Jan Ginis - Chair
Jan is employed as a Specialist Audiologist and Clinical Adviser with Australian Hearing. As part of her role, she is required to deliver academic and other papers internationally and around Australia. She joined the Board of Management in 2000 at the annual general meeting.
Phillip Bain - Deputy Chair
Phillip Bain recently retired as CEO of Your Community Health and a long career in health and community care. He is a Board Director of Northern Health and several other agencies in the outer north.
Phillip was Chair of the Ministerial Review of Community Health in 2018-19. He is a former local Councilor and Mayor, and Victorian Multicultural Commissioner.
Geoff Rowe - Treasurer
Joan Cooney - Secretary
Joan brings to ADEC experience in the disability sector, having worked in organisations both in Australia and overseas. She also has extensive governance experience having served on several Boards.
Joan has been a long term advocate for adults and children, having worked in special education settings. Spanning over 40 years she has worked in Australia and Africa.
Between 2004 and 2008 Joan worked at ADEC as the Manager Access, Equity and Education. She is currently working at Annecto, a community based organisation in a strategic partnership management position, liaising with universities, schools, businesses, community and allied health.
Joan is passionate about people's rights and is a strong advocate for the civil liberties of refugees and asylum seekers.
Jenny Semple - Board Member
Jenny Semple has over 20 years of experience working in the multicultural sector. She has worked in programs like settlement, aged care, youth, families, employment, and social enterprise. She is a qualified auditor in QIC, NDIS and ARVAS standards. Her other qualifications include a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, and Graduate Diploma in Management.
Jenny's contributions to the community have been recognized and celebrated, as she received the "meritorious service to the community" award from Victoria's Multicultural Awards for Excellence in 2016. She believes she can contribute in a positive way at ADEC through her work on the Board. Jenny's vision for ADEC is to maintain excellence in delivering services to local communities with a strong focus on multicultural services. Her belief in ensuring equitable access to relevant services aligns with the organization's mission, and her expertise will be a valuable asset in advancing ADEC's goals.
Dr Hua Cao - Board Member
Dr Hua Cao was a qualified medical doctor in China. In 1987, she migrated to Australia to pursue her Ph.D in Psychiatry.
Having a strong interest in Chinese Medicine, Dr Cao also gained a Bachelor degree of Applied Science, majoring in Chinese Medicine. From 2000 to 2004, Dr Cao worked at ADEC as the Coordinator for the Transcultural Mental Health Access Program. She has also worked for the Northern and Melbourne Division of General Practice from 2004 to 2006 as the Coordinator of the Better Outcomes in Mental Health programme.
Currently, Dr Cao is working as a private Chinese medicine practitioner.
Since 1994, Hua has been heavily involved in the mainland Chinese Community. She has been the committee member and the Secretary General of the North Eastern Melbourne Chinese Association for over 20 years.