Please direct any Board enquiries to: president@nht.org.au
Michelle Ewington - President
Michelle has extensive experience working in community development at grassroots and strategic levels. In June 2023, she was Awarded an Order of Australia medal for services to communities.
Highly experienced with over 15 years board experience on three peak bodies - Volunteering Australia (2013-2021, Chair 2018-2021), Volunteering Tasmania (Director and Chair 2008-2018), and Australian Children’s Contact Services Association (ACCSA) (current Co-convenor). She has led major governance reform from a representative board to independent skills-based board at Volunteering Australia. ACCSA is also re-visioning its strategic purpose under Michelle’s leadership.
Mark Mason - Vice President
Mark is the State Manager of Community Engagement, Addictions and Financial Counselling at Anglicare Tasmania, he is responsible for managing a number of Community Service programs across Tasmania. Prior to joining Anglicare, Mark held various management and policy related positions in the State Service and Private Sector. Mark has extensive experience working on boards, he is currently serving on the Alcohol, Tabaco and Other Drug Council of Tasmania Board, and is the Tasmanian Agency Representative for Financial Counselling Australia. In addition to these roles, Mark has previously served 10 years on the Speak Out board of management in a number of executive roles, has been the Tasmanian representative on the Inclusion Australia board and a permanent proxy on the Australasian Juvenile Justice Administrators (AJJA). Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts with Professional Honours in Public Sector Leadership and Management and is a graduate of the Tasmanian Leaders Program (2008).
Luke Ogden - Public Officer
Luke is a criminal lawyer, who currently works as Crown Counsel at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. He conducts criminal trials, hearings and bail applications on behalf of the State of Tasmania in the Supreme and Magistrates Courts.
He has been a Director of Epilepsy Tasmania since 2019 and is currently the Chair of the Board’s Finance and Risk Management Committee. Since 2018 he has been the legal sector representative on the Australian Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Advisory Committee, Tasmania.
He has also been involved in a number of other community organisations both in southern Tasmania, where he currently lives, and in north-west Tasmania, where he grew up.
Sue Howard
Sue has senior leadership government experience, having worked as the Deputy Director Operations at Service Tasmania, Department Premier and Cabinet (DPaC) for three years.. In this role she oversaw 27 service centres and government contact centres statewide. She completed the ANZSOG Tasmanian Senior Executive program in 2019, and was also the DPaC representative on Future Impact Group for Collective Impact in George Town. Prior to this, she worked in libraries and took part in Burnie Works. She is currently a Senior Officer for the Workforce Coordination Project - Community Services Industry, TasCOSS. In this role, she engages with the members of NHT to contribute to research and consultation on workforce needs and capacity. She also runs her own community consultancy business.
She has peak body experience, serving on the Board for Adult Learning Australia (ALA) for three years; she held positions President (1 year), Vice President (1 year) and was a member of the Finance and Risk Committee. She maintains strong contacts in the North West and West Coasts through her work in the Workforce Coalition Project under the Tasmanian Community Services Industry Plan 2021-2031, which includes working closely with the local Aboriginal communities. Sue has many years of experience working with First Nations peoples across Australia and has been involved in a range of change and transformation initiatives.
Lisa Kelly
Lisa has over 15 years direct experience in the community service sector. She is currently the Community Engagement Worker for Health Consumers Tasmania (HCT), Tasmania’s independent peak body for health consumers. In this role, she has been involved in developing the HCT Strategic Plan and contributed to policy development, community education and training and the roll-out of the Health and Wellbeing Networks Project. In this project she has assisted Central Coast Voice for Health to create a local governance framework, administer $550,000 in State Government funding, and support locally-identified health and wellbeing initiatives. She has expertise in grassroots community development practice underpinned by relevant professional qualifications. Her first community development role was at the Devonport Community House. When working as a Social Worker for the Hospice@HOME project, she was a strong contributor to its Risk Improvement Plan. Lisa was a founding member of Meander Valley Food Connect, a local food security committee auspiced by Deloraine House, in partnership with the Department of Health’s Community Social Work team, local health services and community members. She has also been a member of numerous community-based committees and working groups. Most recently, she was Secretary of the Live at the Wharf Committee of Management.
Tim Henry
Tim is a qualified Social Worker and leader in community services for over 25 years, with strong connections to the Neighbourhood House Network. He has extensive experience in leadership positions in mental health, child safety and other sectors. He is currently the National Projects Coordinator for Volunteering Tasmania, which gives him experience of working strategically in a peak body. He also works as a casual staff member UTAS in Social Work, supporting students on placement and facilitating unit tutorial classes.. He works as a professional supervisor and consultant with clients including House Manager of his local Neighbourhood House. This work included facilitating a House Managers meeting earlier in 2023r, giving him insight into the changing nature of houses and the role they play and the current context of NHT as it moves to a new governance model. He served on the Board in the 1990’s of the Foster Carers Association of Tasmania (now known as Foster Carers and Kinship Association Tasmania), the peak body for foster carers. He was also a Board member of the Northern Children's Network, a childcare provider with several centres across the state from 2007-2015. His professional roles have required strong understanding of governance, high level oversight and risk and community development. He has been State Manager for the Australian Childhood Foundation; Northern and State Manager for Wellways, a community mental health service; and was in management roles at Relationships Australia Tasmania for over 10 years, working there for a total of 13 years.
