Recently retired, Jenny has established herself as an educational leader in Queensland. With 33 years practising in the state education system, Jenny has expertise particularly in secondary education as well as the vocational education and training sector.
After teaching and Middle Leadership roles in secondary schools on the Sunshine Coast and in Gladstone, Jenny moved to Bundaberg to take up the Deputy Principalship at Kepnock State High School in 2006. She was appointed Principal at Kepnock State High School from 2009 to 2018 after which she moved into the Senior Public Service sector as a Senior Reviewer with the Department of Education School Improvement Unit based in Brisbane. Her final two years in service were as Assistant Regional Director, Sunshine Coast Region.
Jenny has a Bachelor of Education from Queensland University of Technology and a Masters Degree in Education Leadership from University of Queensland.
Jenny’s work ethic is driven by her desire to give back to her community and in particular young people who can benefit from a helping hand to succeed.
With over 40 years of experience in health and training health professionals, Denise has become increasingly aware of the significant impact that lifestyle, poverty, inequity, discrimination, lack of education opportunities, challenges in accessing services, and now climate change, have on poor health outcomes. Thus, working with people and groups who contribute to solutions for these issues is important to her. This is not a one-way street, as she learns new skills and meets many impressive people along the way.
Having attended primary schools around Central Queensland and secondary school at Bundaberg State High, Denise was well prepared to undertake a medical degree at the University of Queensland, from which she graduated with first-class honours in 1976. She is forever grateful for the opportunity to achieve this because of the encouragement and support of her parents, teachers, and friends, and she wants to pay this forward.
Denise has worked as a General Practitioner, Practice Owner/Principal, and Breast Physician in the district for many decades. Along with her clinical practice, she has been involved in training medical students, junior doctors, and doctors specialising in General Practice (GP Registrars). Each new area has stimulated her to obtain qualifications and recognition of appropriate learning. Lifelong learning is a core value of hers.
Her interests include growing trees and fruits, social cycling, and the big one—spending time with family and friends. Denise is also a novice apiarist.
Tony is Professor and Head of College for Health Sciences in the School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, at Central Queensland University (CQU) where he manages nine Higher Education (HE) Allied Health Professional courses and seven Vocational Education & Training (VET) courses.
Tony holds five university degrees culminating in a PhD in 2006 and is an established lecturer and researcher in the field of Sports Medicine. As a registered Physiotherapist, he is currently an accreditation assessor for the Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC) and a member of the Physiotherapists Panel of Assessors to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).
Tony is passionate about the health and wellbeing of regional, rural, and remote communities; being a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) Leading Australian Resilient Communities (LARC) program and maintains a role as Board Member for Bundaberg Health Promotions.
Leanne is a highly accomplished Non-Executive Director and financial professional with over two decades of board-level experience spanning the private and not-for-profit sectors. Her expertise encompasses a wide range of areas, including taxation, business advisory, wealth advisory, leadership, governance, management consulting, and financial management. She holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and is a Fellow of CPA Australia. Additionally, Leanne is a Financial Planner and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
As the founder of The Money Edge, an agribusiness, accounting, and financial advice firm in Bundaberg, Leanne has spent 30 years in public practice, aiding regional and rural businesses to thrive sustainably.
Leanne is deeply passionate about business and leverages her extensive experience to drive positive change, enhancing outcomes, efficiency, and fostering collaboration within organisations.
Elected as Deputy Chairperson at the Board meeting, 15 November 2021.
Martin is the Managing Director of ASX listed Auswide Bank Ltd where he heads up Auswide Bank's leadership team, and is responsible for overseeing the company’s operations and business strategy.
"I've been in banking for more than 30 years and have previously held roles both nationally and internationally - including senior executive roles in retail, commercial, corporate and specialist banking areas."
"My focus is on delivering excellent products and services to our many customers and growing the bank for our shareholders and communities. Banking is highly regulated so ensuring strong relationships across all our stakeholders is an important part of my role."
"I hold a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Murdoch University, an MBA from the University of Western Australia and a Graduate Diploma in Banking and Finance."
"I enjoy spending time with family, am a keen bike rider and enjoy travelling and exploring new places."
Vanessa Fryer has extensive experience in technology, project management, risk, and compliance across diverse industries, including healthcare, education, and financial services.
Her background in professional services and industry equips her with the broad expertise necessary for her current role. She collaborates with the business, finance, and technology sectors to ensure governance and delivery assurance for strategic projects.
Vanessa is passionate about health, human rights, and leveraging personal experiences to enhance employment outcomes for students.
Her time working and living in Bundaberg left an indelible impression, and she eagerly anticipates contributing to the community through her appointment to the board of IMPACT.
Luke Sinclair is the Associate Vice-President (AVP) for the Gladstone and Wide Bay Burnett Regions.
In this role he has responsibility for the business development and growth of CQUniversity in these regions, fostering opportunities for regional engagement and research, and overseeing the pastoral care of students and staff.
Luke is always keen to hear from industry and community leaders with regard to opportunities for how CQUniversity can engage further in terms of research, learning and placements for our students.
Giovanna’s first experience of business was growing up and working on her family’s large-scale horticulture farm in Bundaberg. Mentored by her father, she supported the operations of the family agribusiness. So business became a way of life for her - as natural as sleeping and breathing.
Giovanna's ability to build and transform brands into sustainable business models is built on the back of her business acumen acquired from over 20 years commercial experience across the agriculture, education, health, community development, tourism, and sport industries.
Giovanna is well known for her expertise in helping organisations and their stakeholders in transformational and collaborative change management. She does this through her innate ability to bring disparate stakeholders together for the common good enabling advocacy long after the project is delivered. She is an expert in facilitating co-design environments for stakeholders at all levels and functions.
She began Sparrowly Group with a clear vision to help create better, sustainable businesses backed by a better workforce for the future. She has done this successfully for a number of organisations in both the private and public sectors and in many instances, bringing the two sectors together to better align and drive impactful outcomes for their customers.
As well as providing strategic consultation, Giovanna runs impactful leadership and development and reflective mentorship programs for small businesses owners through to executive leaders.
Giovanna has co-authored two research papers on accessible tourism and career pathways which has received acclaim from the sector and decision makers alike.
She is a regular guest lecturer at University of Technology Sydney and University Western Sydney and sits on the School of Business and School of Behavioural Sciences industry advisory committees with both universities. Outside, Sparrowly Group, Giovanna is a Non-Executive Director for national charity, Mummy’s Wish and IMPACT Community Services.
A strong advocate for the powerhouse that is regional Australia, Tanya’s expertise is firmly based in both high-level business practice and deep study of human behaviour.
Joining IMPACT in 1999 and working in a range of management positions prior to being appointed Managing Director, Tanya is well known for her capacity building and advocacy, serving on influential and highly effective Boards and committees as well as working with emerging leaders as a coach and mentor.
Organisations Tanya has contributed to at Board level include Surf Lifesaving Queensland; the Wide Bay Burnett Fraser Coast Regional Community Forum and the CQUniversity Post-Graduate Business Course Reference Group (among many others).A regular in local media and the holder of multiple degrees (including an MBA and a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons)), Tanya is a heartfelt, entrepreneurial leader who has achieved outstanding results across business, personal development and community.
While at IMPACT, she has led the organisation to overcome disastrous floods, major budget deficits and COVID to create a multi-million dollar enterprise that successfully competes on the open market. Tanya works with the IMPACT Board, staff and participants to envision, create and evolve significant opportunities for people within our community. Opportunities that empower, improve resilience, increase social and economic participation and to put it simply ‘improve lives’.
Please note: This website may contain references to, or feature images, videos, and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have passed away.
