Franco Guazzelli | Chair

Franco brings significant lived experience of being a carer for a person with a mental health illness and with dementia and has been involved with HelpingMinds® since first joining and then running a share and care peer support group in 1996. In a time when the organisation was much smaller, Franco volunteered his time and skills including with the management of the purchase and refurbishment of the HelpingMinds® head office building.
He is a contractor, with many years of experience including previously running his own building company as a registered builder.

Special responsibilities: Member of the Finance Sub-Committee and Governance Sub-Committee

Elisabeth Stevenson | Deputy Chair

Elisabeth has been exposed to the impact of mental illness on family life from early childhood, having had an aunt with a chronic mental illness and a sister who has lived with the same illness for the past 40 years. Having studied law as a mature aged student, Elisabeth has an LLB (Hons) and has been practising primarily in administrative law, for the past 15 years. Prior to studying law Elisabeth worked as a Senior Investigator for the State Ombudsman and in a variety of management roles in local government. She is married with a ‘blended’ family of 4 children. Elisabeth is keen to use the skills she has acquired in various different capacities to support the provision of services for carers of the mentally ill.

Special responsibilities: Chair of the Governance Sub-Committee, Chair of the Partnership Review Sub-Committee

Nigel Dias | Treasurer

Nigel joined the HelpingMinds Board in 2021, having been inspired to join through his lived experience as a mental health carer. Nigel has over 15 years’ experience of providing accounting and audit services to the not-for-profit sector. He is a chartered accountant and a registered company auditor. Nigel believes in tackling issues with empathy, walking a mile in someone’s shoes to understand why decisions were made, and operating with transparency. This enables him to quickly navigate delicate issues and ultimately, provide answers. Nigel believes in giving back to the community and works closely with a variety of not-for-profit organisations. Nigel is married with two children.

Special responsibilities: Board Treasurer, Chair of the Finance Sub-Committee

Kerry Hawkins | Board Director

A graduate of Boston University’s Global Leadership Institute’s Recovery Class of 2013, Kerry is able to draw on both her lived experience as a family member of someone experiencing extreme and enduring distress, together with a professional career working as a project management consultant, strategic advisor for a federal government agency, and as a Director within the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). She was the carer representative on the Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH) board for four years and is currently President of WAAMH. She is also the WA director for Emerging Minds, a national mental health organisation focusing on improving mental health outcomes for children, parents and families and a Board Member of Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA). She is a Commissioner on the National Mental Health Commission.

Mark Pestell | Board Director

Mark brings lived experience as a carer for a person with mental illness. Additionally, he has worked in various WA health services for more than 40 years as a Social Worker, a Business Manager, and the last fifteen as Area Manager for South Metropolitan Mental Health Service. He remains committed to development of improved mental health services for consumers of mental health services and their carers. He continues as the chair of the headspace Consortium Advisory Group (Fremantle), member of Murdoch University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and member of the Perth Voices Clinic Research Advisory Group.

Special responsibilities: Member of the Finance Sub-Committee

Imogen Davies | Board Director

Imogen joined the HelpingMinds board in December 2020. Imogen worked as a clinical speech pathologist and manager before moving into project management to fulfil her passion for service development. She has since managed a number of large and complex health service initiatives within WA Health. Imogen brings knowledge and skills in clinical planning, governance, and project and change management. She is passionate about improving mental health outcomes and optimising use of available health resources.

Special responsibilities: Member of the Governance Sub-Committee

Norman Volger | Board Director

Norman joined the HelpingMinds Board in 2022. Through family and friends, Norman has been exposed to the mental health sector from a young age. He has witnessed first-hand the challenges brought on upon mental health primarily driven by high unemployment and social instability resulting from the German reunification whilst growing up in Eastern Germany.

In his professional career, Norman worked in various senior roles in public practice as well as large international and domestic energy companies. His focus was primarily in the areas of accounting, financial planning & analysis, strategy execution and corporate governance. Norman is a highly analytical decision maker with a proven history of building high performing teams through his authentic and people-centric leadership style. He is a graduate of the December 2020 Oxford University – Saïd Business School Executive Leadership Programme. Norman is a qualified accountant (CA, CPA) and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Norman is passionate about corporate strategy and governance and committed to providing his skills and experience to support the provision of services for carers of people with mental ill health.

Debbie Childs | Chief Executive Officer

Prior to taking on this role Deborah was General Manager, Broadcast and Media at Sky Television in Auckland, New Zealand.

Deborah began her television career as a Presentation Director and Editor with Television New Zealand in the mid-eighties. Her career path saw her rise to management level, securing roles with Television New Zealand and, for the last eleven years, with Sky Television.

Having enjoyed over 25 years in the television industry Deborah made the decision to move into the ‘not for profit’ arena. In 2013 her family returned to Perth, WA, where she commenced her work with HelpingMinds.

Deborah brings a wealth of experience in television operations and in management of both smaller ventures and larger corporate enterprises.

Paula Bainbridge | Individualised Services

Paula has a breadth of experience gained over the past 26 years, since completing a Bachelor of Social Work at Curtin University. Paula has worked in a variety of clinical, administrative, educational and leadership roles in health, mental health and education in non-government, government and not-for-profit sectors in both rural and metropolitan settings. The central focus has always been assisting individuals, families and communities to overcome challenges, gaining access to appropriate support and enhancing overall wellbeing to live their best lives.

Paula’s knowledge and experience in service delivery operations, governance, project and change management is underpinned by her open and honest communication and collaborative leadership style. Paula is passionate about empowering all team members through individual growth and development, and creating a positive workplace and team culture, as these are some of the essential building blocks to ensuring high quality services are delivered to our community.

When not working, Paula spends time with her family, coaching netball, completing home renovations and getting away camping or boating.

Shaneen Steele | Individualised Services

Shaneen is a Human Resources professional with over 15 years across the not for profit and community sector.  Shaneen has a diverse background in Finance, Human Resources and Quality Assurance with a passion for leading and supporting organisations through leadership effectiveness, workplace culture and change management.  Shaneen empowers collaboration and innovation throughout organisations which has been recognised through leading quality audits with a successful outcome of becoming an accredited service against multiple standards including, National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, Mental Health Standards and NDIS Practice Standards.

Shaneen is highly motivated by having the opportunity to work with such influential team members on a daily basis whilst they strive to be the best they can be in their careers.

Outside of HelpingMinds, Shaneen is a mum of two. You can find Shaneen at a sporting venue cheering on her children whilst volunteering her time to support local sporting communities.

Danielle Moore | Child, Youth & Family Services

Danielle graduated from Curtin University of Technology with a Bachelor of Psychology and holds a Diploma of Leadership and Management.

Danielle recently celebrated 11 years with HelpingMinds, commencing with us in the position of Family Support Counsellor, and joining the Leadership team in 2016. Danielle leads the strategic direction and operations of our Carer Support Services, Family Mental Health Support Service for young people, and Health Promotion and Engagement across Western Australia.

Danielle has worked in the education, community services and not-for-profit sector, and brings experience in Operations Management, Change Management, Strategic Planning and Care Governance. Danielle is passionate about working in collaboration with clients, using a person-centered, strengths-based approach.

Danielle is also a qualified ballet teacher with the Australian Institute of Classical Dance and holds regular classes for children at her local community dance school.