Carmel Tebbutt, Chief Executive Officer

Carmel Tebbutt is the CEO of Mental Health Coordinating Council and a member of the Board of Mental Health Australia.

Carmel successfully transitioned to the community sector after spending 17 years in the NSW Parliament, where she held a range of portfolios including Health, Education, Community Services, and the Environment. She was the first woman to be Deputy Premier in NSW.

Carmel is committed to working with all stakeholders to see increased investment in the mental health system, the delivery of more community-based services and better outcomes for people living with mental health conditions.

Judi Higgin, Chair

Passionately employed in human services over 30 years, including C-level and executive roles, Judi is committed to principles of recovery, empowering individuals to achieve their potential by exercising choice and control over their lives. Judi has strong skills and experience in governance, strategy, finance and risk management and comprehensive board experience given her tenure as a Director and Chair of Mental Health Coordinating Council and other community mental health organisations.

Dario Molina, Treasurer

Dario is the CEO of CBHS Corporate Health, a provider of private health insurance and corporate wellbeing programs. He has over 20 years experience in management roles within Australia and abroad, in areas such as strategy, finance, operations, risk management and business administration. Dario holds a Bachelor of Commerce, is a Chartered Accountant and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Dario feels that there is an obligation for governments, corporations and the not-for-profit sectors to work together to create a system that is heavily weighted to community care

Jonathan Harms, Director

Jonathan has worked as a plaintiff lawyer, public servant, policy advisor and stakeholder manager for a variety of State and Federal Ministers, private corporations and non-government organisations. As CEO of Mental Health Carers NSW, he created the Carer Peak Advisory Committees to enhance stakeholder participation in policy development and the Carer Support Worker Forum to enhance networks for carers across NSW.

Mariam Faraj, Director

Mariam is the General Manager of Clinical Services at Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network. Mariam has over 20 years experience in community, primary and mental health care, including roles such as Director of Health Service Delivery and Associate Director of Mental Health at South Eastern Sydney Medicare Local. Mariam believes it is important that community managed organisations are supported as they adapt to a rapidly changing policy and funding environment, and that they continue to promote the value and success of mental health support delivered in the community.

Mark Orr, Director

Mark is an experienced Board Director and governance professional with extensive experience in senior executive roles in community managed and public sector organisations. Mark was appointed a Member of the Order Australia in 2019 for services to community health and is currently the CEO of Flourish Australia. Mark has a specific interest in service redesign, innovation and evaluation, and, in particular, the use of technology to deliver information and supports to people with lived experience, their families and carers.

Justin McKenzie, Director

Justin has 11 years of management experience in the community sector spanning disability, employment, education and mental health, and is currently the General Manager of Services in NSW and ACT for Wellways Australia. With COVID-19 reshaping the world and reframing supports to people with psychosocial disability, Justin highlights the importance of working with consumers and carers, and having strong sector leadership to guide future policy and contribute to the evidence base.

Peter Gianfrancesco, Director

With 40 years of experience in the mental health sector in Australia and the UK, Peter has held significant clinical practice and leadership roles in acute settings and senior service management in public mental health services in Australia. For 15 years, Peter was the CEO of a community managed organisation in the UK. He is currently the NSW State Manager for Neami National.

Margaret Bowen, Director

With a passion for social justice, Margaret has worked in the community sector for 35 years. Margaret is a member of the NSW State Committee for National Disability Services and CEO of The Disability Trust. Margaret believes that a truly transformative service system is built on recognition of lived experience, and Mental Health Coordinating Council has a role in equipping the sector to respond to new and emerging challenges through advocating for adequate funding, encouraging research into best practice and delivering a well-articulated plan for the future.

Irene Gallagher, Director

MHCC provides a strong and united voice for the community managed mental health sector. It influences policy and practice whilst advocating and raising awareness for people with a lived experience. In a choice-based environment MHCC is primed to play a primary role in building sector capacity and workforce development, including the lived experience workforce.  Similarly, governance and quality are key areas, both of which rely on targeted data collection.