Adrienne Leonard Chair Expand Adrienne is a Certified Practising Accountant who has worked for both Private, Government and Not For Profit organisations in Toowoomba over the last 20 years. Adrienne is passionate about the Darling Downs & South West community and welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the region as a Lifeline Board member. Adrienne joined the board in February 2023.
David McVeigh Treasurer Expand David is a Chartered Accountant and CFA Charter holder and has held roles across multiple accounting firms. David was born in Toowoomba and is passionate about assisting the Toowoomba and South West Queensland community. David joined the board in April 2023.
Anne Meagher Director Expand Anne is a chartered accountant, registered liquidator, bankruptcy trustee, and a director of a national firm of accountants called SV Partners. She has worked in the accounting and insolvency field for 24 years. Anne has been working in the Toowoomba community for over 10 years and enjoys being able to contribute to the community by offering advice to people in financial and emotional distress. Anne brings an accounting and finance knowledge base with an emphasis on restructure / turnaround. She enjoys working with people to find solutions or better outcomes to the current financial positions they find themselves in. She has often recommended the services of Lifeline to her clients and through her involvement on the Board she hopes to be able to give back to the organisation which has supported so many of her clients. Anne joined the Board in February 2023.
Annette Brömdal Director Expand With origins from Sweden, Finland and Algeria, Annette (Netta) Brömdal is an Associate Professor at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) and leads the Sexuality and Gender Research Program housed in the UniSQ Centre for Health Research. Prior to their academic position at UniSQ, Netta worked at the United Nations Development Fund for Women (now UN WOMEN) and coordinated projects and initiatives preventing trafficking in women in Thailand by addressing normative dimensions of demand. Netta’s health and rights promotion research focuses on bodies, gender, and sexuality through co-designing and working in partnerships with LGBTQIA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy community stakeholders. As an inter/nationally recognised expert, Brömdal’s research contributes to an important evidence-base utilised by multi-stakeholders to alleviate injustices for diverse LGBTQIA+ communities across societal settings. Netta is leading a number of funded/non-funded, local/national/international research projects in partnership with LGBTQIA+ Brotherboy communities and government stakeholders, including with scholars at world-renowned institutions. Fort the last 20 years their research has specifically centred around promoting the health and rights of diverse LGBTQIA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy community-members in healthcare, educational, ageing and carceral settings through innovative methodological approaches, and in 2022 they led the research project Safe Connections Toowoomba: Connecting and Supporting LGBTQIA+ Communities.
Mark Philippi Director Expand Mark is a People, Culture and Risk Leader with deep experience in people-centric, values-based organisations within heavily regulated and safety-critical environments. Mark brings a strong governance lens to workforce strategy, WHS, Enterprise risk and compliance, remuneration oversight, high performing teams, industrial relations, and organisational culture. Known for translating complex operational, safety, and people risks into clear board-level insights and assurance. Mark is passionate about regional communities, connected and supported family values, and advocacy in mental health. Mark understands the value and challenges in the Darling Downs region and wants to contribute to the community by serving on the Lifeline Darling Downs & South West Queensland Board.
Charlie Rowe Director Expand Charlie Rowe is a proud Kamiliaroi man. His grandfather is from Toomelah in northern New South Wales. Charlie grew up and still lives on Jarowir, Giabal and western waka waka traditional lands. Charlie has worked for many years to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and families through culturally grounded programs. At Carbal Medical Services, he led the Strong Fathers, Strong Families program, helping dads, uncles and grandfathers be healthy role models in their children's lives. Now at AFLSQ, Charlie leads the Bamba Mari program, meaning "Strong Aboriginal Man" in Kamilaroi language. The program supports men with behaviour change, communication and emotional regulation, and works to break the cycle of domestic and family violence. Since 2016 more than 460 men have been referred through the Murri Court system, and of those who engaged, about 430 have not returned to jail. Charlie also works as an Independent Person to support families in the child safety system, making sure they feel safe and culturally supported. Charlie brings a wealth of board member experience as a director and respected person for Yumbin community justice group (Murri Court), a board member for Toowoomba Together Incorporated, committee member for Bi-Yanga Toowoomba Local Decision-Making Body and a member of the NAIDOC Committee. Charlie is very passionate about supporting First Nations peoples in this community. Charlie believes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples have their own journeys to walk strong and be proud of who they and where we come from.
Isabel Malferrari Director Expand Isabel Malferrari has over 25 years' experience in human resource development and organisational capability across complex sectors including manufacturing, mining, energy, local government and the Australian beef export industry. She is a certified CAHRI practitioner with the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) and a professional member of the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD). Isabel holds postgraduate qualifications in Workplace Diversity and Inclusion, a Bachelor of Commerce, and is completing a Master of Human Resources. Her expertise spans organisational culture, leadership development, learning strategy, and HR governance and compliance. She currently oversees the Human Resources and Training function at NH Foods Australia - Oakey Beef Exports, supporting leaders and teams to build capability, resilience and wellbeing.
Sarah-Jane MacDonald Director Expand Sarah-Jane is a strong advocate of practice in the regions, having practised in the Toowoomba Region for the entirety of her legal career. Sarah-Jane has been admitted in the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia since 2014, after completing her Bachelor of Law degree at the Toowoomba Campus of the University of Southern Queensland. Sarah-Jane is currently the Legal Practitioner Director of MacDonald Law (Qld) Pty Ltd. Sarah-Jane has remained actively involved in the local Toowoomba region and has previously been recognised for her community involvement by being previously awarded the Regional Young Citizen of the Year Award.
Lynda Crowley-Cyr Director Expand With over 30 years in academia, Lynda is a Professor of Law at the University of Southern Queensland and previously at James Cook University. Prior to turning to academia, Lynda was admitted as a Barrister of the NSW Supreme Court, was a presiding member of the Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal, served as the President of the Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland, and completed a PhD on serious mental illness and homelessness in Australia at the University of Sydney, and now specialises in teaching in the fields of Health Law and Personal Injuries law. Lynda has always been passionate about supporting vulnerable people and groups whether from international tourists swimming in Irukandji infested waters, to mental health threats for Front Line workers, to those facing and experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness. Her current research interests (funded and unfunded) include warning communications, workplace health and safety (psychosocial risks), privacy and confidentiality, and housing insecurity in the Darling Downs region. Lynda joined the Board in October 2024