The National Board

BOARD CHAIR

Responsibilities: Nominations Committee Chair
Qualifications: MBA, PGDipMgt, BBus, MAICD
Lives in: Victoria
A former corporate strategist with 20 years’ global experience in technology and services. Taylor is an author (currently writing on topics such as innovation and co-working), a tech community builder and entrepreneur. With two young kids, the Tran family has a strong passion for the education sector across the full spectrum including playgroup, preschool, and beyond. Taylor’s motivation for being involved with Playgroup Australia is to support parents across Australia to spend more time with their kids. Taylor currently or previously serves or advises a number of boards including Playgroup Victoria and Playgroup NSW, Deakin University and the Australian Marketing Institute. Taylor was previously the Deputy Convenor of The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Advisory Council.

DEPUTY CHAIR

Responsibilities: Nominations Committee Member
Qualifications: Personnel Management Adv Cert, BA Social Welfare, Cert IV in Assessment & Work place Training, Post Graduate Certificate in Adult Education, GAICD, Specialist Certificate in Executive Leadership
Lives in: Australian Capital Territory
Camilla is the CEO of Marymead, a highly regarded not-for-profit organisation delivering a range of family support services to children, young people and their families in the ACT and southern and western regional areas of NSW. Camilla has previously held the roles of President of the ACT Council of Social Services President of Families ACT, Vice President of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Association ACT, and the ACT delegate to the Friends of the National Rural Health Alliance.

DIRECTOR

Responsibilities: Risk and Audit Committee Member
Qualifications: B.E-Commerce University of Qld (Valedictorian), Cert in Governance & Risk, MAICD
Lives in: Queensland
Gloria’s professional career spans over 20 years. Gloria experience working as an accountant, a business analyst, an e-risk consultant and a regional administration manager. Gloria has a Certificate in Governance and Risk and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Gloria has longstanding community involvement including being former President of the Young Christian Workers group before being appointed to Playgroup Queensland’s Board as a director. Gloria held the Vice Chair position before commencing the role of Chair of the Board in 2013.

DIRECTOR

Responsibilities: Constitution Working Group
Qualifications: LLB, GAICD
Lives in: Queensland
Sandie is an experienced strategic leader and non-executive director with significant legal, governance, and risk management expertise. She is admitted as a solicitor and has over thirty years’ experience working in law firms and in the government, finance and electricity sectors. Sandie sits on the boards of various not-for-profit companies in the health, sports and disability sectors.

DIRECTOR

Responsibilities: Risk and Audit Committee Member
Qualifications: B.Sp.Path (Hons), CPSP, Diploma of ECEC, MAICD
Lives in: Tasmania
Kathryn has extensive experience in not-for-profit organisations supporting autistic people in Australia and the UK. Kathryn is currently a member of the Executive Management Team at the St Giles Society, Tasmania’s leading disability and allied health provider. She has co-authored research papers on autism, early intervention and evidence-based practice and has secured in excess of $200,000 for research partnerships. Kathryn held a non-executive director role with Autism Tasmania for 5 years and is currently the Chair of Playgroup Tasmania. Kathryn is also actively involved in other committees that focus on the inclusion of people with disabilities, especially autistic children, in all aspects of education and community life.

DIRECTOR

Responsibilities: Risk and Audit Committee Chair
Qualifications: B.Comm, CPA
Lives in: Victoria
Laura is a qualified accountant with demonstrated success across a diverse range of roles within the world’s largest resources companies including South32 and BHP Billiton. She has recently used this experience as the springboard to build her own business, Tundra Resource Analytics. She was the Chairperson of Seagrass Early Learning, an integral component of the remote community of Groote Eylandt, NT. Laura is distinctively skilled in strategic financial management, asset life-cycle planning, stakeholder engagement, governance and project management. She is a devoted mother to two young children, and is passionate about early childhood development and community participation.

DIRECTOR

Responsibilities: Nominations Committee Member
Qualifications: M.Ed (ECE), Grad Cert.(Professional Inquiry), Dip. Teach (ECE).
Lives in: South Australia
Jane’s experience in children’s services and education extends across more than 40 years. She is a widely published author of many government reports and academic papers, and is a highly acclaimed and sought-after speaker on children’s services. Jane is currently the Principal Consultant of Citron Early Childhood, providing consultancy and professional development / learning to the sector in South Australia. In 2015, Jane was awarded a Public Service Medal for services to children and families in South Australia.

DIRECTOR

Responsibilities: Risk and Audit Committee Member
Qualifications: B. Engineering (Civil) Hons. B. Teaching (Secondary Science) with Distinction
Lives in: New South Wales
Annette is an executive business leader with almost two decades of experience in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors in Australia, the UK and the South Pacific. She is currently the Founder and Principal Consultant of Be The Change Consulting Group, a trusted multidisciplinary consulting, advisory and coaching practice. Annette’s professional career spans executive leadership positions in corporate foundations, corporate social responsibility, corporate-charity partnerships, community development, sustainability, bid directorship, business operations, project management and construction delivery. Annette has worked for eminent organisations including Lendlease, where her most recent role was as General Manager – Social Sustainability & the Lendlease Foundation, Australia/NZ. She has also worked for a number of charitable organisations, including The Hornery Institute, Be-Onsite UK, and the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program. Annette is currently Chair of Playgroup NSW.

DIRECTOR

Other Responsibilities: Nominations Committee Member
Qualifications: BEd; MA (Hons); MBA; GAICD
Lives in: New South Wales
Bio: Ginie has provided leadership in public, not for profit organisations for more than 25 years. Her most recent role was as CEO of SDN Children’s Services. In that role she was Executive Director and Company Secretary. Ginie was invited to be a member of government round tables and university advisory boards, and she has been elected chair of two of these bodies. She has experience in education, training, child, family, health, indigenous and disability sectors, as well as expertise in the development and oversight of human services and public policy. Having lived and studied in Indonesia for a year Ginie is also interested the South East Asian region and in cross cultural contexts, the international aid and development sectors. Ginie is skilled in building government and donor relationships; in advocacy, public accountability, quality control, strategic planning and public speaking. “There is no replacement for connecting face-to-face, allowing children to develop social skills….in a supportive environment. Friendships begin through cups of tea and sharing picnics, whilst children discover themselves, each other and the world around them.” Playgroup parent, Victoria