Youth Opportunities Team Update


The new year has seen some changes and new appointments within the Youth Opportunities team and our Board, so let’s bring you up to date and make some introductions.

New Appointments

Rebecca (Bec) Adams Treasurer for the Board

Last year, we welcomed Bec Adams to the Board as our new treasurer. With her accounting knowledge (she is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a fellow of the Governor’s Leadership Foundation) and business acumen, she brings a wealth of experience to Youth Opportunities. Bec is experienced in solving issues faced by small and medium businesses with a focus on analysis and systems development, and is currently the CFO of Chalk Hill Viticulture after spending 7 years working in tax, audit and business advisory services.

Ric Bierbaum Board Member

We were delighted to welcome Ric Bierbaum to our board during 2018. Ric is a huge asset to Youth Opportunities, as a senior consultant with over 30 years of international experience, working at executive levels and leading numerous projects – primarily in national education systems; Commonwealth, state and local government, along with private and not for profit organisations. With Masters Degrees in Education and Public Management, Ric has worked extensively at all levels of education and has managed training and development across SA government and tertiary education sectors.

Brent Cain Head of Finance and Administration

We are pleased to welcome Brent Cain as Head of Finance and Administration. Brent has a diverse background in accounting and business finance for small, medium and large organisations. We are very much looking forward to Brent being a key part of our organisation on the ‘preventative’ side of wellbeing after working in finance in the mental health and psychology fields for some years.

Michael Fitzgerald Trainer

We also welcome Mike to the training team. Mike undertook our new trainer program last year and has assisted with various training activities in schools. You may know his face already, as he has been a key ‘volunteer’ member for most of our fundraising events in the second half of 2018. With extensive experience in mentoring young people in the hospitality industry, we’re looking forward to Mike bringing that experience to our training team along with his passion to what we do.

Farewells

Emily Martinella

We sadly said farewell to Emily Martinella just before Christmas after almost three years with Youth Opportunities where she made significant contributions across all areas of the organisation. Emily joined us as our Financial Accountant before taking on roles including Head of Finance and Operations, and Head of Finance and Administration. Emily engaged with every role with enthusiasm, and her dedicated and professionalism has positively impacted on the success of the organisation.

Rosa Anttila

We also farewelled one of our trainers, Rosa, who has been an integral part of our training team for over two years. Aside from the many graduates she has impacted, influenced and inspired over this time, her thought leadership and effort in establishing higher maturity in our SACE frameworks is a recent key stand-out achievement.  We wish Rosa well as she re-enters the education sector to teach.

Leah Hill

We also said goodbye to Leah late last year. Leah joined the organisation around 18 months ago in our finance team. Throughout her time with us, Leah was a diligent member of the finance team, drawing on her extensive skills and experience.

Categories: Parents and Caregivers, Schools, Students, Supporters, Team, Training