Nigel Hall
Chairperson 

Nigel is a seasoned director and entrepreneur. He is recognised for strategic leadership, good governance, service excellence and relationship management. His qualifications are in engineering and management.

Nigel brings significant know-how to organisations, focused on people, governance and effective stewardship of information assets.

He serves on the Boards of sustainable, ethical organisations which make a difference to peoples’ lives. He is interested in leveraging his professional background in the delivery of digital technologies across a broad range of industries.

Mike Flynn

Mike joined the Board in 2016. He is currently working as a consultant to the energy industry. Mike was on the Board of the SA Chamber of Mines and Energy from 2011 to 2017.

With qualifications in engineering and management, Mike has more than 30 years of experience in commercial, business planning, analysis, policy, and operations in the rapidly-changing energy sector. His work takes him to all parts of Australia and overseas, and has given him an appreciation of how important affordable energy is to human flourishing.

Mike grew up in a small town in south-east SA, and has a balanced appreciation of country and city living. He enjoys working with people from all walks of life and is passionate about helping people reach their full potential.

Dr Ruth Sims 

Ruth joined the Board in 2020. She has more than 20 years’ professional experience in communication, planning and change in the higher education sector. Ruth also has leadership experience in community and professional groups.

Ruth’s PhD research extends what we know about effective leadership to explore the contribution followers and followership make to organisations. In addition to her expertise in followership Ruth holds postgraduate qualifications in education management and human resources management.

A/Prof Dr Jörg Strobel

Jörg joined the Board in 2017. He trained as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist and works as a Senior Consultant Psychiatrist in the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network and in private practice at Akkadian Health.

Born in Germany, Jörg migrated to Australia in 1996. Since then, he has worked within the public sector in SA Metro and Country Services, for eight years as Clinical Director. He has an academic affiliation with Flinders University with research interests in e-Health, m-Health and psychedelics. He also ventured into entrepreneurship with involvement in several start-ups. Personally, and professionally, he has a strong commitment to furthering human flourishing and he is championing recovery-oriented work.

Lynn Young

Lynn joined the Board in 2022. She has worked in human services for forty years across Tasmania and South Australia. She has held executive positions in disability, aged care and housing along with senior positions in budget performance, business planning and forensic mental health.   

Post full time employment, Lynn is currently active in individual advocacy and executive coaching in the disability and ageing sector. 

Prof Keith Evans

Keith joined the Board in 2023. He has a professional background in nursing, psychotherapy, teaching, executive management, and public policy. He has worked in the public health sector as a clinician, educator, chief executive and public policy specialist in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand for over 40 years.

Keith has specialised in addictions including roles as Executive Director (DASSA), Director, Queensland Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Services, and Deputy President International Council on Alcohol and Addictions), mental health, aged care, and disability, and has Chaired Australia’s Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs.

He held positions as Head of Research and Innovation and Head of Public Policy with Silver Chain Group, as well as an Adjunct Professorial appointment at The University of Adelaide Medical School within the Discipline of General Practice. Keith is a Research Fellow at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) working within the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA), and is Chair of Summit Health (Adelaide Hills Division of General Practice).

Keith has a particular interest in social justice and the interface of public policy with community need.

Bronwyn Wundersitz

Bronwyn is an experienced audit partner with over 20 years of working closely with Boards and sub-committees on financial reporting, forecasting, internal controls, and risk management. Based in Adelaide, she leads audits for not-for-profit organisations registered with the ACNC, particularly in Aged Care, NDIS, and Social Services.

Since joining Grant Thornton in 2005, across both Australia and Ireland, Bronwyn has developed deep expertise in navigating regulatory change and its impact on governance and financial accountability. Her experience spans listed entities, public interest organisations, and large private enterprises, equipping her with strong commercial acumen and a broad industry perspective.

Bronwyn holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Adelaide, is a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ), and a Registered Company Auditor. She brings a balanced mix of external and internal audit experience, including statutory audits, reviews, and internal control assessments, with a proven track record of presenting effectively to Boards.

Dr Christopher McGowan

Chris has worked in the human services field for over 40 years including disability services, aged car and healthcare. He has been a CEO for over 20 years leading larger organisations including SA Health during the COVID pandemic. 

Chris chooses to focus his time on organisations that seek to improve life for at risk communities particularly in the areas of innovation and quality assurance.

Dr Daniel Tyson

Dan has over 30 years of leadership experience spanning executive management, research, evaluation, services planning and policy development in the justice, health, and human services with a strong focus on Indigenous health, family services, domestic violence, and Indigenous economic participation.

Dan serves as a non-executive director for Act for Kids, Youthrive, and Rural and Remote Mental Health, and is a Member of the South Australian Health Performance Council. Dan has held voluntary roles including Vice President of the Mental Illness Fellowship of SA and co-founder of the Mental Health Coalition of SA. He has also lectured at universities in Australia, the UK, and Papua New Guinea. He holds a first-class honours degree from the University of Adelaide and a PhD from the Australian National University.

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy joined Uniting Communities as Chief Executive in June 2025.

With over 20 years of experience in the community, social and for-purpose sectors, Jeremy has led the expansion of services across homelessness support, child protection, youth employment, family support, settlement services and assistive technology.

Jeremy is passionate about fostering a strong organisational culture centred on the people it serves. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of South Australia and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Adelaide.

Robyn Sutherland
Executive Director, Services

Robyn is the Executive Director, Services. She holds qualifications in counselling and business management.

With more than 30 years’ experience in the social services sector, Robyn has worked extensively with young people and their families in child protection, family reunification, child sexual abuse, alcohol and other drug addictions, and homelessness.

Over the last few years, Robyn has focused on service design and innovation. She has looked at methods for self-organisation and self-management to challenge people’s perspective on how to work together.

Lee Sauerwald
Executive Director, Corporate & Commercial

As a Fellow CPA MBA, Lee has general management skills specialising in social, environmental and financial sustainability.

He has executive responsibility for the organisation's Corporate & Commercial services. This includes Investment, Property, Financial, Advocacy, Marketing, Communications, Hospitality, Procurement, Fleet Management and Carbon Reduction Services.

Lee led Uniting Communities to become Certified Carbon Neutral in 2015 - the first Australian Registered Charity and first South Australian organisation to do so. He was instrumental in Uniting Communities becoming the Inaugural Ambassador and a Founding Partner of Carbon Neutral Adelaide.

Lee is also President of the Australasian Fleet Management Association.

Scott Kuhlmann
Chief Information Officer

Scott is a technology leader with over 20 years’ experience delivering a wide range of innovative and tactically aligned roadmaps across a diverse range of sectors.

He has held leadership roles in governance, risk, engineering, data, architecture, cyber security, and cloud platforms, and has worked as a senior business consultant.

Scott holds a position on the SA Committee for AISA, Australia’s peak industry body in cyber security.

Sarah Watson
Executive Manager, Community Aged Care and Disability Services

Sarah has over 20 years’ experience in the community services sector. With a background in social work and post graduate qualifications in business, Sarah maintains a focus on service quality through best practice approaches and transparent governance.

Her knowledge across a range of different social service sectors including aged care, disability, mental health, alcohol and other drugs, homeless and family violence, coupled with her experience in both senior management and governance roles allows her to bring a wealth of ideas and innovations to the role.

Merridy Schofield
Executive Manager, Residential Services and Retirement Living

Merridy has extensive management experience in residential aged care, home care, disability and retirement living spanning more than 30 years in South Australia and Victoria.

With qualifications in social science, management, business and a post graduate qualification in Dementia, Merridy has a genuine passion and commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of older people.

Cheryl Lierton
Executive Manager, Community Services

Cheryl managed services within Uniting Communities for 12 years, before moving into the Executive role. Prior to this Cheryl worked in frontline and management roles in diverse areas including homelessness, education and juvenile justice.

Cheryl holds qualifications in Social Work, Psychology and Management. With over 20 years experience in the Community Services sector, both in South Australia and the UK, Cheryl is passionate about working with government and non-government stakeholders to design and improve services.