Chief Executive Officer
Jacqui has been Chief Executive Officer of CREATE Foundation since December 2007. She has over 20 years experience in child protection, out-of-home care, family services and community work and has undertaken social research and held several management roles. She has written not only policy, training manuals and research papers, but also a children’s book. Jacqui is an accomplished public speaker presenting at many national and international conferences. Jacqui firmly believes that children and young people, given the right opportunities, have the capacity to transcend their adversity and reach their full potential.
Jacqui is a member of the Board of Directors and Leadership Committee at CREATE.
Richard is an investment banker and lawyer and spent many years working in London, Hong Kong and New York with the HSBS Bank Group. He held the position of Chairman of Westmead Medical Research Institute, Sirtex Medical Limited and Biota Holdings Limited. He has been admitted as an Attorney of the New York Bar. Richard has been a Director of CREATE since 2010 and Chairman since 2013.
Jann was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers specialising in the financial services sector, particularly the insurance industry. She was the auditor of CREATE Foundation for a number of years. After nearly 30 years she retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2004. Keen to maintain her involvement with CREATE Foundation, she volunteered to assist in the year-end financial reporting process and to help out with other financial reporting requirements during the year. Jann has been the Treasurer and a Director of CREATE since 2006.
Joseph has a PhD in social psychology from the University of Queensland and has lectured at both the University of Queensland and Griffith University in the areas of research methods, statistics, social skills training and the theory and practice of photography. His research interests range from empirical aesthetics to his current concerns with child protection. Joseph authored the 2008 and 2009 CREATE Report Cards dealing with Transitioning from Care in Australia. He also has served as a consultant to the Queensland Department of Child Safety. He became a Director of CREATE in 2008.
Adina is a lawyer and social worker with experience in the child protection and criminal justice sectors. She was previously a Young Consultant for the CREATE Foundation for a number of years and participated in the Carmody Inquiry and the Out-of-Home Care Inquiry. Adina is also an Ambassador for Children’s Rights Queensland and a passionate believer that child protection is everyone’s responsibility.
Andy is a Partner at Ernst and Young with over 23 years of experience in consulting, primarily in Financial Services with a focus on the General Insurance industry. Originally from the UK, Andy has worked to help transform many of the worlds leading Financial institutions in the UK, US, mainland Europe and Asia, before moving to Sydney in 2008 where he ran Accenture’s insurance business across Australia and New Zealand. Andy has two young sons and is passionate about helping disadvantaged children reach their potential. He joined the CREATE board in October 2016.
Catherine Moynihan is the Official Solicitor and Director of Legal Services/Investigations at the Office of the Public Guardian. Catherine has practiced as a lawyer for marginalised clients working for a private criminal law firm, a community legal centre, a child safety authority in the UK and at Legal Aid Queensland. At Legal Aid Queensland she worked as a general advice lawyer, a Separate and Direct Representative for children and young people in child protection proceedings and was in the Youth Advocate position which also had a systemic advocacy and policy/law reform focus. She has had policy positions in government and was a Research Director on the Carmody Inquiry.
Kirsten is a Muruwari and Yuwaalaraay woman with family connections to North Western NSW. She has a background in human rights, reconciliation and child welfare and has had roles as Senior Adviser at the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Royal Commission into Youth Detention in the Northern Territory and as CEO of the NSW Reconciliation Council. Kirsten has also represented vulnerable families within the statutory child protection system and was placed in care herself at a young age. Kirsten is a passionate advocate for the rights of all children in the care system as well as their abilities to transcend the expectations set for them and to lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.
Rob Ryan is the Chair of the Forde Foundation Board in Queensland. Rob also works as the Executive Lead at Child, Youth and Family – External Engagement and Strategic Partnerships at Life Without Barriers. Rob has a broad history working in the Non-Government, Government and Charity sector for over twenty-eight years. Prior to commencing with Life Without Barriers, Rob was the CEO for Key Assets – The Children’s Services provider across the Asia-Pacific Region. Earlier in his career, Rob worked for nineteen years with the Queensland State Government in Director and Regional Director roles in the practice, training and out of home care areas. Rob was also the former member of the Queensland Council of the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN). In 2009, Rob was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study child protection across the United Kingdom, USA and Canada. Rob holds a Bachelor of Social Work, Post Graduate Certificates (Family Therapy, Human Resources and Industrial Relations) and a Master of Professional Education and Training. Rob is also a Justice of the Peace and was previously the deputy chair on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Advisory Council.
Vanessa has over forty years working across a number of industries including financial and professional services, insurance and petroleum in senior marketing, change management and operational roles. She is married and she and her husband have been respite carers with Barnardos for the last sixteen years. Vanessa is strongly committed to the welfare of children and ensuring that they have the support to live their best lives no matter what their background and experience.
Emma joined CREATE in July 2022 to support its vision that all children and young people with a care experience reach their full potential. Prior to working with CREATE, Emma worked in senior policy and program management roles in government for over a decade, primarily in the areas of child safety and family violence, and as a volunteer solicitor in community legal centres. She has seen firsthand the power of effective advocacy work through elevating the voices of children and young people. Emma feels privileged to be working with CREATE to connect and empower children and young people with a care experience, and to support our important advocacy work to create better lives for children and young people in care.
Jecelyn has worked in not-for-profit organisations since 2005, with a focus on all areas of finance. She joined CREATE as Finance Assistant in October 2008 and was appointed as National Finance Manager in March 2015. Jecelyn left the role of National Finance Manager in April 2016 for maternity break and returned to the role in September 2017.
Tameika is innovative and creative, and enjoys encouraging, uplifting and building others. Passionate about the wellbeing and rights of children and young people, Tameika feels privileged to have joined CREATE in 2023. Embedding trauma informed and integrated practices, Tameika has had over 24 years delivering social and community services for children and young people, within the family early intervention, mental health, counselling and wellbeing, homelessness, specialist courts, drug and alcohol, and disability sectors.
From an early age, Hannah knew that her passion in life was to help children and young people, and went on to study Early Childhood and Human Services at University. After joining the team at CREATE in 2015, as PA to the CEO, she finally felt like she had found the perfect organisation that aligned with her beliefs and passion. In 2021 she gave birth to her daughter and went on maternity leave then came back to CREATE as the Business Administration Manager a year later. Hannah has had the privilege of working with children and young people in many different aspects at CREATE since starting in 2015, and looks forward to many more years ahead supporting the organisation in its business operations.
Karen Dini-Paul has established herself as a well-respected professional within the Far North Queensland community. Karen is Aboriginal, a decedent of the Arrernte People of Alice Springs which, coupled with her Italian heritage, has given her a strong sense of self and a source of cultural pride.
After graduating from university, she commenced working with young parents where she realised she wanted to support others to make positive changes in their lives. Karen now has more than 30 years’ experience in the community services sector where she has worked in various roles. Throughout this time, she has gained firsthand experience from grass roots service delivery to program design, implementation and evaluation, and organisational development and governance.
Karen has been working closely with CREATE’s CEO and the CREATE team as a consultant since 2019 providing advice and practical support around a wide variety of issues including the development of CREATE’s Commitment Statement to First Nations Children and Young People embedded within the Strategic Plan.
“It has been a pleasure working with the CREATE team as they do extremely important work and they are always looking for productive and effective ways to engage and hear the voices of First Nations children and young people in care to make their experiences in the care system safe and nurturing”.
Former Justice Margaret White is a long time champion of CREATE, and brings a wealth of experience to the role. Before becoming a Patron of CREATE Foundation, Margaret White worked as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland. In 1992, she became the first woman appointed to the court when she was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland. During this time she was also a member of the University of Queensland senate and then deputy chancellor of the University of Queensland. She received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Queensland in 2005.
Margaret White was the first member of the revived Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service Reserve (WRANSR) in 1968, served as a commander in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve between 2002 and 2010, and was deputy president of the Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal.
In 2013, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia “for distinguished service to the judiciary and to the law particularly in Queensland, as a leading contributor to legal education and reform, and to professional development and training”.
More recently Mrs White was joint chair of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory with Mick Gooda, an experience she says re-emphasised the importance of systems listening to those most affected by the decisions it makes.
Watch Mrs White talking about her support for CREATE here.
What is expected from the CREATE staff and Volunteers
Working in a child safe manner is a shared responsibility between CREATE’s employees, and volunteers.
Everyone working at CREATE Foundation is responsible for the safety of children and young people and are required to report information about suspected child abuse. Refer to CREATE’s Child Protection Policy for further information.
According to CREATE’s Code of Conduct, all staff involved in the support of children on behalf of CREATE will:
CREATE Board, Management, staff, and volunteers will not:
Those who breach the above Code of Conduct will face disciplinary action, including and up to termination of employment, or cessation of engagement with the organisation. If you are aware of a CREATE staff member, or volunteer who has breached the above, please email create@create.org.au or call 1800 655 105; you may want an adult to help you with this. If you don’t want to contact CREATE, you can talk to your carer or caseworker or contact the relevant government department in each state and territory, which you can find at the bottom of this document and discuss your concerns with them.
This website was built in consultation with children and young people with a care experience. Thank you to all the young people involved in providing feedback and sharing your insights throughout this process.
CREATE acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands on which we all live and work. We pay our respects to the elders past, present and emerging.
National Office – Sydney
Suite 601, Level 6, 80 George St
PARRAMATTA NSW 2150
Phone: (02) 9267 1999
Email: create@create.org.au
ABN 69 088 075 058
National Office – Brisbane
Level 1, 3 Gregory Terrace
PO Box 105
SPRING HILL QLD 4004
Phone: (07) 3062 4860
Email: create@create.org.au
