Our members

Our members

Home About us Our members

Jo-Anne Hewitt

CEO Achieve Australia

Achieve Australia is a for-purpose community organisation that has been providing services and support for people with disability in NSW since 1952. Our passion is social inclusion for people with disability and our purpose is to build extraordinary lives through being well, having a home, choosing a career and enjoying a full life.

Achieve offers a range of essential services for people with disability and their families including community living and Drop-In Support, wellbeing and Day Programs, employment, and Support Coordination.

Dr Martin Laverty

CEO Aruma

Dr Martin Laverty has been involved in disability support for 30 years.

He helped design and implement the NDIS – he was an inaugural Director of the scheme, serving on the NDIA Board from 2013 to 2021.

In 2022, Martin commenced as CEO of Aruma.

Aruma supports the rights and well-being of all people with a disability. We believe in the vision of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), but it is clear that work needs to be done for this vision to be delivered. We have valuable perspective to bring to the table. We are part of Alliance20 because we want the NDIS to be the best in can be.

Kate Fulton

CEO Avivo

Avivo support people with a disability, people who require psychosocial support and / or people who are old or frail across Western Australia. We are committed to supporting people to live life in their own homes connected to their local communities. We support around 3000 people and have over 100 community teams providing support and assistance. Alongside this we partner with people and families to share manage. Avivo have a long history of innovation – partnering with people and families to design supports in a way that makes sense to each unique person. Avivo have delivered NDIS services since its inception. Kate has worked with Avivo for over 10 years and became CEO in 2022. Kate has a long history of working to support social justice systemically and individually.

Kevin Barrow

CEO The Benevolent Society

The Benevolent Society assists people to achieve independent living through delivery of a range of services and programs tailored to empower clients to live life on their own terms.

Kevin has two decades of leadership experience across the healthcare and not-for-profit sectors. Most recently he served as CEO of Sydney North Health Network (Northern Sydney PHN), where he led system-wide change in primary healthcare through collaboration, community empowerment, and strengthening safety nets for vulnerable people.

Prior to that, Kevin was CEO of the Butterfly Foundation. He spearheaded major initiatives including the establishment of Wandi Nerida, Australia’s first residential treatment centre for eating disorders, and the national rollout of the Butterfly Body Bright program in primary schools.

Kevin has also held senior executive roles with Philips Australia & New Zealand and Becton Dickinson Pty Ltd and is currently a Non-Executive Board Member at Cyclopharm.

Through his work in the Australian healthcare and not-for-profit spaces, Kevin believes in the importance of integrated support to improve service access, quality, user satisfaction and efficiency.

Terry Symonds

CEO Berry Street Yooralla

Terry Symonds is an experienced CEO and executive leader with deep expertise across health, disability, and government. Known for his collaborative approach and strategic insight, Terry has spent his career driving meaningful change that improves lives and strengthens communities.

He has led major reforms focused on lived-experience leadership, supported decision-making, and inclusive service design – always guided by a strong belief in social justice and the importance of respect and opportunity for every individual.

Earlier in his career, Terry held senior executive roles within the Victorian public sector, including positions overseeing hospitals, mental health, and aged-care services. He also began his professional journey as a disability support worker, giving him firsthand understanding of the people and purpose at the heart of this work.

Terry holds postgraduate qualifications in Health Management and Mental Health from the University of Queensland and has completed Executive Development in Non-Profit Management at Harvard Business School.

Rob White

CEO Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Rob White is Chief Executive Officer of Cerebral Palsy Alliance, one of the largest disability service providers in Australia, supporting over 6,500 people with disability and providing a range of services including accommodation, respite, employment and therapy.

Rob has a deep appreciation of the key issues that face clients and families under the NDIS and is committed to improving the quality of life of people living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Stephen Doley

CEO Challenge Community Services

Challenge Community Services has provided innovative and people-focused services to the community for over 60 years. Our offering to regional and metropolitan communities includes Disability Services, Foster Care, Allied Health and supported employment for people with a disability as part of our range of Business Services. Stephen joined Challenge Community Services as CEO in August 2022.

Stephen has spent over a decade working in Executive positions with organisations that specialise in working in consumer directed care and high complex needs for children and adults. Stephen specialises in leadership development, change management, strategic planning, new business development, culture change, project management, business development and is passionate about people.

Stephen sits on a number of state committees and boards and has been influential in Government Reforms around OOHC, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Aged Care. Stephen is a Board Director for HealthWISE New England Northwest

Stephen’s fundamental belief is that communities, governments and businesses have a responsibility to ensure dignity and rights are upheld for all people. Stephen is passionate about the development of providing opportunities, experiences and outcomes for all people, no matter where they live.

Karenza Louis-Smith

Group Chief Executive Officer The Disability Trust

The Disability Trust is committed to providing highly professional care and support to people with disability and their families. Based in NSW, the ACT, Victoria and South East Queensland, The Disability Trust provides a wide range of services to adults and children to support people with disability to live the life they choose. The Disability Trust has its roots firmly in the community, having been established in 1974 to help children with disabilities and their families in the Illawarra. The organisation has experienced rapid growth over recent years and remains committed to quality care and support tailored to the needs of every client.

Karenza Louis-Smith leads The Disability Trust with heart, vision, and a deep commitment to empowering people with disability and complex mental health needs. With over 25 years of executive leadership experience, she brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for inclusive, person-centred services.

Her career began in youth services in the UK and has spanned senior roles across Australia, including CEO positions at TaskForce and ACSO. Her expertise covers disability, mental health, employment services, drug treatment, and justice.

In 2024, Karenza successfully led the merger of ermha 365 with The Disability Trust, strengthening the organisation’s reach and impact. She is widely recognised for her innovative approach and advocacy work, including the award-winning Get Real podcast and co-hosting the 2025 Australian Complex Needs Conference.

Karenza’s leadership is grounded in lived experience, empathy, and a belief in recovery. She is known for her collaborative style, strong partnerships, and commitment to challenging the status quo.

Karenza is a passionate advocate and a strategic thinker. Her vision is clear: to build a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, no matter how complex or challenging their needs.

Andrew Chesterman

CEO Endeavour Foundation

Endeavour Foundation works in partnership with people we support to imagine possibilities, according to their own priorities, and make them happen.

We not only work to support people with a disability at home, at work and in the community, we also engage with people around training, employment and education. Together, we open doors to a better life. We are committed to a strong NDIS for future generations.

Andrew Chesterman has an extensive background in strategic, values-based leadership and public administration, with 35 years of professional experience.

He has spent over a decade as a Chief Executive Officer / Director General across three public sector organisations, in addition to many other senior executive positions. These included the Queensland Public Service Commission (Commission CEO), Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (Director General), Redland City Council (CEO).

Andrew has a history of board and other associated memberships, which have included President and Chairperson of Local Government Managers Australia (Qld), Member of the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership Management Board, Chairperson of the South East Queensland Local Government CEO Forum, Member and Chairperson of the CSIRO Land and Water Business Advisory Committee and Member of the CEO Institute.

As the parents of a young man with intellectual disability, Andrew and his wife together with their daughter have worked in and around supports and the disability sector, to get the best outcomes for him. This gives Andrew a deep appreciation of what it is to live with, respect, advocate and care for people with intellectual disability.

His qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science, Post-graduate Diploma in Education, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Certificate of Organisational Coaching.

Dr Chelsea Tobin

CEO genU

genU has been providing services to people with disability for over 70 years. It was formed when two respected organisations, Karingal and St Laurence, came together, and continues to build on their experience to become a national provider of services across disability, aged care and employment and training. Chelsea was appointed Chief Executive Officer in February 2026.

Chelsea has extensive experience across the social and community services sector, having led organisations in the children, youth and family services fields, as well as in the domestic and family violence sector. This leadership builds on a long-standing and accomplished career in the commercial and corporate sectors. She is a strong advocate for social justice and is deeply passionate about empowering communities and driving lasting, positive change.

genU is proud to be a member of Alliance20 and to work in partnership with clients, the sector and government to improve the experience and outcomes for people with disability.

Laura O’Reilly

CEO Hireup

Laura O’Reilly OAM is the Co-founder and CEO of Hireup – an innovative online platform that gives Australians with disability the power to find, hire and manage their very own support workers.

Hireup is Australia’s largest registered NDIS platform provider, transforming the way people with disability access and manage their support. Since launching in 2015, Hireup has facilitated more than 13 million hours of support across more than 100,000 connections. Today, Hireup supports over 12,000 participants and their families, while employing a similar number of support workers.

Over the years, Hireup has expanded its impact beyond individualised disability support, bringing its innovative, participant-led model to older Australians, while Hireup for Providers partners with organisations to strengthen their workforce and deliver high-quality, flexible support at scale.

Claire Robbs

CEO Life Without Barriers

Life Without Barriers is proud of our significant involvement in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and our partnerships with other service providers and clients as this initiative rolls out across Australia. This NDIS is fundamentally changing the landscape for people with a disability, giving them real choice and control. However, such a huge shift does not come without challenges.

We are thrilled to form part of Alliance20 to promote the NDIS and lobby for the changes needed to ensure the best outcome for our clients.

Gill Callister

CEO Mind Australia

Mind Australia Limited is a leading not for profit mental health organisation with services across Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia. Mind provides mental health support in the community, including subacute services, community residential services and a range of psychosocial and dual disability support services, to nearly 20,000 people each year. The organisation was established over 40 years ago and in 2017-18 employed over 900 staff to provide high quality, evidence informed services around Australia.

A registered NDIS provider, Mind is one of Australia’s most experienced and accomplished providers of recovery based Supported Independent Living services, including Dual Disability, specialist support coordination and capacity building.

Our experience in recovery based services and our strength in forging successful partnerships with clinical and referring agencies around Australia enable us to meet the needs of a diverse range of people living with severe and persistent mental health issues, as well as their families and carers. Our service development and delivery is firmly evidence based thanks to our Research and Advocacy division. Mind’s Research and Advocacy division is also a significant contributor to the national conversation about how the NDIS can provide better support for people with psychosocial disability – and their families and carers – in Australia. Mind’s current research and advocacy priorities are the interrelationships between mental ill-health and homelessness/poor housing, and economic justice for unpaid carers.

David Panter

CEO Minda

Since 1898 Minda has provided support and opportunity to South Australians of all ages living with disability. Today, taking a human rights perspective, it continues towards an inclusive community that respects individual differences, embraces diversity and offers an environment in which people can thrive. It provides a wide range of services and supports to its clients, their support networks and the broader community to achieve this goal. David Panter took up the role of CE in late January 2022. David originally trained as a psychologist and has worked in health and social care in both the UK and Australia for over 42 years, half of which has been as a Chief Executive. David is committed to human rights and ensuring that services respond appropriately to the diversity of Australian communities.

Adam Golabek

Chief Growth Officer Nextt

Nextt is a leading provider of individualised support services including core supports, attendant care, supported housing (SIL) and support coordination. We provide early intervention services and behavioural therapy to young children through our Lizard Centres.

At Nextt we all share a passion to help our clients get more out of life. For us, this means supporting people to achieve measurable improvements in their quality of life.

We are proud to be working alongside the providers in the Alliance20 to find new solutions to old problems.

Adam is the Chief Growth Officer at Nextt and is committed to supporting sustainable growth for Nextt to ensure stability and opportunities for the people that Nextt supports. Adam is a former allied health clinician with a strong grounding in leading growth strategies and initiatives across the disability, insurance, healthcare, research foundation and membership association sectors.

Greg Ward

CEO Novita

For nearly 80 years, Novita has been one of South Australia’s largest providers of disability supports, services and equipment, primarily to children. We are proud to have played a pivotal role in supporting thousands of young people living with disability to fulfil their potential. We were involved in the initial NDIS trials in South Australia and had largely completed the transition of our customers to NDIS plans by mid-2017.

We see our membership of Alliance20 as an opportunity to support the NDIA as it fulfils its full potential assisting NDIS participants and their families all over Australia. With a united purpose, and a pragmatic understanding of the challenges we face, Novita believes we can all be part of delivering a better outcome for people living with disability.

Justine Colyer

CEO Rise

Rise was established in 1983 and covers the whole Perth metropolitan area and some regional towns. During the past 35 years, Rise has delivered a range of accommodation and community services including those for people with disability, mental health issues, young people at risk, the elderly, those escaping domestic violence and those in contact with the justice system. Rise supports over 3,500 West Australians. Rise delivered NDIS services since their inception – being part of both the Federal and State run trial sites. Justine Colyer has been the CEO for eight years.

Natasha Fyles

CEO Somerville and Somerville Housing

Natasha Fyles has been the CEO of Somerville Community Services since 2025.

Natasha Fyles is a passionate advocate for equity and inclusion, with a deep commitment to ensuring that people living with disability can access high-quality, person-centred care—regardless of location, cultural background, or circumstance.

A long-serving Northern Territory parliamentarian (2012 – 2024) and former Chief Minister (2022–2024), Natasha brings extensive experience in government, disability policy, and social services to her role on the Alliance 20 Board.

As the NT Minister for Disabilities, she led the Territory’s transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), working closely with participants, providers, carers and Aboriginal-controlled organisations to shape a system that met the unique needs of Territorians.

During her time in government, Natasha championed investment in disability infrastructure and service access, particularly in remote and regional communities. Now serving as CEO of Somerville Community Services and Chair of Cancer Council NT, Natasha continues her advocacy for inclusive, responsive and person-led support systems.

As a member of the Alliance 20, she is committed to ensuring the voices of people with disability—especially those in remote and Indigenous communities—remain central to shaping the future of the NDIS.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Canberra, Natasha is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors course. Natasha lives in Darwin with her partner and two sons along with their dog Rumble. She loves to spend time running on the Nightcliff foreshore or out on the Darwin harbour fishing.

Cheryl Barrett

Group Chief Executive Officer Kanda

Cheryl Barrett is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Kanda, an organisation dedicated to delivering Purpose, Belonging, and Security to some of our community’s most vulnerable people. With decades of experience, Kanda has built a strong reputation for providing trusted, high-quality health, human and social support services to individuals and communities across Australia.

Kanda reflects our ‘can do’ attitude — a proactive, helpful, and solution-focused approach that our teams bring to every interaction. It also speaks to our value of candour, being open, honest, and real in the way we work and communicate. Most importantly, Kanda is for everyone. We celebrate diversity, inclusion, and the uniqueness of every individual we support.

We are proud and deeply privileged to support Alliance20 in its mission to improve outcomes for people with disabilities across the nation. We look forward to continuing this important work with heart, purpose, and people at the centre.

Andrew Hyland

CEO Sunnyfield disAbility Services

Sunnyfield is a not-for-profit charity providing support services to people with disability since 1952. We deliver a whole range of programs from accommodation to education and employment support, and from skills training to community participation and life enrichment opportunities.

Andrew joined Sunnyfield as CEO in October 2022 and brought a wealth of experience from his time as CEO of Lifestyle Solutions and his years driving positive transformation in the private sector.

With Andrew at the helm, we continue to champion Sunnyfield’s mission, empower our communities and strive towards a more inclusive Australia for people with disability.

Leanne Fretten

CEO Sylvanvale

Sylvanvale has been supporting people with an intellectual disability with complex needs since 1947 and today, support more than 750 people in the Sydney metropolitan area. Sylvanvale and the people we support have experienced many challenges throughout the transition into the NDIS. Our goal is to see great improvements in the disability sector and for the NDIA to deliver a better NDIS, one that supports the needs of people with a disability now and in the future, through our support of Alliance20.

Lee Carpenter

CEO Unisson

Established in 1924, Unisson has been a trusted provider of disability services for a century, dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities and their families to live a fulfilling life. Lee joined Unisson in August 2023, assuming the role of CEO. With a wealth of experience exceeding 30 years in the health and disability services, Lee has gained invaluable insights and expertise. Over the past 14 years, Lee has led teams at Northcott and Scope, two prominent Disability Service Providers in Australia, guiding them through the complex NDIS landscape and ensuring the highest standard of support and services. Unisson is delighted to be a member of Alliance20, collaborating closely with clients, the sector, and government bodies to enhance the experiences and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.