hubs Australia. This follows 4 years of co-managing the crisis accommodation for people seeking asylum in Bardon.
She enjoys walking in the bush, dancing like there is no tomorrow. swimming in rivers and seas and learning from the tenacious, open-hearted and wise people she meets in her work.
Communications & Marketing Coordinator
Sam Wolstenholme
Sam joined the Communify team in 2022, bringing her diverse professional skillset and background to her role as Communications and Marketing Coordinator. A born storyteller, Sam loves to harness the power of digital and traditional media to promote causes she is passionate about.
Prior to Communify, Sam accumulated several years of experience working in marketing, event management and business development roles across a range of industries, from information technology to healthcare services. She holds a Bachelor of Business (Event Management/Marketing) and a Graduate Diploma of Counselling (Mental Health Counselling), and it is in the not-for-profit sector that she has found her true calling.
Sam is also a professional, practicing musician with over 20 years of experience and leads her own bands. She is a freelance music writer and an aspiring poet, and in her free time, she loves attending gigs, indoor rock climbing, going on mountain walks and doing puzzles.
Our Board of Directors
Managing Director, Sagacity Consulting
Zea Johnston
Qualifications / Accreditations: M Admin, Grad Dip Ed, BA, Executive Fellow ANZSOG
Summary of Professional Experience:
Zea is a management consultant with more than two decades of experience in senior and chief executive positions in the public and private sectors. Her expertise ranges from early childhood education and care to corporate strategy, strategic policy and education futures, training and skills policy, strategic research, legislation services and regulation.
Zea established Queensland’s first office of Early Childhood Education in 2008 and has extensive experience in delivering significant national and state-wide reform, and leading complex multi-jurisdictional negotiations.
Why are you passionate about community services?
Throughout her career Zea has been involved in social and economic policy and program responses to support those most in need, especially through innovative integrated support and early intervention services.
What inspired you to join Communify’s Board of Directors?
Zea has been involved with Communify for several years and joined the Board in 2021. Volunteering with Community has provided Zea with an invaluable opportunity to contribute to her local community, and to advocate for access to quality services for people in need.
Director & Chair of FAR Committee
Peter Tran
Qualifications / Accreditations: B Business (Accounting)/B Laws, CA – Chartered Accountant
Summary of Professional Experience:
Peter has over 20 years of experience in professional accounting. He has specialist financial skills and knowledge across a broad spectrum of tax and advisory matters.
Why are you passionate about community services?
Peter is inspired by the invaluable work that Communify does in the local community. Being on the Communify board has given Peter the opportunity to work with some amazing people whose paths he would not ordinarily come across.
What inspired you to join Communify’s Board of Directors?
Initially Peter joined the Board to assist in the merger of New Farm Neighbourhood Centre and Communify. 8 years later, he has remained on the Board. It’s the people and the culture of Communify that keeps Peter coming back every year to maintain his position on the Board.
Senior Lawyer, WorkCover Queensland
Amita Laroiya
Qualifications / Accreditations: Grad AICD, Grad Dip in Applied Corporate Governance, Grad Dip Legal Practice, LLB/B Justice Studies
Memberships: Queensland Law Society, AICD FGIA, CGI
Summary of Professional Experience:
Amita is a lawyer with more than 15 years of experience specialising in corporate and commercial law, in both private practice and in-house roles across a range of industries in Queensland. She is currently a Senior Lawyer at WorkCover Queensland, where she is responsible for providing strategic, astute legal advice to the various business units within the organisation. In her role, Amita is also responsible for managing legal operations, with a focus on ensuring compliance and accountability, and she oversees and manages WorkCover’s extensive external legal panel.
A tenured member across various professional boards of directors, Amita is currently a Director on the Board of Communify Queensland and the Board of the Australian Association of Graduate Employees. She is also a qualified Company Secretary.
Why are you passionate about community services?
As a member of the community, Amita is passionate about supporting those around her in ways that will lead to their personal growth, and help to create and maintain a respectful, harmonious and enriched society.
What inspired you to join Communify’s Board of Directors?
Amita’s motivation for joining the Board of Communify arose from her desire to be involved in an organisation that supports the community and enriches its growth. Amita has gained a diverse set of skills during her professional career, and she considers it an honour to be able to share that experience with an organisation that will help drive positive outcomes for the community at large.
Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary, Healthia Limited
Chris Banks
Qualifications / Accreditations: BCom, BEcon, CA, MAppFin
Summary of Professional Experience:
Chris is currently the CFO of ASX-listed company Healthia Limited and possesses over 15 years of professional experience across accounting, finance, acquisitions and strategy.
Prior to Healthia, Chris gained broad commercial and financial experience through working for several leading professional and financial services organisations, including Bank of Queensland, KPMG and Ernst and Young.
Why are you passionate about community services?
Chris is excited by the opportunity to give back to the community and help those in need.
What inspired you to join Communify’s Board of Directors?
Chris was inspired to join the Board after reading about the organisation and learning about the wide-ranging positive impact that Communify has upon its local communities.
Director, 4impact
Chris Eldridge
Qualifications / Accreditations: B.E (Hons), MBA, GAICD
Summary of Professional Experience:
Chris has worked in the technology domain for almost 30 years across delivery, technology management, product management and sales, and he has thoroughly enjoyed the learning opportunities that he has encountered along this journey.
Chris’s technical background led him to become a founder of 4impact, a technology services business in 2005, and since then the organisation has experienced significant growth. 4impact now serves customers across the eastern seaboard of Australia and in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea and employs people in four countries.
Why are you passionate about community services?
Our communities are where we live and work. With strong communities we build strong societies. Chris’s community has been good to him, so he values the opportunity to give something back.
What inspired you to join Communify’s Board of Directors?
Chris volunteered with Communify for a couple of years, and during that time, he was hugely inspired by the work the organisation does. The opportunity to make a contribution at the board level alongside the grassroots level was too good for Chris to pass up.
Director of Portfolio Creative Services Group
Dai Gwynne-Jones
Qualifications / Accreditations: BSc (Hons)
Summary of Professional Experience:
Dai is a communications director with 30 years of experience across significant international brands. His particular expertise lies in strategy and growth. He is an active contributor to the community as board member for the Committee for Brisbane.
Why are you passionate about community services?
Dai has a strong belief in investing time to improve our local communities. He is particularly driven to help facilitate the offering of wrap around services to cater to complex needs of the less fortunate members of our society.
What inspired you to join Communify’s Board of Directors?
After working with the Communify Communications Committee to develop the new brand and marketing direction, Dai was approached to join the board. He was particularly drawn to Communify’s core values of integrity, passion, inclusiveness, creativity and collaboration. He has relished the challenge of raising the profile of Communify and supporting the community on all sides.
Group Education & Research Officer, Healthia
Kerrie Evans
Qualifications / Accreditations: BAppSc(Phty), MHealthSc(ManipPhty), PhD, GAICD
Summary of Professional Experience:
Kerrie is a specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist (as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists, 2007) and has worked both as a clinician and in academia for more than 20 years. She is the Chief Group Education and Research Officer for Healthia Limited, a large ASX-listed allied health organisation. Her role at Healthia includes assessing, developing and embedding effective clinical governance across the organisation. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Sydney and has over 50 publications in scientific journals.
Why are you passionate about community services?
Kerrie is passionate about all members of the community having access to services that support a better quality of life and which meet their individual needs, values and preferences.
What inspired you to join Communify’s Board of Directors?
Kerrie was inspired to join Communify’s Board of Directors after learning more about Communify’s commitment over many years to provide a wide range of services to all members of its community and the way in which the members of the Communify team work together to deliver those services to those most in need.
