About
Our people
Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and committed to supporting the Australian public sector to keep our communities safe, thriving, and healthy.
Meet the IPAA ACT board, council and team:
Katherine Jones PSM FIPAA
IPAA ACT President and Board Member
Secretary
Attorney-General's Department
Letitia Hope
IPAA ACT Board Member, Deputy President, and Councillor
Deputy Secretary
Department of Social Services
Justine Greig PSM
IPAA ACT Board Member, Deputy President, and Councillor
Deputy Secretary
Defence People
Department of Defence
Trish Bergin
IPAA ACT Board Member
Professor of Practice, Adjunct Fellow
Public Partnership and Impact Hub
School of Professional Studies
UNSW Canberra
Cath Ingram FIPAA
IPAA ACT Board Member and Chair of the Finance, Risk, and Audit Committee
Fellow and Individual Member
Kathy Leigh FIPAA
IPAA ACT Board Member
Head of Service, ACT Public Service and Director-General
ACT Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate
Katherine Jones PSM FIPAA
IPAA ACT President and Board Member
Secretary
Attorney-General's Department
Letitia Hope
IPAA ACT Board Member, Deputy President, and Councillor
Deputy Secretary
Department of Social Services
Justine Greig PSM
IPAA ACT Board Member, Deputy President, and Councillor
Deputy Secretary
Defence People
Department of Defence
Dr Rachel Bacon
IPAA ACT Councillor
Deputy Secretary
Public Sector Reform
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Professor Janine O’Flynn
IPAA ACT Councillor
IPAA ACT Representative to the IPAA National Council
Director
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Natalie Bekis
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
Assistant Secretary, Workforce Planning & Strategies
Department of Health and Aged Care
Kylie Crane PSM
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
Deputy Secretary
Early Childhood and Youth
Department of Education
Tamsyn Harvey
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
First Assistant Secretary, Legal Services Policy Division
Attorney-General's Department
Patrick Hetherington
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
Chief Operating Officer
Department of Social Services
Harinder Sidhu
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Jane Urquhart
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
Deputy Secretary
Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Samantha Palmer FIPAA
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
General Manager
Visitor Economy and Client Programs Division
Australian Trade and Investment Commission
Charlotte Tressler
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
Chief Operating Officer
Home Affairs
Clare Walsh
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
Deputy Secretary, Chief Operating Officer
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Sam Chard PSM GIACD
IPAA ACT Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Head of Division Business Grants Hub
Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Professor Deborah Blackman
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Associate Dean Life Long Learning
Professor in Public Sector Management Strategy Public Service Research Group, UNSW Canberra
Michael Peel
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Executive Director, Government Client Coverage
Commonwealth Bank
Jarrod Howard
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Deputy Chief Executive Officer Customer Service Delivery
Services Australia
Chris Birrer
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Payments & Integrity Group, Services Australia
Maree Bridger
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Deputy Secretary, Chief Operating Officer
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
Anna Faithfull
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Deputy Secretary Skills and Training Group
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Jason Duarte
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024) and Representative to IPAA individual members
Head of Public Sector
Westpac
Jasna Blackwell CPHR
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Chief People Officer, Chief Risk Officer, First Assistant Secretary
People, Parliamentary and Communications Division
Department of Education
Chris Fechner
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Chief Executive Officer
Digital Transformation Agency
Kelly Pearce
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024) and representative to IPAA individual members
Retired, former senior executive
Department of Education
Leesa Croke
IPAA ACT Councillor (until Nov 2024)
Deputy Director-General, Policy and Cabinet
Chief Minister, Treasury, and Economic Development Directorate
Lisa Carmody
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Deputy Director General
Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate
ACT Government
David MacKay
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Deputy Secretary for Regions, Cities, and Territories
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
Tess Bishop
IPAA Councillor (as of AGM Nov 2024)
Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary
Strategy, Enterprise and Engagement Group
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Wendy Cohen
Deputy CEO
Kate Davidson
Head of Operations
Gayathri Wijayaratne
Membership Services and Finance Lead
Jess Bereth
Executive Support and HR Coordinator
Kelly McAlear
Head of Capability Design
Dallas McIntyre
Head of Program Delivery
Julia Ahrens
Head of Strategic Communications
Azel Lorena
Communications Lead
Goldele Rayment
Capability Lead
Vanessa Frida
Capability Manager
Abby Keech
Events Lead
Emily Forato
Events Manager
Andrew Richards
Event Coordinator
Avril Nguyen
Capability Coordinator
