Our Board of Directors volunteer their time and expertise to guide WayAhead in all of the work that we do, and we are grateful for their dedication and support.
Meg Smith, OAM
President
Meg is a registered community psychologist and a fellow of the Australian Psychological Society. She is currently a part time member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal and a community tribunal member of the Guardianship Division. She has been active in mental health reform and advocacy for a number of years. Dr Smith has previously worked in womens health and as an academic at Western Sydney University teaching and researching in the areas of community mental health, bipolar disorder, criminology and social advocacy. Meg has lived experience of mental illness and founded the Depression and Mood Disorders Association NSW. She has been active over many years in a number of national and state working groups on disability, mental health reform and development of assessment measures of mental health care delivery.
Meg was elected to the Board in 1989
Sharyn McGee MA (UNSW), GrDipComm (UTS), BA (Hons) (MACQ)
Chairperson
A retired university lecturer and sociologist, Sharyn’s varied academic experience in sociology, including mental health, lends itself perfectly to her role on the Board.
Since 2006, she has been an active contributor, chairing the Policy and Advocacy Sub-Committee, and the Social Inclusion Working Party.
From 2009-2014 Sharyn represented WayAhead at meetings of the Agency for Clinical Innovation (Diabetes and Mental Health group) and was instrumental in the development and presentation of an educational forum (on Diabetes and Mental Health) for mental health workers in NGOs in April 2012.
Since retiring, she has focused on promoting recovery-oriented, consumer-focused mental health services in NSW. Her extensive volunteer work includes Black Dog Institute, Being Mental Consumers, Health Consumers NSW, Older Women’s Network and Council on the Ageing.
Sharyn was elected to the board in 2006.
Don Murray, ACA, FAICD
Treasurer
Don is a retired experienced finance professional with a proven track record in financial management, business reporting , change management and team building.
He has played a mentoring and leadership role across a range of industries and business sizes. He comes with a commitment to provide financial expertise to WayAhead and to people with lived experience of mental Illness.
Don was elected to the Board in 2015.
Stephen Bourne
Vice- Chairperson
Stephen is a lawyer in private practice.
He has a lengthy history of working with individuals who are affected by mental health issues, especially individuals whose mental health issues have led to their involvement in the criminal justice system, or to them having children removed into statutory care due to child protection concerns and allegations. Stephen has post-graduate qualifications in law, psychology and forensic mental health.
As well as being on the WayAhead Board, Stephen is panel lawyer for Legal Aid NSW and the Department of Communities and Justice, Director of Kirklaw Pty Ltd and Medcalf Grant Pty Ltd, and Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance.
Stephen was elected to the board in 2018.
David Harper
David is a project consultant with over ten years of experience in the not for profit sector. He is currently the General Manager of Programs and Research at Bipolar Australia, and Executive Director of AS Purposeful Limited. During his tenure on the Board, David has contributed to projects including Collective Purpose, advocacy and policy, and information technology.
David was elected to the Board in 2011
Anna Dawson, MAPS (M.OrgPsyc, M.HealthSci(BehSci), B.Sci)
Anna is a registered psychologist with over 10 years’ experience in organisational wellbeing and workplace mental health. In addition to her organisational psychology experience, she has also worked in the clinical setting supporting individuals with their health recovery. Anna has a vision that, one day mental health will be a key focus area on every business strategy and the success in applying a preventative approach to protect employee’s mental health is a top priority.
She is currently the Staff Experience Lead at the University of Technology Sydney. In this role she is responsible for leading the Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and guides leaders to apply an integrated intervention approach to organisational wellbeing. As a Board Director for WayAhead, she advocates for and supports the mental health and wellbeing for all communities.
Anna was elected to the Board in 2020.