Melissa has been Chief Executive Officer of
Communicare since 2014, her professional career spans 20 years in executive and senior management positions.
Melissa is an active advocate for inclusion and safety of individuals, families and communities. She is an influential figure in the Western Australian community services sector, lobbying for reform and increasing awareness with the intent to drive social change and achieve positive long-term sustainable outcomes.
Since being appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2014, Melissa has successfully embarked on a journey to transform Communicare into a contemporary community service organisation with an excellent reputation and an ability to respond to a complex and agile environment.
Prior to joining Communicare, Melissa was State Director WA for Mission Australia where she developed a strong reputation and demonstrated capacity to strategically win business in a highly competitive market.
From 2002 to 2011, Melissa was Executive Director for Centrecare. She consulted as an Executive to the WA Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention, responsible for implementing the Government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy across Western Australia.
Melissa’s desire to influence key decision makers and drive social change is also evident in her active participation on several boards. She is currently a co-opted board member of the Community Employers WA Peak Body, a Member of the Supporting Communities Forum nominated by the Premier of Western Australia since 2019 and was ministerially appointment to the Board of Landgate in 2019. Since 2017 she has been Chairperson of the Board of National Peak body Jobs Australia and has been a board member since 2015.
Prior board and committee appointments include WA CEO Community Sector Roundtable from 2015-2018 and Settlement Council of Australia’s Executive Committee from 2016-2019.
Melissa has achieved a Bachelor of Social Work with Victoria University. She is furthering her academic pursuits with the Australian Institute of Management and is currently undertaking studies for Master of Business Administration. She is a member of The Executive Connection, connecting with experienced executives across industry sectors to help each other enhance their businesses and their lives.