Our leadership team
Senior Leadership Team
Steph Smith
CEO
Stephanie has more than 20 years in the human services fields starting as a Statutory Social Worker in New Zealand in the late 1990’s. Her career has largely been dedicated to working within the justice sector, with harmful behaviours and violence in therapeutic ways. Her first management role began in 2003 and she has progressively developed her career from front line management; to Operations and Strategic Leadership at both a regional and national level. Stephanie spent six years working in Educational Leadership and Governance and has also supported other not-for-profits as a change consultant and external supervisor.
First and foremost, Stephanie is committed to building relationships as a tool to impact the environment and culture of organisations; and in turn the outcomes for the people who use the services offered. Her uniquely New Zealand experience holds valuable insights in how organisations can work in partnership with indigenous and first nations people and understands the challenges and rewards that come from taking this brave step.
As well as Social Work qualifications, Stephanie has undertaken post graduate studies in Social Services Supervision at Massey University; a year long Executive Development programme in 2012; and most recently she completed the Leading Strategic Projects Programme through the Saïd School of Business at Oxford University.
Stephanie is passionate that the not-for-profit sector not only deliver the most outstanding and aspirational services for the people who use them, but the staff that commit to working in the area gain skills and expertise, build meaningful and beneficial relationships; and have experiences that make them feel valued, seen, confident and know they have made an incredible contribution to wider society.
Erin Gao
Finance and Risk Controller
Erin is a highly accomplished Finance Executive with a wealth of experience working within leading not-for-profit and corporate environments. Erin brings together her financial expertise, risk management and strategic decision making with a genuine passion for education and human empowerment, providing authentic and transformational leadership for the organisation.
Erin is committed to promoting social inclusion and improving opportunities for disadvantaged groups to reach their potential. She serves on the Media Centre for Education Research (MCERA) Board, a not-for-profit advancing education by improving the reporting of education research in the media to enable the public to better understand education matters.
She also sits on the Board of Human and Hope Incorporated, a poverty alleviation organisation empowering local communities through education and employment opportunities. Prior, Erin served as Board Director and Company Secretary in Digital Gap Initiative Ltd, a not-for-profit in digital accessibility.
Erin holds a Master of Commerce degree, and she is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Mara Greenwood
Service Operations Manager
Mara has worked in the community sector for the last 13 years within a variety of roles mainly focused on the design, delivery and management of programs. As part of her studies (Bachelor of Applied Social Science - Counselling) Mara was required to attain a certain number of hours in the field. She was fortunate to secure her placement with the Sydney based not-for-profit organisation YWCA NSW and through persistence and dedication Mara landed a role within the Youth Mentoring team at the ‘Y’.
So began her nine-year journey from front line delivery and assessment through to management. During this time, Mara was learning from and being inspired by the diversity of the programs delivered across the state and the incredible people delivering and leading. A highlight of Mara’s time with the ‘Y’ was the successful implementation of a six month pilot state-wide youth mentoring program for the Department of Education that informed the design and roll-out of a larger scale state-wide mentoring program that she then went on to manage.
After her time at the ‘Y’ Mara spent three years within the Indigenous Strategy team at the National Rugby League (NRL) managing the contract and program delivery of a federally funded School to Work program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in years 11 and 12, throughout NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD. A highlight of Mara’s time with the NRL was the opportunity to listen and learn from her Indigenous colleagues as they generously shared their stories and lived experience.
Kate Hurley
Marketing, Communications and Development Manager
Kate has worked in a variety of marketing leadership positions within the media industry and not-for-profit sector. Accepting a traineeship with ACP Magazines when she was 18, led her to discover her passion for the written word and communications. After working on some of Australia’s most recognisable magazine titles and leading communications for the Australian Radio Network’s popular commercial radio stations, Kate moved into the not-for-profit sector. Most recently Kate was the Head of Fundraising and Marketing at YWCA Australia, responsible for corporate engagement and securing funds to enhance YWCA’s many programs and services, helping women and children escaping violence.
Kate has a passion for people and problem solving. She is enthusiastic about tackling challenges in creative ways and is constantly exploring new ways to create opportunities for good. Kate is committed to continuing to make a positive impact, in any way she can.
Mel Baquir
People and Capability Partner
Mel has worked in a range of industries within her HR career including, Insurance, Banking, and Pharmaceuticals in Sydney and London. With over 5 years’ experience as a HR Professional, her background focuses on partnering with leaders and the business on the full employee lifecycle from talent and recruitment, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement, remuneration and benefits, employee relations and performance succession.
Mel’s passion for people and seeing their careers grow is why HR was the right fit for her. She enjoys coaching and mentoring managers on navigating through challenging situations and collaborating with them to find solutions to support their people. Both professionally and personally speaking, Mel would be described as someone outgoing, sociable, driven, and reliable.