Our Board

Our Board of Directors is responsible for our strategic direction, establishing goals for management and monitoring the achievement of goals directly through its committees.

Our Board of Directors is our governing body and is responsible for our strategic direction, establishing goals for management and monitoring the achievement of goals directly through its committees.

The Hon Barbara Perry, Chair

Qualifications: BA LLB

Barbara joined the Board in April 2019, becoming Chair in November 2021. She was a Member of the Legislative Assembly NSW (Member for Auburn from 2001-2015), former Minister and Shadow Minister. Barbara was the first woman of Lebanese origin elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly. Prior to this Barbara was a Solicitor, where the majority of that part of her professional working life was at the Legal Aid Commission of NSW.

Barbara was educated by the Sisters of Charity, and her connection with the Marist community was fostered while growing up in Auburn where there was a strong Marist Brothers presence. Barbara has a commitment to working with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our community.

Special Responsibilities

Member of the Strategic Directions and Governance Committee.

Ms Theresa Ardler

Qualifications: B.Ed. MRE

Theresa joined the Board in April 2021. Her working life has been in education. She has worked across all educational systems in Australia. Theresa's vision is to educate school and university communities about the richness of Aboriginal Culture and Spirituality within Australian society.

Theresa is currently pursuing a Research Doctorate: ‘Aboriginal Spirituality: Connecting Sea and Country’. She has many outstanding accolades from the Australian College of Educators for her service to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education over the past 22 years.

Mr Mike Bishop

Qualifications: BSc (Biomed Sci); GradDipEd

Mike joined the board in July 2024. Michael is a healthcare executive who has spent his career working in not-for-profit and public healthcare. He has held senior leadership roles across Data & Analytics, People & Culture, ICT and Integrated Care where he has planned and led major service transformation.

Michael comes from a social justice tradition that deeply values all people and his experiences in healthcare have further shaped his commitment to supporting the vulnerable.

Ms Lynne Harman

Qualifications: BA, LLM (Sydney University); Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Lynne is Legal Counsel & Company Secretary at the Green Building Council of Australia, a not-for-profit organisation driving the sustainable transformation of the built environment.

Lynne is a former litigation partner of the commercial law firm Allens where she worked for 20 years.

Mr Patrick Kerlin

Qualifications: BB (Accountancy); CA; Grad Dip Comp Sec; MA (Policy Studies)

An experienced senior finance executive with over 25 years in the Not-For-Profit sector

Ms Lorraine Salloum

Qualifications: GAICD, EMPA, GradCertProfDev(Cult Div), AdvDipMgt

Lorraine joined the board in July 2024 and is a values-driven, award-winning executive leader dedicated to improving social outcomes for vulnerable communities. She has extensive experience in senior executive roles in the NSW Public Service (including NSW Treasury and NSW Department and Family Services), c-suite roles in some of Australia's leading disability service providers, and currently holds numerous board appointments across various for-purpose organisations across Disability, Aged Care, Homelessness, Youth and Community, and Settlement Services. In 2023, Lorraine founded Ability Advocates, a social impact organisation dedicated to transforming the lives of people with disabilities.

Notably, Lorraine led a not-for-profit disability services organisation to be recognised on the Australian Financial Review list of Best Places to Work in 2021 and won an Excellence Award at the Australian HR Awards. She was named Employee Experience Hero by the World Employee Experience Institute in 2019, was a recent winner at the 2024 AusMumpreneur awards, as well as the Fairfield City Council Women’s Day Award in 2022 for her professional and community contributions.