The Team

MUrbRgnlPlan, GradDipRgnlUrbPlan, GradDip PH, GradCert Land T, BA(Hons), FGLF, GAICD, MICDA 

Julia Overton is Chief Executive Officer of Carers SA, bringing more than 30 years across the health, disability, aged care and community services sectors, a commitment to equity, inclusion and evidence based practice, and lived experience as a Carer.

Julia has led organisations across the health, disability, aged care and community services sectors, including as Chief Executive of the Health Consumers Alliance of South Australia, where she led systemic advocacy for the consumer voice in health, and at Country South SA Medicare Local, where she held a number of roles before being appointed Chief Executive to lead its transition to Country SA Primary Health Network, negotiating directly with the Federal Department of Health. She has also held commissioning roles with Country SA PHN, including four years on its Independent Commissioning Committee and later as Executive Manager Commissioning.

Her work has spanned the Commonwealth funded Boosting the Local Care Workforce Program across regional and remote South Australia while at First Peoples Disability Network, and two national committees of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, contributing to the development of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. She also lectures in Program Planning, Implementation and Evaluation at Torrens University, drawing on this practical program experience to teach the sector’s next generation.

As CEO she champions service excellence, strengthens advocacy at state and national levels, and embeds lived experience across programs. Her track record of rigorous financial governance gives government confidence that public funding is being carefully and transparently managed.

www.linkedin.com/in/julia-o-0a695356  

MBA(Health), GradBipBus, DipProjMgt, B.SpPath

Jeanette Routley is Carers SA’s Executive Manager, Operations, bringing more than 30 years across allied health and senior executive roles in the health, community health and research sectors, with a career centred on leading people, programs and process improvement, partnering across government, non-government and private sector organisations, for practical, high quality care.

As National Program Manager, Aboriginal Health Equity at SAHMRI she led a Commonwealth funded Diabetes Related Foot Complications program across five jurisdictions, managed an NHMRC and MRFF funded Patient Navigator clinical trial and partnered with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, with oversight of program funding, governance and Commonwealth reporting. As Director, Outpatients and Allied Health at Drug and Alcohol Services SA she led statewide outpatient and allied health services across metropolitan and regional South Australia, delivered in person, by phone and by telehealth, and established the division’s Project Management and Workforce Development Units. Her recent executive responsibilities have spanned large multidisciplinary teams across metropolitan and regional settings, workforce qualifications and safety accreditation, service governance and risk management, and financial acquittal reporting to Executive, Board and Commonwealth departments.

Jeanette has chaired and served on health sector committees at state and national levels. She leads with empathy and accountability, builds trusted partnerships and develops high performing teams, and is deeply committed to equity, quality and access to caring services.

Jeanette Routley | LinkedIn

CAANZ Fellow, GAICD, B.Com/B.Bus (Commercial Law)  

Joanne Cottle is a finance and corporate services executive with more than 25 years across professional services, commerce and the not for profit sector, and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Since joining Carers SA in 2015 she has led finance, ICT, procurement, data and business intelligence, corporate risk and service coordination, with accountability for financial sustainability, budgeting, financial control and reporting to the CEO, Board and Finance, Audit and Risk Committee. Her work includes successful Commonwealth and state grant submissions, the implementation of Salesforce CRM, Power BI reporting and cloud migration, and strengthening cyber security against the Essential Eight. As Privacy Officer she is accountable for compliance with the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles.

Her earlier career spans more than a decade in audit at Ernst and Young, PKF and Deloitte, as an Audit Manager, auditing local government, health, aged care and community organisations, and delivering national audit training. She was later Financial Controller of a national commercial group.

A Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Joanne has served on not for profit boards since 2017, including as a chair and treasurer, and holds three current directorships across aged care, NDIS and community services. She chaired the South Australian Not for Profit Discussion Group for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. She currently supports her mother following a spinal stroke, and previously helped care for her grandfather until his passing at 103.

(27) Joanne Cottle | LinkedIn 

B.Sc , FCPHR (AHRI), GAICD

Shaun Monis is Carers SA’s Executive Manager, People and Culture, bringing more than 20 years across human resources, learning and development and operational leadership in manufacturing, hospitality and the for purpose sector, with a career centred on building capable leaders and safe, compliant workplaces.

At Carers SA he is responsible for people and work health and safety legislative compliance and reports to the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee. He project managed the organisation’s transition to the model that delivers Carer Gateway, including the restructure it required, and led the successful re-accreditation to the Australian Service Excellence Standards in 2021. Earlier, as Head of Manufacturing at Mayne Pharma International, he led five functional areas and more than 80 staff, and as Acting General Manager at Majestic Hotels he led a revenue turnaround and rebuilt work health and safety compliance.

A Fellow Certified Practitioner with the Australian Human Resources Institute and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Shaun holds a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma of Human Resource Management. He volunteers on the AHRI South Australian Council as Vice President of Certification and has served as a Non-Executive Director of Strong and Capable Co-Operations. His own parent was a full time Carer, and he is motivated by supporting the people who support Carers.

Shaun Monis, FCPHR, GAICD | LinkedIn

B.Psych 

Helen Brown is an executive leader with more than two decades’ experience across government, community and humanitarian services, spanning statewide service delivery, community development, policy, program development and complex portfolio leadership.

At Carers SA, Helen has shaped the organisation’s approach to statewide outreach and community engagement alongside leading marketing and communications. She established the Community Engagement team, growing statewide reach and sector partnerships, particularly with Local Health Networks, to strengthen referral pathways and Carer Gateway awareness. Helen developed Carers SA’s Carer Engagement Framework and established and now oversees three Carer collective voice platforms. She also oversees statewide National Carers Week and initiated the annual Carer Expo as a flagship event.

Previously with Australian Red Cross, as General Manager Services Helen led statewide portfolios spanning Aboriginal community services, refugee and asylum seeker services, social inclusion, emergency preparedness, children and young people and quality, with oversight of six regional and remote offices extending to the APY Lands. As Acting Executive Director SA, she worked closely with Divisional Boards with a focus on International Humanitarian Law, membership and youth.

Earlier in State Government, Helen worked in the disability sector, contributing to the Disability Services Framework and early development of South Australia’s Companion Card. Across her career, Helen has translated strategy into meaningful outcomes for communities, complemented by more than four decades of lived experience as a Carer.

www.linkedin.com/in/helen-brown-065422364 

CertIVBusMgt, GAICD 

Sharon Tentye has led partnerships and service integration at Carers SA since Carers SA commenced delivery, working with the delivery partners, government and sector organisations that together extend Carer support across South Australia.

She brings more than 25 years in community services, spanning disability services, Carer services, and regional and remote delivery. Sharon spent much of her career at Carers SA before moving to the Northern Territory to work with Carers NT, returning to Carers SA in 2018. She has held senior operational and partnership roles since, including oversight of statewide service delivery, and contributed to the design and delivery of Carer Gateway in South Australia from its introduction.

Her work has included organisational restructures, securing new funding, and implementing service models that improved accessibility for Carers in regional and remote communities. She has represented the sector at national and international forums on Carer and community issues.

Sharon’s commitment to Carers is also personal. She supported her husband in caring for his father, who lived with dementia until his death, an experience that shapes how she approaches partnership work and what she expects services to deliver for Carers.

Sharon Tentye | LinkedIn

CB.HlthSc(Nursing), BApSc(NRM), GradCertDiabetes, RN Cert (QEH) 

Allison Willis is Carers SA’s Head of Policy, Advocacy and Impact, with more than 30 years as a policy advisor, educator and advocacy consultant across health, mental health, disability, community and aged care and education, focused on safety and quality, consumer engagement and rights based policy.

At the Nursing and Midwifery Board of South Australia she developed the regulatory framework that made South Australia the second state to authorise Nurse Practitioners. As Director of Nursing at CARA she built a community specialist disability nursing service supporting the devolution from institutional to community disability services, with a delegation of care framework that operated for more than 20 years before the NDIS, earning a Ministerial commendation. After the closure of the Health Consumers Alliance of SA, where she was Principal Advisor for Advocacy and Policy, she founded the Health Consumer Advocacy Network of South Australia and continues that work pro bono. Her board service spans the Chair of Shine SA, directorships with the Sexual Health and Family Planning Association of Australia and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, and a Ministerial appointment to the Pharmacy Board of SA.

The author of a 40 year history of sexual health and family planning in South Australia, Allison brings lived experience as a Carer to her advocacy, ensuring the collective voice of Carers informs Carers SA’s advocacy priorities.

Allison Willis | LinkedIn

B.Ec., Fellow FCAANZ, Registered Financial Adviser (previously) 

Tony Simmons is a Chartered Accountant whose career in professional accounting and financial services spanned more than 40 years, including as a senior partner of national firms PKF and BDO. His expertise is financial advice for small to medium enterprises and detailed financial analysis of businesses and not for profit organisations.

At PKF and BDO he held executive positions representing the business services and financial planning divisions, and established a financial planning business which he handed on to a successor at BDO. Alongside Carers SA he is Treasurer of MNDSA and a Board member of Careworks. He is a former Treasurer and Advisory Committee member of the Bay to Birdwood, a past President of the Rotary Club of Eastwood, and Finance Chair of Rotary District 9510.

A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand since 1982, Tony chaired its South Australian Branch in 2001 and 2002 and served on its professional development committees locally and nationally. He has his own experience of a caring role.

B.Sc, MBA, FAICD

Sonya Weiser is a company director with 36 years in the information technology industry and 16 years in board and committee roles, advising South Australian businesses and government on technology governance and procurement.

Sixteen years as a management consultant built her experience in strategic planning and corporate governance, advising organisations on their technology strategies and managing governance and procurement processes so that investment in systems returns value rather than risk.

Sonya is a Non-Executive Director of LAAS (Lifestyle Assistance and Accommodation Service), an NDIS provider, and a member of the Business and Economic Development Advisory Committee of the City of Unley. Her earlier board experience spans health and aged care as a director of the North Eastern Community Hospital, community banking as a director of the Goodwood Community Bank, and committees of the Rotary Club of Adelaide.

Sonya holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Adelaide, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is a member of Women on Boards, Behind Closed Doors, the Rotary Club of Adelaide and the University of Adelaide MBA Alumni Association. She is currently a Carer for her mother.

B. Arts, Dip Proj Mgt, CPA, GAICD 

Angela Allison is an executive and company director with experience in governance, financial management and business transformation across local government, social housing, state agencies, arts  and the screen industry.

As General Manager City Services at the City of Marion she oversees infrastructure, environment, community centres and library services, and until 2026 held responsibility for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme. As General Manager Corporate Services, she successfully delivered the Digital Transformation Program and led the City of Marion’s engagement with the Essential Services Commission of SA financial viability assessment, which confirmed the Council’s strong financial position, rating it at the higher end of sustainable across historical performance, current position and future projections.  At the SA Housing Authority she rebuilt the Community Housing Program’s assessment, approval and contracting frameworks and worked with Specialist Disability Housing providers on fit for purpose housing projects.

A Certified Practising Accountant and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Angela has served on boards and chaired audit and risk committees since 2008, across various organisations such as the Australian Institute of Advanced Technology, Catalyst Foundation and Study Adelaide. She has supported ageing parents while raising a young child.

Grad Cert Human Services (Child & Adolescent Welfare), Grad Exec Programs (Flinders University & University of Adelaide)  

Wendy Warren is a chief executive and advocate for people with disability and for Carers in crisis, with more than 20 years of senior leadership across disability services, employment services, medico legal consulting and economic development.

Since 2011 she has been Chief Executive of EBL Disability Services Inc., trading as EllieBs and Enable Plan Management, leading organisational growth, service innovation and support for people with disability and their families, with particular strengths in business transformation, clinical governance, risk management and work health and safety. Her earlier career includes national performance leadership with The Salvation Army Employment Plus and senior roles with Medico Legal Consultants of Australia. She has worked with Aboriginal focus groups across northern New South Wales, including Barkindji peoples of Paakantyi Barkindji country in Wilcannia, on initiatives supporting local employment and cultural sustainability.

Wendy has served on the National Operations Committee for Job Services Australia, on regional Economic Development Boards and Area Consultative Committees, and as an elected State Committee Member for National Disability Services. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Human Services and received a Meikle Files Black Leadership Scholarship through the Australian Scholarship Foundation. She works to trauma informed practice and brings lived experience of caring.

G Dip Podiatry, G Dip Bus Admin, G Dip Com and PR   

Sharon Wachtel is a community services and corporate executive with more than 30 years across the community services and government sectors, specialising in people leadership, service delivery with diverse and vulnerable communities, and community engagement.

AdvDipAcc, CertIV Gov(StatComp), CertIV Gov(Inv), CertFundraising

Paul Kitsi’s professional career spans accounting, audit, taxation, investigations and statutory compliance, developing capabilities in financial management, governance, risk, compliance, accountability and organisational oversight. He holds an Advanced Diploma of Accounting, a Diploma of Business Studies, Certificates IV in Government in both Statutory Compliance and Investigations, and a Certificate in Fundraising.

Alongside this, Paul has given more than 30 years of voluntary community service. He is a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Royal Association of Justices, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Saint Spyridon at Unley, contributing to community leadership, governance and engagement. He has volunteered for many years with the Christmas Party for Special Children, the Royal Adelaide Show and the Glenelg Greek Festival.

For more than 25 years Paul has supported four family members, including his son.

Paul is an advocate for raising awareness of the support available to Carers. Whenever opportunities arise, including during medical appointments and in doctors’ surgeries and hospital waiting rooms, he promotes the services and support provided by Carers SA, helping Carers recognise that support is available and encouraging them to connect with Carers SA’s services.

B Sc (Hons), B. Ec, B. Sc, GAICD   

Stuart Watt is a technology executive with experience leading technology organisations through major change, across digital strategy, governance, risk including cyber security, organisational design and emergency management.

As Chief Information Officer of the South Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regions he leads a team of 60, has delivered programs digitising service delivery for staff working across the state, secured funding and successfully delivered an end-to-end grants management platform, and led an uplift in risk and cyber security capability and governance. He has undertaken several secondments as Incident Controller for state biosecurity events under the AIIMS framework. As General Manager Australia for Eka he led 120 technology professionals across Australia and India with full profit and loss accountability on a US$16 million revenue budget, returning the business to sustained profitability.

A Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Stuart also serves on the Defence SA Audit and Risk Committee. His family cared for a member living with dementia.

B. Int. Dev Studies, M. Applied Proj Mgt, Dip Languages  

Lauren Bradley is a not for profit executive who has managed complex public health programs across Australia, the Pacific and Southeast Asia, focused on community led responses that improve health outcomes.

As Deputy Director of the SKPA-2 Program with Health Equity Matters she provided executive leadership for a $20 million program across Southeast Asia, working with governments, civil society and regional partners on law reform, health system strengthening and sustainable financing, with her role centred on program strategy, financial oversight and partner coordination. As Interim CEO of AIVL she led the organisation through significant change while managing more than $2 million in national health projects and guiding development of national standards for ethical research. She is a Senior Health Program Adviser in global health, advising on regional health programs in the Pacific.

Lauren was President and Vice President of Hepatitis ACT and has served as a director of Health Equity Matters, Hepatitis Australia and Women in Aid and Development, including finance and audit committee roles. She holds a Master of Applied Project Management, a Bachelor of International Development Studies and a Diploma of Languages in Spanish, and received a full scholarship to the McKinsey Executive Leadership Program. She supported a close family member through a terminal illness.

B.Acc, FCPA  

Katrina Bosworth is a recently retired finance executive with senior leadership experience across health, aged care, retirement living and community service organisations, and a Fellow of CPA Australia.

As Chief Financial Officer of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network she led the finance function supporting a tertiary and quaternary hospital and 159 community sites across South Australia and the APY Lands, advising the Chief Executive and Executive, and presenting to the Governing Council, the Minister and Audit and Risk Committees. She later held the same role at Top End Health Service, where she led financial, performance and business services and developed the performance and accountability frameworks the Executive worked to. As Director of Finance and Administration at Calvary Health Care Adelaide she was the senior finance executive for two private hospitals, with responsibility spanning finance, procurement, ICT, human resources, payroll and capital works, and financial performance moved from substantial losses to surplus during her tenure.

Katrina is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and volunteers with St Vincent de Paul. Her own experience of caring for family members shaped her view of the importance of Carers being recognised, supported and valued.