Chair, Board Community Advisory Committee

Aimee McVeigh is the Chief Executive Officer of QCOSS (Queensland Council of Social Service) and a strong advocate for equality, opportunity, and wellbeing for all Queenslanders. As a community lawyer and human rights advocate, Aimee led the successful campaign for a Human Rights Act for Queensland. Aimee has qualifications in communications and law, attaining a Master of Laws (International and Public Law) from the University of Melbourne. Her work as a lawyer focussed on human rights and discrimination, guardianship, estate planning, child protection and domestic violence. Prior to joining QCOSS, she worked in various senior and advisory roles, including at the Disability Royal Commission, Disability Law Queensland and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Legal and Advocacy Service.

Aimee has been engaged by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples as a gender advisor and has worked with a number of non-profit organisations in Queensland, including during the Child Abuse Royal Commission. She was also a state finalist for the 2017 Australian of the Year Awards, and a finalist for the 2019 Australian Human Rights Commission Human Rights Medal.

She has worked across a range of project streams including, child protection, domestic and family violence services, family and relationship services and disability services.

Co-Founder, World Wellness Group

Ms Nera Komaric has worked in the community and health sectors nationally and internationally for 25 years. Ms Komaric is an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the School of Clinical Medicine – Primary Care Clinical Unit, at The University of Queensland. Her former roles have included Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) Chronic Disease statewide program manager during which she has been instrumental in developing new and innovative strategies in chronic disease management for CALD population.

Recently she was a Croatian Government Focal Point in the European Migration Network. Before that Ms Komaric was researching and consulting with international and national authorities on combating trafficking in human beings especially for sexual exploitation for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She also spent many years working with newly arrived migrants and refugees.

Ms Komaric has a background in law and public health research. In her 25 year career she has been involved in the design and delivery of research and evaluation projects in areas covering CALD health, integrated CALD models of health care, chronic disease prevention and management, and health services research.

Her main interests are in translating evidence into practice with a special focus on vulnerable populations.

Dr Heena Akbar is an academic leading the Advocacy and Public Health for Year 1 MD program with the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine at The University of Queensland. Heena has worked in higher education for more than 30 years with expertise in community health, women’s health and gender equity, chronic conditions prevention and management, community development research and training including capacity building & monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), contributing both nationally and internationally.

As a Fijian woman and co-founding member of the Pasifika Women’s Alliance Inc. (PWA) in Queensland, Heena has worked very closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse communities including Māori and Pasifika peoples, promoting and advocating for cultural identity, health equity and health and wellbeing. Heena is passionate about building community capacity through co-designed solutions, and integrating participatory action research, Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems with social justice principles to promote equitable health. She currently leads the Pasifika Women’s Diabetes Wellness Program trial and the ‘Feeding Our Mana- Household Food Security for Māori and Pasifika communities in Queensland.

Heena is a blessed with a loving family and community. She is a mother of twins and have a supportive husband. On a personal note, she is a keen long-distance runner, having completed several half and full marathons.

Wayne is a Torres Strait Islander whose family heritage is from the islands of Mabuiag and Iama (Yam). He was born in Brisbane, has a Bachelor of Business degree (Accounting) and has been a Commissioner for Declarations for over 25 years. Wayne is proud to be part of the Brisbane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community as demonstrated by his 35 years’ experience working in Indigenous Affairs throughout Queensland.  This has included a decade of work in the Commonwealth Government with agencies such as the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the Public Service Commission and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.

He also has over 18 years senior executive experience within the Queensland Government, including roles with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing, Social Housing, the Public Sector Management Commission, and Indigenous Education.

His government experience has been complimented by working in the community-controlled health sector over the past decade.  This included roles as the CEO of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane Limited (ATSICHS), the General Manager, Sector Development with the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), and the General Manager, Corporate Services at the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH).  More recently his role at IUIH expanded to include the CEO of the Moreton Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (MATSICHS), which has responsibility for the five primary health care clinics in Moreton Bay and the local program delivery of Family Wellbeing Services, Social Health, Youth Services and Deadly Choices.

Wayne’s career has been focussed on Indigenous health, housing, education, and employment.  He is a strong advocate for community-controlled services and the benefits it can achieve in terms of both improved service delivery and outcomes, but also the employment and career development opportunities that it can provide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Sarah joined Carers Queensland as an Area Manager in August 2018, after relocating from Darwin, transitioning to Carer Program Manager in June 2020.

After graduating from Paisley University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business in 2003, Sarah has worked in the community sector with over 15 years’ experience managing teams across a number of community sectors dealing with Homelessness, Domestic Violence, Alcohol and Drugs, Mental Health & Disability in both the United Kingdom and Australia.

Sarah is driven by her passion to make a difference, focusing on helping individuals to live better lives, whilst promoting inclusive communities and opportunities for all.

Developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything Sarah does both personally and professionally.

Tim Cudmore is a lived experience disability and trauma consultant. Having lived with a traumatic brain and spinal cord injury for over 25 years, he now specialises in advocacy for people living with long-term disabilities and impairments caused by physical, psychological, and emotional trauma. Tim brings a wealth of experience in consumer representation, research, and personal recovery mentoring.

Tim currently sits on multiple statewide steering committees, including the Queensland Brain and Spinal Cord Injury (BaSci) Project and the Clinical Trauma Network, and has had an active hand in creating and framing strategic policy to better serve consumers in Queensland’s hospital and health services. He also has experience in research, both as a participant and associate investigator and has worked on grant request and approval committees.

With a practice strongly informed by his own lived experience, Tim strives to always provide a well-rounded, reasonable and realistic perspective on the issues at hand.

John is a third-year public health student currently enrolled at the University of Queensland. He started his degree with a view to study medicine, but soon came to realise that a career in public health was the place for him. He plans to undertake his master’s in public health next year.

John is passionate about equity and justice within the health care system and is especially interested in health policy. He has joined the committee to gain hands-on experience in community consultation, improving population health outcomes and working with like-minded health professionals.

Outside of study, John volunteers at his local Lifeline charity shop and tutors human biology at the University of Queensland. He also enjoys origami, socialising, and going to the movies.

Melissa leads Health Consumers Queensland supporting consumers and health providers to collaborate to improve the safety and quality of health services. Melissa believes that consumers being involved in decision-making at all levels is essential to achieve consumer-centred care and to improve health services. She is an organisational representative on the Queensland Clinical Senate, Chair of the Partnering with Consumers, Australian Commission on Safety & Quality in Healthcare and an Advisory Group member of the Australian Centre for Value-based Health Care.

Melissa has been a part of the journey of Health Consumers Queensland from its early stages. She was an original member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee that later became the independent organisation that is now Health Consumers Queensland. Melissa is a mother of two gorgeous girls and has previously worked in documentary and reality television.

Executive Manager, Health Systems Improvement, Brisbane North PHN

Rachelle is a highly motivated and experienced executive with a passion for improving the physical and mental health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. She has worked in health and social services for over 20 years in the ‘for purpose’ and public sectors.

Rachelle is an allied health professional with a Masters of Philosophy (Research) in population health and a clinical Masters of Scientific Studies from The University of Queensland. She is an experienced board director with a focus on good corporate governance and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Women on Boards.

As Executive Manager, Health Systems Improvement at Brisbane North Primary Health Network, she works with a great team to develop strategic and collaborative approaches to support a more integrated system of care, with a particular focus on primary care, allied health and the hospital interface. She is extremely passionate about the consumer voice being front and centre in developing models and systems of healthcare and is a board director of Health Consumers Queensland.

Imeleta Lia-Norris is an artist, musician, entrepreneur, mental health and youth advocate, and a mother of 4.

Imeleta grew up in South Auckland, New Zealand, but has been living in Brisbane for more than 25 years.

Having emerged from her childhood with a yearning for independence, like many Polynesian females, and a mission to help and serve others, Imeleta ultimately discovered her calling – her passion to work with young people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, with whom she has a natural affinity.

Imeleta brings an immense level of skill and experience in assisting young people achieve things that they never at first thought were possible. Imeleta has helped many young people to increase levels of confidence, resilience and self- belief, and seen them succeed in their own business.

Drawing on her ability to play a range of musical instruments (piano, ukulele and guitar), her exploration of various art mediums and her experimentation with sensory media, Imeleta helps young people to increase their emotional regulation skills, improve their social skills, and express difficult and complex feelings non-verbally.

Imeleta sees herself as a strong advocate for CALD young people and those who are struggling with their mental health.

As a parent of a young person who developed a mental illness during COVID, Imeleta hopes to grow and bring awareness to mental health and to ensure young people’s voices are heard, society understands their value, and to stay connected with what’s happening on the ground.

Imeleta also founded Hula Hips which is a cultural dance school, which her daughter now runs, and Women of Culture in Business which runs regular meetups for women of culture in business to connect, collaborate, empower each other, and if they’re not in business, to have someone’s story inspire them to start something of their own.

Kim Rayner is a senior healthcare manager, company director and clinical leader with over 25 years’ experience in the community, government and not-for-profit sectors within Victoria and Queensland.

Kim has held senior leadership positions across health and social portfolios leading large and complex cross sectorial programs of work. Kim currently holds the position of Clinical Lead (Innovation) and Nurse Practitioner at Micah Projects – a not for profit organisation committed to delivering social support and health services to people experiencing homelessness, significant disadvantage ,social isolation, children and families and to women and families experiencing domestic and family violence.

Kim was a founding board member of the Inclusive Health and Wellbeing Hub in Brisbane and is a current Commissioner on Anglicare South East Queensland’s Board and subsequent board member of Anglicare’s Clinical and Care Governance committee. Kim is also a board member of disability services – Help Enterprises.

Kim is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her qualifications include nursing, Masters of Science (Primary Healthcare) and Masters of Nurse Practitioner. Kim holds post graduate qualifications in tertiary education; research, community development, community nursing and AOD.

Kim is committed to the delivery of evidence based, trauma informed person centred healthcare that is responsive to community needs and focussed on addressing health inequality.

A/Prof Glen Kennedy is a Haematologist who specialises in the treatment of malignant haematological disorders including bone marrow / stem cell transplantation.

A/Prof Kennedy began his specialty training in combined clinical haematology and haematology pathology in 1999, and was admitted to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in late 2002 and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in early 2003.

In 2003 A/Prof Kennedy undertook a Clinical Fellowship at the Peter McCallum Cancer Institute in Melbourne, Victoria, in areas of malignant and transplant haematology. To date, A/Prof Kennedy has authored or co-authored over 60 peer reviewed publications, over 100 abstracts at national and international meetings, and developed and managed several local investigator initiated studies in haematology and bone marrow transplantation.

Executive Director, Strategy, Planning, Assets and Infrastructure

Kate has more than 25 years’ experience in the health infrastructure sector, including statewide health services planning and leading major projects in high profile and complex health infrastructure projects within the public sector. With an oversight of $3B capital assets and $2B capital projects, her portfolio includes Strategy and Planning, Consumer and Community Engagement, Building Engineering and Maintenance Services (BEMS), Property Services, Asset management, Infrastructure Planning and Capital Projects (IPCP), across six hospitals and multiple community facilities.
Kate was recognised in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday awards as a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division (AM) ‘for significant services to the health infrastructure planning and management.