Our Board

Nihal Iscel

Chair

Photo of Nihal IscelNihal has completed a Bachelor of Psychology degree at Edith Cowan University. Her current board experience includes being Vice President of People with Disabilities WA inc board and board member at Umbrella Multicultural Community Care.

Nihal has been working in the multicultural and disability sectors for almost 20 years in various roles supporting people from refugee, humanitarian entrant and migrant backgrounds including people with disability. She currently works at the Ethnic Communities Council of WA Inc as the Speak My Language (disability) WA Coordinator.

Her aim is to help and contribute to making positive systemic changes and help break barriers for people in minority groups like people with disability, Women, Children and so on from culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse (CELD) backgrounds. Her work mainly involves:

  • Supporting people in their successful inclusion and meaningful participation in the economic, social, cultural and all aspects of community life;
  • Supporting people to build their capacity to exercise their choice
  • and control when accessing the relevant supports and services independently to meet their individual needs.
  • Writing submissions to government enquiries that impact on people
  • with disability, migrants and refugees; and
  • Organising community meetings, forums and seminars to inform people from CALD backgrounds of their rights and access the supports and services they need. 

Mark Blowers JP

Co-Vice Chair

A strong advocate for people with disability, Mark is highly experienced and passionate about increasing visibility and creating positive change for the disability community. Having worked with all levels of government from Local through to Federal and with Not-for-profit groups Mark advocates to ensure a fully inclusive society.

Mark has worked on Multiple Co-design groups including The Western Australian State Disability Strategy 2020-2030 and been involved with multiple disability advisory groups. Having completed Governance training for Boards, Mark currently sits on the board of Blind Citizens WA as the Advocacy officer and on the NDIS Safeguarding Commission Consultative committee. Mark is a Justice of The Peace.

Shazzy Tharby

Co-Vice Chair

Photo of Shazzy Tharby, she is looking straight at the camera with her head on a slight tilt.  Shazzy is wearing a hijab.Shazzy was born in the UK and lived and worked in various countries before settling In Australia. Shazzy is biracial and multilingual. She has volunteered in the disability sector since 1996. Shazzy studied at Cambridge University and is now a Registered Nurse and a Credentialed Mental Health Nurse. She currently works as a Clinical Nurse Consultant and Counselling Psychotherapist in her own private practice, Positively Living and is undertaking her Master’s in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
 
Shazzy has lived experiences in many aspects of disability including invisible disabilities like chronic fatigue syndrome and mental health. Shazzy is a wheelchair user, proudly autistic, ADHD and lives with various auto immune and neurological conditions. Shazzy is part of a proudly neurodiverse family being married to Alex with two beautiful neurodiverse children. She is an active advocate for mental health, disability and neurodivergent rights, and is an LGBTQIA2S+ ally. Shazzy is focused on centring marginal and silenced voices through an intersectionality lens.

 Shazzy has worked on various committees and co-design projects, and currently sits on the Volunteering WA Disability Advisory group.

 Shazzy is an award winning mentor, and a motivational speaker and trainer delivering inspiration and leadership to businesses and conferences across the globe.

Eric Casey

Board Member

Eric is 65 years young and from Derby, WA. Living with three show cats, two of which have now retired.

Eric has been an individual with a disability for seven years now and has a good knowledge and understanding of the disability community from being on both sides, as a provider and as a participant. 

After opening an antique shop in Dongara, Eric moved to Geraldton with his family. Eric advocated for his stepson, who has Muscular Dystrophy, to ensure he had support and access to the community. 

After joining the Fisheries Department as a volunteer fishing liaison officer, Eric then ran Fishing with Disabilities, a social group for children and teens.  Eric has worked as the Vice Chair for Midwest Family Support, Vice Chair of the Lotteries Commission and Vice Chair of the Community Living Association.

Emma Beck

Board Member

Emma-Jane holds a Bachelor of Social Work with a background in child protection and is committed to social justice and driving change. Emma-Jane's role as an assistant director at the Department of Communities sees her challenge structural and systemic barriers. Emma-Jane's experience in child protection has allowed her to build my skills and knowledge in a range of areas, including disability, drugs and alcohol, mental health and of course the impacts of trauma.

Grace Barnes

Board Member

Grace is a current student of Law and Behavioural Science at the University of Notre Dame (Fremantle). Combining these degrees facilitates her values of social justice and equity through the understanding of key psychological, sociological, political, and cultural disciplines. To entrench herself in the legal profession, Grace has worked as a legal clerk for over a year at a law firm practising primarily in family, commercial and immigration law. Grace also assists with pro bono work aiding individuals with obtaining NDIS support.

Grace has always been passionate about supporting and advocating for marginalised communities. She has been volunteering for homeless organisations throughout Perth for over two years including Share the Dignity and a team leader for Orange Sky. These opportunities have provided her with first-hand experience to further her understanding and empathy regarding the challenges that individuals and communities are facing with homelessness and marginalisation.

As a result of having lived experience with disability, Grace has become an advocate for the rights of individuals with disability to improve their experience at an individual, relational, and collective level.

Kat Johns

Secretary

A photo of Kat with her body on a slight angleKat is an autistic activist and advocate. She has a passion for structural equality in employment, education, housing and justice. She is also an LGBT community member and brings an intersectional experience.

By way of professional experience, Kat has worked in government and non government organisations including as a Lead Commissioner, Principal Programme Manager and Logistics Lead. 

 

Tom Oliver

Board Member

Photo of Tom Oliver

Tom is autistic, is a TEDx Speaker and global leader on autistic individuals caught up in the justice system and is a 2022 Young Australian of the Year Finalist. Tom works as an autism consultant at Savannah Legal, where he helps to save autistic clients from imprisonment terms and instead obtaining non-custodial sentences with suitable therapy over imprisonment – recently saving an autistic client from 15 years imprisonment. Tom also works as a guest law lecturer at Curtin University.

Tom is undertaking a double degree in Law (Hons)/Biomedical Science, graduating in 2023, and he is determined to become a lawyer thereupon. He also has a NFP diploma in governance from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is the former Chairman of the Advisory Board at Spectrum Space – a NFP autism service provider.

In his spare time, Tom mentor’s fellow autistic youths across WA.

Yhana Lucas GAICD BSci

Board Member

Yhana Lucas is wearing a black shirt, she is standing angled to the right with her face looking directly to the camera.

Yhana is a seasoned policy and strategy adviser, with an extensive background in stakeholder management and communications.
She currently provides policy and strategy advice to both non-government and government organisations, with current projects in decarbonisation and industry development, housing and homelessness, and non-profit governance. 

Prior to this, she was the Senior Policy Adviser to the WA Minister for Energy. In this role, she developed a reputation for her tenacity and analytical skills, successfully developing and delivering complex cross-sectoral policy initiatives.

In addition, she integrates a data-driven and evidence-based approach, having studied science and engineering at the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia.

She completed the Company Directors' course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2022, as an inaugural Directing Change Scholar.
Yhana also works as a freelance journalist when time allows, and is published by the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

She is particularly passionate about education, civic engagement, and participatory communities.
She can be contacted via email.

Brendan Cullinan

Chief Executive Officer

Photo of Brendan CullinanBrendan is married to Jane and has two children. He has held a number of senior management positions in his 23 years’ experience in working in and with the not-for-profit sector across WA in roles with the State government and community member-based organisations.

Brendan has volunteered in the disability sector since 2012 and has been actively engaged in a range of social inclusion projects.

 

Our Advisory Board

Jim Preketes

Advisory Board Chair

Jim Preketes is wearing a shirt and jacket and dark framed glasses.  This is a black and white photo.With a background spanning over three decades, Jim has been a catalyst for change in the realms of technology and operational leadership. He has lent his expertise as an advisor to various technology start-ups and not-for-profits, facilitating strategic alignment in complex and dynamic organizations. Through collaborative efforts with boards and CEOs, Jim has consistently elevated strategic alignment, compliance, and growth agendas, propelling organizations towards success.
 
Jim's academic pursuits include a Bachelor of Business degree in Accounting & Economics, and he is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. However, it is Jim's personal journey of living with a physical disability that has fuelled his passion and commitment as an advocate for the rights of individuals with disabilities. Drawing from his own experiences, Jim stands as a steadfast advocate within PWdWA, championing inclusivity and empowering those with disabilities to thrive.

Alexei Domorev

Alexei Domorev is facing slight left, he is bald and is wearing a blue business shirt and blue jacket.Alexei is an award-winning graphic designer, founder of Greenlamp Marketing and co-founder of Tielka (Beautiful Organic Tea Company).
 
He, his wife and their three boys live in the picturesque town of Agnes Water in Central Queensland. Their youngest son was born with Down Syndrome, a common chromosomal disorder that affects development.
 
Alexei serves on the Board of Directors of Agnes Water Community Bank (Bendigo Bank) and is an active member of the State Marketing Committee at Bendigo Bank. He is a Certified Practising Marketer (CPM), a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI).
 
Previously Alexei served on the Advisory Board of a Not-for-Profit organisation in Melbourne, judged AMI Marketing Excellence Awards and mentored young marketers through the AMI Emerging Marketers Program.
 
He holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School and, at the moment, is completing his Master's of Data Science through the University of Adelaide.

Andrea McCallum

Bio to come

Charlie Stephenson

Charlie Stephenson is wearing a blue shirt.  He as short grey hair and is standing outside, behind him is green tree foliage. Charlie is a Western Australian native who left after his schooling to travel the world before eventually joining the Navy as a pilot. After a fulfilling career as a Navy officer, Charlie retired in Canberra with his wife and three children and works as an associate for a strategic management and government relations consultancy firm.
 
Charlie has extensive leadership experience, ranging from operational command to executive leadership in strategic headquarters. He has expertise in program management, people management, operations and strategic communications in the federal public sector and is well-versed in leading the delivery of programs varying from HR reform initiatives to the acquisition of equipment and systems.
 
Charlie is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds master's degrees in Management (Defence), Maritime Studies and Project Management.
 
Charlie remains strongly connected to WA through family and friends and is a regular visitor. He was drawn to PWdWA to support an organisation he feels a deep affinity towards through his personal circumstances of a brother living with an intellectually disability.

Chris Kent

Chris Kent is standing slightly to the right, wearing a white shirt and black jacket.  Chris is State Director of Hays in Western Australia, with operational responsibility for the recruitment and advisory services we provide. He leads a team of over 125 people, who partner with up to 1,000 organisations across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, and oversees a contingent workforce of over 2,000.
 
Chris is concurrently National Director of our sustainability, engineering and mining industry services, responsible for talent and client acquisition, key account leadership, risk mitigation and public relations.
 
His leadership journey has been underpinned by a passion for improving diversity, equity and inclusion outcomes, leadership development and the future of work. He has served on both global and national sub-committees in these areas.
 
In 2021, Chris was appointed inaugural Chair of Hays Helps in Australia and New Zealand, which governs the strategy and implementation of our charitable partnerships and corporate volunteering initiatives. Externally, he also serves as a Non-Executive Director on several Boards in youth, education and community leadership. He currently sits on the board of Leadership WA and acts as the Chair of the Governance, Nominations & Remuneration committee.

Dale Wilcox

Dale Wilcox is facing slightly left, he is wearing glasses, a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie.Dale holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and Fellow Certified Practising Accountant (FCPA). Dale has over 45 years of experience in senior management roles, including Principal Internal Auditor with British Airways in London, Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Group Chief Operating Officer with APM, an international business providing a range of human services, including services for people with disability. He retired recently and is currently a Director of Magic Coat for Kids Pty Ltd, a business providing programs to enhance the mental health of young people.

Dale is married with 4 children and 7 grandchildren. Interests include swimming, walking and art.

Dave Harwood

Dave Harwood is standing straight forward, he is wearing a white shite and blue business suit.  His hands are in his pockets.Dave is a project logistics manager for a global energy company based in Perth. With an 11-year career as a Master Mariner & Captain on the world's largest offshore vessels, Dave brings a wealth of unique expertise and leadership capabilities to his current position and PWdWA.
 
Beyond his professional achievements, Dave is a passionate advocate for neurodivergence in the workplace. Harnessing his own strengths as someone with ADHD and OCD, he actively encourages and celebrates diversity, creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
 
In addition to his work, Dave has devoted 9 years to volunteering with non-profit organizations, including serving as a National Operations Manager. These experiences have shaped his commitment to making a positive impact on the community.
Dave is currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Western Australia to enhance his skill set and better support PWdWA.

Emily Edgar

Emily Edgar is looking straight at the camera, she has short light brown hair and is wearing a black top.A law and commerce graduate from WA’s Notre Dame University and a WA local, Emily is well-equipped to contribute to the business and legal community in WA. She demonstrates empathy and provides a unique perspective and holistic approach toward disability communities due to her lived experience with Cerebral Palsy. However, living with a physical disability herself and being a wheelchair user for most of her life has meant that Emily has faced significant challenges, including various forms of discrimination. However, her unwavering determination, persistence and resilience have enabled her to overcome these challenges to obtain both the abovementioned degrees successfully. Nevertheless, despite holding these qualifications, finding long-term sustainable employment has always been extremely difficult for her, making her an ideal person to provide insight on these issues.

Her motivation for undertaking the law degree arose out of a strong passion for Disability Human Rights Policy and Regulation, and an innate desire to ensure, through education of businesses and individuals alike, that instances of disability and employment-based discrimination are minimised in the future, thereby hopefully creating a more cohesive society.

In 2015 Emily experienced a career highlight when she was honoured to be a key member of the University of Notre Dame’s Australia’s Disability Working Party (Community Service Project), established by the University as part of a commitment to improve their policies and procedures regarding access and inclusion of students with disabilities. Upon the invitation of the then Vice Chancellor, Emily provided specialised advice to the University on matters including, but not limited to, physical building access, and equitable access to course materials for those with varying disabilities.

In April 2023, after an extensive search Emily is pleased to have commenced a Casual Paralegal Clerk at the prominent Western Australian independent law firm Lavan in the Aged Care, Disability and Senior Living practice area and is extremely grateful to those responsible for giving her this opportunity.

Eva O'Malley

Eva O'Malley has her body at a slight left facing angle,  Emily has shoulder length brown hair and is wearing a black top.Eva is an experienced Chief Financial Officer and company secretary, having worked primarily for ASX-listed companies across various sectors, including mining, health services, engineering, construction, research and technology.

She is a Chartered Accountant, Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and the Chartered Governance Institute.

Kushagra Rathore

Kushagra Rathore has short dark brown hair and a beard and is wearing a black shirt.  Kushagra is standing outside at the beach.Kush is from Perth, studying for a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, majoring in Anatomy and Human Biology. He is passionate about empowering young people with disabilities and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities. He has a diverse background in not-for-profit organisations ranging from volunteering with Man-UP, and Youth Disability Advocacy Network (YDAN) and currently working with Youth Affairs Council as a Peer Educator. 

Kush comes from an immigrant background and brings his perspective to PWdWA to create a positive change through awareness. He is also an avid advocate about mental health and wishes to reduce stigma in communities so that people can access help when needed. 

Lenka Psar-McCabe

Lenka Psar-McCabe has shoulder length brown hair, is wearing a white top and is smiling directly into the camera.Lenka Psar-McCabe is an experienced senior executive in the health and business sectors and a non-executive director.

Before her current role as CEO of Palliative Care WA, Lenka spent 28 years at Perth Radiological Clinic, with almost 25 of those years as the CEO, significantly growing the business but remaining true to the values of the organisation of providing responsive, high-quality service and care.

Lenka holds a Master's of Business Administration and two Bachelor's Degrees in Commerce and Education. Lenka is a chartered accountant, trained at Ernst & Young, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

With her significant and relevant experience in leadership, business strategy for growth, governance and facilitation, Lenka is keen to assist community and not-for-profit organisations. She is honoured to be a board member of the Anglican Community Fund and an Advisory Board member for PWdWA.

Linda Pham

Linda is a property development expert with over 20 years of experience in urban renewal and infill developments and management of short-stay accommodations and hotels.  Linda's core strengths are in programme and project management, relationship management, risk management, troubleshooting and business process improvements.  

Linda is passionate about the disability sector and is particularly interested in advocating for equal access and provision of suitable and inclusive disability homes.

Melleah Strautins

Melleah Strautin is facing slight left, with shoulder length blonde hair.  She is wearing a black top.Melleah Strautins is a mental health professional with a passion for human rights advocacy and collaborative approaches leading to improved outcomes. With many years of experience in senior management roles, Melleah has consistently delivered exceptional results and fostered positive stakeholder relationships.
 
As an empathic and imaginative leader, Melleah has a proven ability to identify emerging opportunities and develop person centred strategies that promote the rights of disabled Australians. She possesses a strong understanding of the NDIS and psychosocial disability sector governance, which enables her to make informed decisions that lead to improved participant outcomes.
Throughout her career, Melleah has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, guiding cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals and objectives. Her collaborative approach and excellent communication abilities have fostered positive relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
 
Melleah's proficiency in strategic planning, business development, and operational optimisation has consistently delivered transformative results. She has successfully implemented innovative solutions that enhance customer satisfaction. After opening her own business only a year ago, Melleah was nominated in the National Disability Services 2023 Disability Service Awards WA under the category Excellence in Innovation.
 
Apart from her professional achievements, Melleah is known for her dedication to the rights of those in the aged care and disability sector. She actively advocates for systemic changes at state and federal levels and has a strong commitment to making a positive impact to improve the lives of those living in aged care or with a disability in Australia.

Samantha Neylon

Samantha Neylon is facing slightly left, she has should length curly grey hair and glasses.  Samantha is wearing a sleeveless blue top.Armed with a clinical background in Occupational Therapy, Sam has worked for over twenty-five years in the service development, provision, management, education and research domains to support older Australians and those living with disability to live the lives they choose.  
 
With expertise in residential living environment design and fit-outs, developing and implementing allied health clinics and corporate services programs, Sam works with individuals, teams and organisations to implement and achieve outcomes that put people at the front and centre.  This was the impetus behind Sam’s PhD to explore residential aged care refurbishments from an enabling and person-centred perspective. 
 
When she is not working across large and numerous programs and projects across different funding sectors at local and national levels, Sam undertakes individual and systemic advocacy to improve opportunities and access for the people in the hard-of-hearing community, given the insights gained from her own lived experience since infancy.

Steve Humfrey

Bio to come