Helen Reid - Chief Commissioner

Helen was a Girl Guide for 7 years as a child then returned as a Unit Leader when she was 21; a role she has held for over 35 years.

Girl Guiding has provided many opportunities including travel to international events in Kenya, the UK and Switzerland. Holding positions such as National Program Manager, GGV Executive member and GGA Board Director Helen brings a wealth of knowledge about the Australian Guide Program and Governance to the role. She is committed to facilitating opportunities for girls and young women to explore and grow within Girl Guiding so that they can have a voice in their own future.

Helen is a retired librarian having managed both TAFE and University libraries with a Masters in Human Resource Management and a PhD in Librarianship. She is currently living on a farm in the Victorian Otways growing trees for shelter, conservation and profit.

Kate Alcorso - Chair of the Board

Kate is an experienced Board Director and long-term advocate for the opportunities Girl Guiding provides for girls and young women.  Kate has been discovering her potential through Guiding since joining at the age of 7.  In particular, Kate has taken up leadership opportunities within the organisation at the local level (as a leader of younger Guides) at state and national board level and through international Guiding experiences.  

Kate is a senior associate with a Tasmanian law firm practicing in commercial and estate law, with a particular focus on business transactions. She is a fellow of The Tax Institute and Chair of the Tasmanian State Council. She has a strong commitment to governance and has served on multiple boards and committees within the Tasmanian for purpose sector.

Passionate about Guiding and empowering the development of the girls in her own Unit, Kate is thrilled to contribute to the governance of Guiding in Australia as Chair of the Girl Guides Australia Board.

Joanne Muller - Director, Girl Guides NSW ACT & NT

Joanne has been a member of Girl Guides for nearly 55 years and holds the Queen’s Guide, Emu, Red Kangaroo and Asian Pacific Leadership Awards. During this time, she has fulfilled the roles of Leader, District Manager, Deputy State Commissioner, Honorary Legal Advisor, as well as serving on a number of board sub committees at both state and national level.

With formal qualifications in science, education & law, as well as being a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors course, Joanne has 26 years’ experience in the regulation of health practitioners.

Currently she is a member of the following: Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW (Legal Member), Royal Academy of Dance London – Development and Fundraising Committee (Member), the Curriculum Committee of the RANZCR,  the Consumer Panel of the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, the Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Reference Group of the Australian Government Department of Health  and the Radiation Advisory Council of NSW.

She recently completed roles St Johns Ambulance NSW (Director) and Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries NSW (Chair).

Georgina Gaffney - Director, Girl Guides Tasmania

Like many women in guiding, Georgina’s guiding journey began when she was 7 and she hasn’t stopped since! Her involvement has varied as she’s grown through the movement, some of the most memorable moments being her Queen’s Guide award, being part of the program team for FanTAStic, and Leading Edge Young Women’s Forum.

Prior to her appointment as GGA Board Director for Tasmania Georgina has been a Member Director on the GGT Board for two years and more recently Chair of the Tasmanian State Guiding Committee. Georgina has been involved in re-establishing the Olave Program in Tasmania, and is passionate about the value guiding brings to adults as well as youth members.

Professionally, Georgina is a pharmacist, working in community pharmacy and aged care services.

Natasha Montesalvo - Director, Girl Guides Queensland

Natasha joined Girl Guides in the UK aged 5 and never left. She is a Queens Guide recipient and Gold Duke of Edinburgh awardee. Natasha has held roles as a Peer Educator, Unit Leader, District Manager, Region Manager, Board Director and Assistant State Commissioner. She continues to lead a Unit of Junior Guides in Brisbane’s western suburbs and is passionate about ensuring their Guiding journey is every bit as adventurous and fun as hers was (and continues to be).

In her professional life, Natasha is a Tourism Consultant, supporting destinations and tourism businesses with strategic and sustainability advice. She has a PhD from Griffith University examining the complex networks that exist between tourism operators and destination management organisations and how they could leverage relationships more effectively to drive brand buy-in.

Yvonne Power - Director, Girl Guides Western Australia

Originally from the UK,  Yvonne is a former Girl Guides WA Guide Leader who grew up involved in Guiding as her grandmother was an active Unit Leader.

She is the co-founder and COO at Village Energy, a microgrid technology startup with a vision to help accelerate the world’s transition to green energy. Holding two Masters degrees and an MBA, Yvonne is experienced in business operations, strategy and innovation, and won the 40under40 award in 2020 for her work.

 

Laura Hume - Director

Laura trained as a Chartered Accountant in the UK and has spent the last 8 years of her career working across a number of roles in professional services, with diverse experience in problem-solving, business planning and reporting, research, analysis, and stakeholder management. Emigrating to Sydney, Australia in 2015, her most recent role at KPMG has focused on managing strategic firm-wide projects to drive growth and delivering tech-enabled solutions for national and international clients.

Laura has been involved in Guiding from a young age, joining Rainbows in the UK at the age of 5 and progressing to Brownies and Guides. Laura has personally seen the life-forming positive impact that Guiding can have, enjoying a number of wonderful experiences including camps and jamborees, taking part in gang show, being lucky enough to visit Our Chalet in Switzerland, and making friends for life.

She is a passionate advocate for women in leadership and for improving access and opportunities for young women to reach their full potential so was thrilled to have been appointed to the board in October 2019. Laura is committed to helping GGA evolve through a period of rapid change to continue to empower girls by building skills in leadership, confidence, and teamwork in an environment of fun and adventure.

Kellie Earl - Director

Kellie Earl is a retired military officer who spent fifteen years in the Royal Australian Air Force, working all over Australia and served in Afghanistan. She has also worked as a Management Consultant at PwC.

Kellie’s experience lies in people management and she has led teams to provide services across a broad range of customers working as a project manager and a HR consultant. Her leadership and management skills are applied across all her roles and she brings strategy and governance experience to the GGA Board.

Kellie is passionate about gender equality and the development of girls and women as leaders. She has mixed her skills and passion to mentor young women throughout her career, both personally and professionally.

Alecia Hancock - Director

Alecia is an award-winning digital marketing and social media strategist. She founded the award-winning Unite and Change the World events and was director of Hancock Creative for more than 11 years. In her past life she was a journalist and magazine editor and is now a sought-after international speaker, consultant and not-for-profit trainer. Alecia was chosen as one of WA’s most influential people in business by NIFNEX, her business was named WA Telstra Micro Business of the Year WA and won an Australian Web award for Social Media Campaign of the Year. Alecia is also a university lecturer at Notre Dame university.

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