Committee Members
Melissa Dower
President
Melissa leverages over ten years of local government leadership experience and is committed to fostering a values-based culture of service, accountability, and growth. Currently employed as the Local Government Community and Sport Manager in South East Queensland’s fastest growing city, Melissa holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Bachelor in Business & Commerce (HRM), and a Bachelor in Vocational Education & Training. Additionally, she has completed the Company Directors Course, Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)
Currently Melissa is a Director of an organisation that employees over 700 Apprentices and Trainees, and with a strong dedication to community service, has previously held volunteer Secretary positions with Wide Bay Sexual Assault Service and many sporting organisations.
Deborah Mead
Secretary
Deborah Mead is an Assistant Director in the Office of Industry Innovation and Science Australia (OIISA), part of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, where she leads projects on behalf of the Industry Innovation and Science Australia Board that advise the Minister on matters relating to innovation, science and research. Deborah’s career to date has focused on stakeholder engagement and developing extensive business and community networks both locally and nationally.
For two decades Deborah’s focus has been supporting business and community in such areas as connectivity challenges and identifying and supporting access to grants. Since working with OIISA Deborah’s focus now provides policy advice to government that supports business and industry in Australia.
Deborah is a passionate about regional Queensland having grown up in North Queensland and spent much of her career working in Central Queensland and the Wide Bay Region.
Deborah attended regional university James Cook, where she completed her undergraduate in Administration (Tourism) and her post graduate qualification, a Master of Business Administration.
Sharon Abell
Treasurer
Sharon graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Electronic Commerce, before becoming a qualified Chartered Accountant in 2008.
Sharon has over 15 years accounting career experience, starting in public practice before moving to commercial roles in the mining and manufacturing sectors.
Outside of work, Sharon volunteers with not-for-profit organisations that focus on assisting the local Wide Bay community.
Renae Clayton
Committee Member
Renae is a highly skilled CPA with over 30 years of experience across commercial, health, and not-for-profit accounting sectors. Throughout her career, she has successfully combined strategic planning with the management of complex operational challenges, ensuring quality outcomes for organisations, clients, and stakeholders alike.
Her expertise spans a wide range of areas, including finance, asset management, risk management, quality assurance, governance, and Information Technology, along with a comprehensive understanding of government policy and processes.
Renae is currently employed as the CFO of Greensill Farming. Before this, she spent 13 years as the CFO at Regional Housing, one of Queensland’s most respected community housing providers. This role provided her with invaluable insights into the operational complexities and strategic challenges faced by the not-for-profit sector in delivering vital human services to those in need.
In addition to her professional roles, Renae has previously served as Treasurer for various sporting organisations and schools, and as a Director on the CHPs for Qld Board, further expanding her leadership experience and commitment to community-focused initiatives.
Lisa Daniel
Committee Member
Lisa Daniel is an adjunct senior lecturer with UniSC School of Business and Creative Industries. She has spent many years researching social enterprises, entrepreneurial ecosystems, social innovation and regional development. She also has experience teaching across the management discipline, in the areas of strategic management, quality management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), governance and business ethics, business resilience and sustainability.
Hannah Wordsworth
Committee Member
I am a second-career lawyer, having started my career working for Child Safety when I was initially a student on practical placement, still studying for my BA in Behavioural Studies. In the next 14 years that followed, I worked in all manner of roles in that organisation, which provided me with a huge amount of experience in this area. I continued working with Child Safety whilst I completed a post-graduate law degree.
Looking back, my earliest interest in law was in high school, which was motivated by my interests in human rights and social justice. The real burning motivation to study law came later on and was sparked by the relationships I had built with my clients in child safety. For the longest time, I felt torn between wanting to offer support and working in a system that has a heavy focus on evidence gathering and litigation and where people are counted statistically rather than by the quality of the outcome. I wanted better for my clients; I wanted them to have better access to justice and competent legal representation.
As a lawyer, I am able to use my Child Safety experience to support my clients and their children to effect positive change and achieve the outcome they desire. As well as being a Lawyer, I am also a Mediator and Parenting Coordinator, and I run my own business.
I am passionate about supporting people, particularly people who are vulnerable and have experienced domestic violence.
Outside of law I am also a boy mum, a dog (Vizsla’s) lover, and an outdoor adventurer.