The PCSA Board consists of elected voluntary members who are collectively responsible for the proper governance of the organization, for establishing policy and setting strategic goals, and monitoring performance against the Strategic Plan.
The Board profile reflects a range of skills and expertise to support best practice in a not-for-profit context. The sets out processes for Board appointments and describes responsibilities
Members of Our Board
Ms Susan Emerson
Chair Person
Susan Emerson has had twenty-five years’ experience in residential and home care, having worked in clinical and managerial leadership, undertaken design and project coordination for new aged care facilities and made a sustained contribution to service and policy thinking at state and national levels.
She has been a recipient of numerous awards including an international study scholarship and “Citizen of the year” from one of SA’s largest councils.
Susan is a member of the Aged Care Financing Authority, a member of the National Aged Care Alliance, a Clinical Reference Lead for the Australian Digital Health Agency and member of the Australian College of Nursing.
Susan is delighted to join the Board of Palliative Care SA. She is passionate about palliative care and the care of older people and looks forward to contributing to the progress of Palliative Care SA’s strategic plans and objectives.
Mr Nick Muirhead
Deputy Chair Person
Nick Muirhead is a senior lawyer at Norman Waterhouse Lawyers responsible for their provision of specialist Estate Planning advice.
Nick is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the peak body for professionals “Advising Families Across Generations”.
Nick is passionate about raising awareness of the importance of Estate Planning and Advance Care Planning. He is also keen to assist in better positioning the PCSA to invite and attract private philanthropic giving, so that the PCSA’s many dedicated members are better resourced to focus their time and expertise on improving the availability and quality of palliative care services for all South Australians.
Babis Mavrakis
Treasurer
Babis Mavrakis has extensive experience in business and commerce. He is the Director – Business Advisory at William Buck Chartered Accountants and Advisors and a member of CPA Australia.
Babis also worked for the Australian Taxation Office, and completed the first GST audit in South Australia.
Babis believes that care is essential in any approach to service and his financial expertise will be an asset to the board.
Mr Paul Caskey
Secretary
Paul Caskey has worked extensively in investment management throughout his professional career, bringing leadership and investment experience to the Board of Palliative Care South Australia.
Paul is the Chief Investment Officer for ReturnToWorkSA and is responsible for implementing the investment strategy of almost $4 billion in assets. Previously, he was a Director for the Blind Welfare Foundation of South Australia.
Paul’s qualifications include a Masters in Applied Finance, Graduate of the Governor’s Leadership Foundation and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ms Mirsia Bunjaku
Mirsia Bunjaku is currently a Senior Program Manager at the Australian Migrant Resource Centre. She is managing the Try, Test and Learn project which is supporting 80 women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds into training, mentoring and employment. She also manages the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Project empowering people with disability to engage and participate in the community as everyone else.
Mirsia is delighted to have the opportunity to nominate for the Board of Palliative Care SA. She is passionate about Palliative Care having had to deal with a number of deaths in the past 15 years.
Mirsia says “I have seen first-hand the impact the support given at a time of great need can have, especially if that support is given within a cultural understanding context based on the needs of the family, it can simply be life changing. I believe that even a small contribution in affecting the life journey can go a long way in promoting positive experiences”.
Her experience entails working with refugees, asylum seekers, people with disabilities, the elderly and other migrants. Her roles within AMRC included the management of Humanitarian Settlement Services (HSS), Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS), Complex Case Support (CCS), in service improvement and development such as Home Care Packages through My Aged Care and service provision through National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
With a wealth of information about CALD communities’ expectations and vulnerabilities, she is driven by the need for cultural understanding and safety to assist in the development of stronger communities and better outcomes in service provision.
PCSA Board members are really excited by the prospect of working with Mirsia and expanding the reach of palliative care into more CALD communities.
Dr Patricia Montanaro
After graduating from the University of Adelaide in 1986, Dr Montanaro spent the first 10 years gaining extensive medical experience in a variety of hospital and community roles.
She now splits her time between general practice and a variety of non-clinical roles with a strong focus on health advocacy, health outcomes and training the next generation of doctors, including Registrars at the Kensington Road Medical Centre.
She served as President of the AMA in South Australia and on the College Executive as well as being an examiner of students and registrars. Dr Montanaro speaks fluent Italian and has been consulting in Norwood Medical Centre for over 15 years.
Sally Huefner
Sally Huefner works within the food industry in a FMCG South Australian food manufacturing business and has been in this position since 2012. The South Australian food industry and the FMCG environment is a dynamic and exciting industry and Sally’s role as a Category Brand Manager within the Marketing department is to set and manage the strategic direction for the brand portfolios that fall under her control.
As a professional marketing person with a wide range of corporate experience, Sally recognises the importance of consumer trust in a brand and understands the target market.
Sally’s previous roles have included positions at Metcash as a Category Buyer Food and at Harris Scarfe as Buying Controller for Homewares, Manchester & Furnishings. Her career is solidly based within the retail and marketing environment which has enabled her to get a strong understanding of consumer behaviour and commercial business drivers.
On a personal note, Sally has 2 adult sons and a German Short Haired pointer. She is an active competitive and social tennis player and Junior Coordinator of the ETKG tennis club, supporting junior players during the summer and winter seasons.
Dr Linda Foreman
Linda Foreman is a Palliative Medicine Specialist at Central Adelaide Palliative Care Service. Linda is currently based at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and works within a palliative care multidisciplinary team focussed on supporting people requiring palliative care in the acute hospital setting, as well as facilitating transition to community services.
Prior to working in a specialist palliative care service, Linda was a GP for twenty years and feels strongly about supporting generalist palliative care providers in community settings. Linda also contributes to teaching medical students and trainee doctors to help them develop palliative care skills that can be translated to a wide range of clinical environments.
Linda is a member of the South Australian Palliative Care Clinical Network Steering Committee and is on the Clinical Guidelines Working Group – a subgroup of the VAD Implementation Task Force.
