Our people

Michael has worked in the disability sector since 2010, beginning as a support worker in complex behaviour group homes. He has since built extensive experience across Local Area Coordination (LAC), support coordination, and leadership roles in Operations, Practice, and Quality.

Now serving as Chief Operating Officer at SILC, Michael brings a strong focus on systems, people, and frontline practice. He holds a Certificate IV in Disabilities and has completed professional development in Trauma-Informed Care, Risk Management, and Person-Centred Planning.

He is passionate about Active Support and Frontline Practice Leadership, and believes that increasing choice, control, and predictability leads to better outcomes and improved quality of life.

Michele is an experienced finance professional with over 20 years of experience providing commercial and technical advice to senior leaders and stakeholders.

Since joining SILC in 2022, she has been inspired by the organisation’s values and cooperative model, supporting meaningful outcomes for families navigating NDIS home and living supports.

Michele holds a Bachelor of Business from UTS and is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ). She brings a thoughtful, solutions-focused approach, ensuring financial systems support both compliance and sustainable growth.

Michael joined SILC in 2018 as a House Manager and has since progressed into leadership roles. He has over 15 years of experience across sports programs, support work, and supported independent living management.

He is a certified CPI instructor and supports teams in managing behaviours of concern. Michael takes a reflective, person-centred approach, working closely with individuals and their networks to improve quality of life outcomes.

He is motivated by seeing long-term progress and meaningful change for participants.

Hannah joined SILC in 2024, bringing experience as a support worker and Behaviour Support Practitioner. She previously worked with SILC in 2019 and rejoined the organisation in January 2021. She also joined HOST in 2024.

She holds a Bachelor of Social Work and has contributed to research on disability inclusion. Her work is grounded in a person-centred, strengths-based approach, informed by both professional and lived experience.

Hannah is passionate about inclusive practice and works closely with teams to support high-quality, reflective service delivery.

With 10 years of experience in the disability sector, Vanessa is passionate about helping disability services run smoothly so people can receive the support they need.

Her team plays a key role in ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly. She oversees areas such as administration, staff onboarding and compliance, and turns legislation and standards into plain language and practical action.

Passionate about making a meaningful difference, Vanessa is committed to strengthening systems behind the scenes that enable all staff to do their best work so that people with disability receive the best possible support.

Annie has over 13 years of experience in the disability sector, beginning her career as a support worker at 18. Her experience spans frontline support, support coordination, and service development.

She has worked closely with participants, families, and providers, and brings a strong understanding of how services operate in practice. Annie focuses on improving processes, strengthening workflows, and enhancing the experience for participants and stakeholders.

Known for her warm and collaborative approach, she is passionate about creating supports that are practical, consistent, and genuinely person-centred.

Declan joined SILC in 2022, bringing experience across support work and support coordination. He holds both a Bachelor of International Business and a Master of Business (Not-for-Profit & Social Enterprise).

He is passionate about supporting participants to explore home and living options that align with their goals. Declan brings a strategic and thoughtful approach to service development, focusing on sustainable, participant-led solutions.

With a background in professional sport, he values teamwork, resilience, and adaptability.

Skye brings over 20 years of leadership experience across SIL, respite, community participation, and transition programs. He joined SILC in 2023 and has managed multiple homes supporting participants with diverse needs.

He takes a practical, people-focused approach, supporting teams to deliver consistent, high-quality care. Skye is committed to empowering individuals to live fulfilling and independent lives.

He values strong relationships and creating environments where people feel supported and respected.

Ailsa joined SILC in 2022 and played a key role in establishing Blue Sky House. She holds degrees in Psychology, Neuroscience, Cultural Studies, and a Master of Brain and Mind Sciences.

Her experience includes learning support, early intervention, and personalised support work. Ailsa is driven by advocacy and takes a person-centred approach to supporting individuals to achieve their goals.

She is passionate about creating inclusive environments that build confidence and independence.

Ruchika has worked in the disability sector since 2002, progressing from support work into leadership roles. She holds a Master of Social Work and qualifications in leadership and management.

She is passionate about building inclusive environments and supporting people to live a good life. Ruchika places a strong focus on mentoring teams and delivering consistent, high-quality care.

Her approach is grounded in empathy, resilience, and continuous improvement.

Sinead has been working in the disability sector since 2014 and holds a degree in Psychology. She is also an accredited Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) trainer, with a strong focus on supporting teams to provide safe, therapeutic care.

She brings strong leadership experience, having managed teams of Team Leaders across multiple houses, as well as leading Support Coordinators and Support Workers.

Sinead is passionate about building capable teams and ensuring high-quality support for the people she works with. She is known for her collaborative and solutions-focused approach, working closely with others to deliver practical outcomes.

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Roshan has been with SILC since 2017, beginning as a support worker before moving into his accounting role. He holds a degree in Accounting and Information Systems and is a member of the Australian Bookkeepers Association.

He brings a strong mix of financial expertise and frontline understanding, supporting accurate and effective financial processes.

Roshan is detail-oriented and committed to continuous improvement, contributing to SILC’s operational efficiency and reliability.

Erin joined SILC in 2024 with extensive experience across disability and aged care. She has worked in LAC roles and with the NDIA as a delegate before moving into support coordination.

She supports participants through complex situations, working with key stakeholders to achieve practical, outcome-focused results.

Erin is passionate about helping people navigate systems with confidence and improving quality of life through strong, collaborative support.

Kailash joined SILC in 2025 after working as a support worker within SILC cooperatives. He holds qualifications in Social Work and Accounting.

He takes a collaborative, solutions-focused approach, supporting participants to navigate the NDIS and access services aligned with their goals.

Kailash is passionate about inclusion and works closely with participants and their networks to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Leanne has been the Chair of SILC since 2023.  She has an adult daughter Caitlin, who has Level 3 Autism. Caitlin has been a resident of CESIL House Co-Operative since 2018 and CESIL House is a corporate member of SILC. Leanne is also Chair of CESIL House Co-Operative, the members of which are the families of the 3 female residents.  In July 2023 the residents of CESIL House moved to a SDA purpose-built house designed and built by BlueCHP especially for them, located in North Ryde.  The house has a 20 year lease with 2 further 20 year options.

Leanne has also been a Director of the Giant Steps Australia Board since 2001 and the co-ordinator of the annual Giant Steps Ball, a major fund-raising event, since 2003.

Leanne works as a Licensed Conveyancer for Maccallum Lawyers. She has extensive experience with property and mortgage transactions working in small and medium sized legal firms. Leanne is also a Justice of the Peace.

Fred is the father of 4 children, the youngest Julian, a 17 year old boy with autism. Julian currently attends Giant Steps school in Sydney and is a resident of My House Oatlands (MHO).

Fred was instrumental in developing and establishing MHO of which he is the Public Officer. MHO was established in 2013 a family-governed model that has created a’ home away from home’ for Julian and two other teenage autistic boys in Oatlands, Sydney. SILC became MHO’s SIL Provider in 2018.

Fred has worked in the building industry for over 38 years and established his own successful construction company as a builder and property developer.

His knowledge in these two areas makes Fred a valuable member of SILC. Fred is passionate to help other families create a ‘home away from home’ just like MHO that has been life changing for Julian and his family.

Tim is an entrepreneur with a background in international employment and HR services. He was most recently a co-founder of Shield GEO, an international Employer of Record that supported over 900 client employees across 55 countries. At the time of acquisition by Velocity Global, Shield GEO had 70 staff in 17 countries and was turning over in excess of AUD $150 million per annum. Tim is interested in values driven companies that put people first.

Kim has a wealth of academic experience including;

· Bachelor of Business Health Administration (University of Technology. QLD),

· Graduate Diploma Applied Science Nursing Education, and

· Registered Nurse (Psychiatry & Emergency Med. Major).

Kim is also a registered Midwife and has worked in acute private and public hospitals, Justice Health Community and Aged Care sectors since 1980 including CEO of a number of private hospitals for 12 years 1991 – 2002 in QLD and Sydney’s North Shore.

From 2002 – 2010 Kim held the position of Group Risk/Clinical Risk Manager of Ramsay Health Care Australia and Indonesia and later from 2010 – 2014 as the National Clinical Risk Manager Calvary Healthcare Australia. From 2015-2017 Kim was the Operations Manager at James Milson Village, North Sydney. Kim currently works for Opal Aged Care NSW as the Commissioning Manager at Opal Bankstown. Kim’s 18 year old son Joel is a resident of TKALC.

Steve has a son, Patrick, who is autistic and lives with two housemates as a resident of PaRA Co-operative, a family governed home established in 2015.

Steve was one of the founders of Giant Steps in 1995. He also founded SILC to help other families establish similar homes and was pro-bono CEO for 6 years. Steve was an executive with Citibank from 1982 till 1996 – initially as a foreign exchange dealer in Sydney and later as the Head of Investment Management in Tokyo and finally as Head of Financial Markets in Australia.

Matthew has an adult son with severe cerebral palsy who is living his best life in Trelawney House.

Matthew held senior roles in the Corporate Superannuation and Actuarial areas with AMP. He is an expert bridge player who has represented Australia multiple times and currently works part-time in bridge. Matthew would like to see more persons with a disability, with family support, thrive in SILC Houses.