Our Board

Simon joined Uniting Communities as Chief Executive in mid-2010 with a commitment to build on the organisation’s history and reputation as a progressive agency for social change, reconciliation and fostering compassionate and resilient communities.

In 2017, Simon was awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community, particularly to children and families through social welfare organisations, programs and initiatives.

Sue joined the Board as she has a great respect for the work being done by Uniting Communities and a strong interest in contributing to innovations in service delivery in the current social policy context.

John has over 20 years’ experience in starting and running businesses, and currently runs a small farming operation with a focus on sustainability. With a commercial lens and a keen interest in finance and property, John is also a member of Uniting Communities’ Redevelopment Steering Committee.

With qualifications in engineering and management, Mike brings with him 25 years of commercial, planning and operations experience in the oil and gas sector both in Australia and overseas. Growing up in a small town in south-east SA, Mike has a balanced appreciation of country and city living, and enjoys getting alongside people from all walks of life. Mike is passionate about helping people reach their full potential, and feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to assist and learn from the dedicated people within Uniting Communities.

Born in Germany, he trained as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, and worked as a forensic psychiatrist before migrating to Australia in 1996. Since then he has worked within the public sector in SA Metro and Country Services, for about 8 years in the capacity as Clinical Director. He has an academic appointment at Flinders University with a research interest in e-Health and m-Health.  This interest has led him to venture into entrepreneurship as a founding member of an IT start-up. He has served and is serving on the boards of mental health related NGOs. Personally and professionally, he has a strong commitment to social justice and is championing recovery oriented work.

Deborah enjoys being part of a dynamic Board environment that encourages a diverse view and “outside the square” thinking. Her Board portfolio covers diverse enterprises spanning property, equities, technology, professional services, finance, retail and not-for-profit organisations.

Deborah has an MBA from Adelaide University and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. As well as her interests in children’s welfare, women’s rights and animal welfare, Deborah is an active volunteer at Lifeline.

After retiring, David was part-time Director of the Disability Policy Unit and is now in the role of Disability Advocate within the Office of the Public Advocate.

David is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, Flinders University and, in 2013, was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to the disability sector.

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

Nicolle is also an experienced senior executive with over 20 years experience in both the public and private sector and a substantial record of success in all aspects of service delivery for commercial and profit for purpose enterprises. With a Masters in Commercial Law, an MBA and as a Certified Practising Accountant (Fellow), Nicolle has a strong legal, business, accounting and audit background and an in-depth understanding of risk management and governance.

As the South Australian Public Trustee (Chief Executive of the Public Trustee), Nicolle is a Statutory Officer appointed under an Act. Her responsibilities include holding 83,000 Wills and Powers of Attorney for clients and managing the finances for over 4,500 vulnerable members of the community who lack the capacity to manage their own affairs. She manages over 200 staff with responsibilities including corporate strategy, financial management and investment of over $1.2billion. Nicolle was previously the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Treasury and Finance and both Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at Statewide Super, a $6 billion dollar superannuation fund.

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