Mark has a Bachelors’ degree in Psychology and Law, a Masters in Law and is currently completing his Doctorate in Corporate Leadership in the NDIS. He is a Practicing Solicitor with over 23 years in governance and compliance within the corporate, government and NGO sectors.

Within these, he specialises in governance systems, risk mitigation and imbedding high quality systems within policy and procedure. Mark’s passion is upskilling others to build their capacity as corporate leaders, resulting in high quality services, lower risk and increasing profit margins.

Kirsty is RSM’s NDIS Subject Matter Expert, providing Business Advisory support to disability service providers, community, aged care, regional hospitals, and healthcare services operating under NDIS and aged care fee for service funding.

 Kirsty is experienced in developing activity-based costing, financial modelling, market analysis, demand and supply analysis and business process mapping.  

Kirsty also works with a range of different industries on economic development and change projects having recently undertaken a detailed consultation and financial viability and funding model analysis of the Lawn Bowls industry and arts organisations in the ACT.  Kirsty also has experience in providing NFP governance and restructure reviews and change management projects.    Kirsty is an active community member and is the elected Vice President of the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Association. Kirsty was awarded Corporate Volunteer of the Year in 2019 for her RSM probono work with the Marymead Autism Centre. Kirsty holds a BA (Communications).

Luke is a Partner in the Mills Oakley NFPs, Human Rights & Social Impact team in Brisbane and has extensive experience in the Not-For-Profit sector.

Luke was a Partner at Mills Oakley in Sydney until late 2009, when he left the firm to found Salvos Legal and Salvos Legal Humanitarian. At Salvos Legal Luke headed up the Corporate & Commercial team, together with being the firm’s Managing Partner. Luke returned to Mills Oakley as a Partner in November 2017.
Luke regularly acts for federal and state government agencies, ASX200 listed companies, impact financiers, major disability services providers, non-profits and religious institutions nationally. Whilst now based in our Brisbane office, Luke’s practice involves cases predominantly in NSW, QLD & VIC Courts and as such, Luke travels to and has professional staff in our offices in all 3 States.

Luke has developed a particular expertise in assisting institutions in the disability sector in ensuring their operations are in line with the developing findings of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, for the safety and promotion of inclusion for people with disability. In this regard, Luke is regularly briefed by major institutions to assist in responding to the Royal Commission’s requests for documents and information, and to prepare submissions for and appear as a legal advisor in public hearings before the Royal Commission. Luke regularly advises Australia’s largest social sector organisations on safeguarding and investigations matters, to ensure good risk management and compliance within those entities and the stakeholders they support.
 

Luke was named one of Australia’s Best Lawyers for Non-Profit/Charities Law in the 2023/2024 Best Lawyers list for the eighth consecutive year, including in both 2020 and 2023 being named as Australia’s Non-Profit/Charities ‘Lawyer of the Year’. In 2017, 

As co-founder and CEO of Specialist Disability Accommodation provider Everhomes, Dan Acfield is passionate about helping people living with disability to live with as much independence
and dignity as possible.
He strongly believes in the capacity of Specialist Disability Accommodation to improve the lives of people needing accessible or special housing, and is passionate about its capacity to help
deinstitutionalise accommodation for people living with disabilities in Australia.
Prior to Everhomes, Dan worked for many years advocating for the rights and wellbeing of children in care and adults with impaired capacity, and this background has been foundational in
bringing a strong human rights focus to Everhomes’ approach. Dan holds a Bachelor of Education and will be delivering the Introduction to SDA and partake in a session in the SDA Intermediate session

Amy Ambagtsheer has 25 years experience in the disability and community services sector, working in both government and non- government organisations. Amy has previously worked as an investigator with the NDIS Commission, managing quality and compliance processes for large not for profit providers and government services, and most recently as a Behaviour Support Practitioner with NDIS clients.

Amy has extensive experience developing and monitoring compliant service models working with registered service providers, as a regulator, and in State and Federal policy design.

Sharon is Director of Engels Floyd Quality Consulting - a leading  NDIS consulting company with a reputation for integrity and professionalism.  Engels Floyd has trained all of the (1100+) NDIS auditors on behalf of the NDIS Commission, which means they know the NDIS registration requirements back to front.  

Sharon has over 30 years experience with specialist expertise in all things quality and compliance - particularly NDIS.  Sharon's career also  includes being  awarded an Australia Day award for excellence in audit processes, and management of a leadership program for people with disability.  

Ifa has been working in the disability industry since 2013.

Her passion is mental health due to my her own personal experiences with mental health.

She has a background as a family lawyer but pursued further study to find her passion.

She completed a Masters of Social Work at Flinders University. Ifa  began working in the mental health field after she completed her study and found her passion so much that she didn't leave.

If has been been working in the NDIS sector since 2018 as NDIS Specialist Support Coordinator.

She has worked as a team leader at Allied Health team , progressing as to management.

She joined BCognitive in 2023 as a Chief Operating Officer and assist with running a multifaceted mental health organisation that wants all of their participants to succeed.

Working for BCognitive has helped her achieve her career goals to make a positive impact on the lives of as many people as she can and be a supporter in their lives 

Michael is an experience senior leader with a range of commercial, not-for-profit and Directorship experience in SA over the past 30 years.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Lutheran Disability Services, he is passionate about provide safe and secure accommodation for people living with disability and ensuring that the NDIS remains sustainable and provides quality outcomes for participants and the organisations that support them.

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Prior to commencing as the Lutheran Disability Services CEO, Michael was the Chief Operating Officer at LDS responsible for quality & safeguarding, people and culture, marketing and strategy.  Michael joined the sector in 2018 with a short stint at Bedford before commencing at LDS. Prior to joining the sector Michael had a very successful commercial career at RAA with roles leading the Marketing, Sales and Business Development teams. 

The desire to join the disability sector was to bring commercial outcomes that combine heart and sustainability to support some of the most vulnerable people in our community.  Having found this purpose at Lutheran Disability Services he has been able to combine commercial acumen with not-for-profit heart to help grow the impact of the brand for clients.

In 2020 Michael graduated from the Australian Institute of Company Directors and sits on the following Boards:
•    CareWorks SA: non-Executive Chair
•    SPELD SA: non-Executive Deputy Chair
•    Catalyst Foundation: non-Executive Director

Patty is a whiz at what she does and has a knack for explaining complex requirements of standards and regulations into simple terms so that they can be easily understood.

Patty has an extensive background in Quality Management Systems that are coupled with over 20 years lead auditor experience in the Disability and Human Services Sector as well as training and mentoring staff. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Certification Accreditation Requirements for both JAS-ANZ and related Government Department schemes.

Dan Cox has a diverse human services career spanning more than 25 years in service delivery, policy, research and evaluation. His experience incorporates Government, not-for-profit and private sector roles, often focusing on service responses to address social determinants of health. He has a particular interest in using data to drive service design, delivery and improvement to improve the life trajectory of those experiencing disadvantage. 
Dan has held Director and Executive Director roles in SA Departments of Health, Premier and Cabinet and Human Services, and was Assistant Secretary in the Aged Care Royal Commission. He ran a successful management consultancy for almost a decade, undertaking numerous research and evaluation assignments for government. He has strong skills in the collection, interpretation, synthesis and translation of qualitative and quantitative data. 
Dan is currently Senior Executive Community Services with UnitingSA, overseeing NDIS, mental health, homelessness, employment and training services. In this role, he is able to apply his broad experience in a direct service delivery context. He is also a current board member of the Mental Health Coalition of SA. 

BIO details are currently being updated