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Board &
Governance

our board

The SACOSS Board is responsible for the governance of the organisation.

The SACOSS Board ensures that the affairs of the organisation are managed honestly and with due diligence. They also manage relationships with ACOSS and the COSS network. The SACOSS Board is made up of a maximum of nine members and meets at least eight times every year.

Dr David Panter

Chair

 2024

Nicole Chaplin

Deputy Chair

2025

Emma Crosby

Treasurer

2025

Nancy Penna

Member

2024

Dr Jen Cleary

Member

2024

Rohan Feegrade

Member

2024

Dave Adamson

Member

2025

Cheryl Axelby

Co-opted

2024

Kelly Vincent

Co-opted

2024

our Constitution

The SACOSS Constitution, last approved in 2019, lays out the details of our governance such as general meetings, membership and elections to the Board.

Download our constitution

Policy Council

The SACOSS Policy Council is nominated from SACOSS’ membership. Its aims are to develop policies relevant to the sector as well as to help plan and develop key areas of social policy development.

Policy Council members hold office for two year terms and are nominated to become elected in different categories, as set out in the SACOSS Constitution. Peak body members have an automatic right to nominate a Policy Council representative.

David Panter

Chair

Michael White

Deputy Chair / Peak Body SA Network of Drug & Alcohol Services

Nicole Chaplin

Small NGO
St John's Youth Service

Nikki Candy

Small NGO
Working Womens Centre

Fiona Endacott

Small NGO
Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers

Michele Wachla

Individual Member

Lou Potter

Individual Member

Karen Smith

Individual Member

Tania Manser

Large NGO
Sonder

Anna Sutherland

Large NGO
UnitingSA

Simon Rowberry

Large NGO
Barkuma

Chelsey Potter

Large NGO
Uniting Communities

Jala Burton

Individual Member

Harry Randhawa

Non-Metro
Uniting Country SA

Shane Maddocks

Non-Metro
AC.Care

Melissa Gibson

Peak Body
Child and Family Focus SA

Kerrie Akkermans

Peak Body
Community Centres SA

Geoff Harris

Peak Body
Mental Health Coalition of SA

Kayla Dickeson

Small NGO
Disability Rights Advocacy Service

Michele Robinson

Peak Body
Aboriginal Health Council of SA

Geoff Slack

Peak Body
Community Housing Industry Association

Craig Bradbrook

Peak Body
Playgroup SA

Mary Leaker

Peak Body
Embolden

Arefa Hassani

CALD
Welcoming Australia

Hamilton Calder

Peak Body
Volunteering SA

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08 8305 4222

sacoss@sacoss.org.au

Marjorie Black House
47 King William Road Unley SA 5061

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About Us

Policy and advocacy

News

SACOSS acknowledges the traditional owners of unceded country throughout South Australia, and recognises their continuing connection to lands, waters and culture. We recognise the sovereignty and cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and pay our respect to elders both past and present.

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KELLY VINCENT

Kelly is a writer and an advocate living on Kaurna land. At age 20, they won the State Theatre’s Young Guns Award for young playwrights for Gravity. At 21, they became Australia’s youngest Member of Parliament and first-ever appointed specifically on the platform of disability rights. From 2010 to 2018, Kelly represented the Dignity Party in the Upper House of South Australia’s State Parliament, making vital changes to the way service providers, the built environment, and the justice system respond to the needs of disabled people. They are now Creative Director of True Ability, a disabled persons’ theatre company they co-founded in 2020.

CHERYL AXELBY

Cheryl is a proud Narungga Woman, living on Kaurna land, and is passionate about improving the quality of life for her people. Cheryl has extensive experience working with Aboriginal communities, and federal and state government sectors at senior and executive level in a career spanning over 43 years. Currently she is National Co-Chair of Change the Record, Head of Aboriginal Housing – Housing SA and in March 2024 she was elected as the Central Region 1 representative in the historic First Nations Voice to SA Parliament.

DAVE ADAMSON

Dave moved to Australia following a 30-year academic career in the UK. He has since worked in the Community Housing sector and authored the 2016 Towards a National Housing Strategy, and helped to establish the Everybody’s Home campaign. He also researches the interface between poverty and climate change and actively supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He has worked with government at all levels and has experience of policy development and evaluation. He is co-author of Sustainable Places: Addressing Social Inequality and Environmental Crisis (2022, Routledge). In his spare time he plays and builds guitars.

ROHAN FEEGRADE

Rohan is an experienced and forward-thinking CEO, senior executive and board director with demonstrated expertise across the not-for-profit, private and government sectors. Currently CEO of Lutheran Care, he has proven record for creating substantial organisational, stakeholder and client value, and has extensive experience in strategically positioning organisations for transformational change and growth within the health, disability, education and community service sectors. Rohan is a socially responsible professional, genuinely passionate about creating opportunities for people who live with disadvantage and disability, always acting ethically to serve those he works with and for.

DR JEN CLEARY

Jen is a human geographer, with a background spanning social services and social policy ,vocational and higher education and regional, rural and remote research and development. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Centacare Catholic Country SA (CCCSA), a for-purpose organisation providing social services in regional, rural and remote communities in South Australia, across a footprint of some 980,000 square km. She was awarded a PhD in Geography from the University of SA in 2014. She holds an adjunct professorial position with the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University and is a member of the Advisory Panel for the University of SA Justice and Society Arts Program.

NANCY PENNA

Nancy has than 30 years of experience in South Australian community services, and a a unique understanding of the political and social landscape and the issues and opportunities facing South Australia. Currently responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of AnglicareSA’s community services portfolio, she has previously held executive roles in government within child protection and disability, with her executive experience underpinned by her earlier career as a social worker in child protection and youth justice. She is also Chair of the Child and Family Focus South Australia (CAFFSA) Board and most recently on the Housing Security for Older Women Taskforce.

NICOLE CHAPLIN

Nicole is a dedicated and experienced youth support professional, specialising in solutions for disadvantaged young people in South Australia. As CEO of St John’s Youth Services, she oversees innovative programs like youth110 and Foyer Port Adelaide. With over thirty years in the community sector, Nicole has built extensive networks and her expertise spans governance, service delivery, policy development, and partnerships. Recognised with the 2018 AHI Inspirational Leader Award, Nicole is an active participant in housing and homelessness networks. She holds leadership roles in various organisations, including Anglicare Australia’s National Reconciliation Network.

EMMA CROSBY

Emma is a chartered Accountant with more than 15 years experience as a board member, finance and business professional, strategic advisor and company secretary. She has strong values and a passion for enabling and leading organisations to meet its operational and strategic direction through long-term financial sustainability, operational efficiency, innovation, leadership, transformation and partnerships. As Treasurer and Board member at SACOSS, she is committed to successfully leading and making a purposeful impact to the organisation and its stakeholders.

David PANTER

David has worked in health and social care for almost 45 years, over half of which has been as a Chief Executive. In the UK he initially worked in the NHS and more latterly in local government, where he was Chief Executive of Brighton & Hove City Council. In 2004 David was recruited to the South Australian public health system for over 10 years leading reforms including the development of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. From 2015-2022 David was the Chief Executive of not-for-profit aged care provider ECH. At the end of January 2022 David became the Chief Executive at Minda, SA’s largest provider of services to people living with an intellectual disability.

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