People

David’s career in the social services sector began in the mid-1990s,  when he escaped the world of banking and finance to manage what was at that time Australia’s largest needle and syringe exchange program. From there he worked as a child and family services social worker in Victoria and Northern Ireland, before moving into roles in public policy. David’s career has spanned portfolios including child protection and out-of-home care; mental health; alcohol and drug services; higher education and skills; employment; and Aboriginal economic development. The constant theme across his career has been how government and service providers can work together to improve the quality, effectiveness and impact of the social services they deliver – and how we can build a more inclusive, fair, and prosperous community.

David joined WIDI in 2023 as Director. He has qualifications in business, social work, public policy, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Chris Halacas joined WIDI in April 2021 to manage the Disability Standards Research Project, commissioned by the Victorian Disability Worker Commission and is also leading a project to design a common workforce dataset in the specialist homelessness services sector. Chris has extensive experience in designing and leading not for profit projects and programs, including executive and management leadership roles across public health, community services and primary care.

Chris is interested in using systems, data and information for good and enjoys bringing people together to adopt and share evidence-based approaches. He is particularly interested in understanding complex systems in order to simplify and refine to make information easier and quicker to access and understand for all staff to use, particularly through data visualisation.

Lesley is the Senior Program Manager at RMIT’s Workforce Innovation and Development Institute. (WIDI) leading the implementation of the Skills in Employment Project and Higher Apprenticeships and Traineeships Social Service Extension Project (HATSSEP). She has more than 20 years’ experience working in community services, predominantly in disability, aged care and mental health, across the government, not-for-profit and private sectors both in Australia and in the UK.

Lesley’s industry experience is the disability, aged care and mental health sectors. In her early career she started as a disability/aged care worker and progressed to managing dementia and disability residential houses. This then led to management roles leading learning and development teams for Government and not-for profit organisations.  

Lesley’s passion is for lifelong learning, collaboration, partnership working and continually figuring out new ways of working all ensure she makes a difference in an individual’s life.

Jean Cameron joined the team in April 2021 to manage the Family Violence Workforce Project. She has a strong commitment to social justice and extensive experience in working in response to violence against women in both specialist sexual assault and family violence settings. Jean has performed in a range of roles including direct service delivery, project co-ordination and organisational management. She has been responsible for staff development, quality improvement, training design and delivery, employment initiatives in community health, violence against women and multicultural sectors.

Jean is interested in the identification of program initiatives that promote equitable access and has been involved in substantial consultation and networking at regional, state-wide and national levels.

Carly Millar joined WIDI in April 2021 as a communications advisor, supporting the Disability Standards Research Project and the evaluation of the Leadership Intensive Program. She provides research and communications support and is currently part of the Family Violence Workforce Project team.

Carly holds a PhD in History from Monash University and brings a wealth of writing, research and managerial experience from her previous work in academia and the publishing industry, where she held senior editorial and project management roles. Carly is passionate about social justice, championing diversity and supporting feminist leadership initiatives. She is excited by the breadth of innovative work currently underway at WIDI that will inform the growth and transformation of the social services sector, as well as the chance to contribute to positive social change in her day-to-day work.

Jess joined WIDI in January 2022 as an evaluation officer primarily supporting the Higher Apprenticeship Training and Skills in Practice Program. Since then she has moved into the role of Senior Advisor- Evaluation and Projects and oversees monitoring evaluation activities and provides support to a number of other WIDI projects.

Prior to joining WIDI, Jess worked across International and community development in both Australia and Cambodia and is currently undertaking her Masters in Clinical Psychology. Jess is passionate about challenging traditional power dynamics and actively including marginalised voices in data collection to drive meaningful change

Casey joined WIDI in April 2021 as the Project Officer supporting the Family Violence Workforce Project. Casey is passionate about the work that WIDI does, and is excited to be involved in projects that assist in making positive social change.

Prior to her commencement at WIDI, Casey began at RMIT in 2014 as a Research Assistant in the School of Mathematics and Geospatial Science, in which she collected and analysed data, and co-authored a textbook and teaching guide. Since then, she has been involved in countless learning and teaching projects, including the implementation of the Course and Program System, forging relationships with international counterparts to offer STEM programs, as well as championing allyship and inclusion in the STEM portfolio and RMIT more broadly through her involvement with the Diverse Genders Sexes and Sexualities network.

Kerry joined WIDI as a casual Project Officer in August 2019, providing research and communications support for the Leadership Intensive Program. Since then, she has worked across a number of WIDI research and evaluation projects, including Stories into Evidence and the Reach, Train, Employ Project. With a background in corporate communications, commercial photography and secondary education, she brings a diverse skill set and an unshakable belief in the power of the written word to change the world. 

Ioanna Forgac joined the WIDI team in June 2022 as the Industry Training Coordinator and Workplace Mentor (Homelessness). Ioanna is supporting the Specialist Homelessness Sector Internship Program and as a Workplace mentor with co-design and implementation strategies, lead stakeholder engagement, evaluation and mentoring students on their professional journey in the sector. Ioanna has extensive experience in the Homelessness sector in both the sector directly and in other supporting case management roles.  

Ioanna has a Social Science background with years of experience in community development and the social services sector. Ioanna has worked in both government and non-for-profit settings has expertise in service delivery and operational and program management. Ioanna has performed in a range of roles in the community services sector including case management within employment and education settings, mentoring and coaching, crisis and emergency initial assessment support, leadership and management, analysis and evaluation, community support development.   

During Ioanna’s professional career, she has developed a strong passion for supporting CALD communities and developing pathways to address barriers and explore opportunities for individuals to pursue their goals and aspirations. Ioanna has a strong commitment to social equality and building a strong, vocal community where each person has a voice and is part of building an empowering and inclusive culture of innovation development.

Tania joined the WIDI team in February 2022 as a workplace mentoring advisor. With over 20 years of experience in the community services sector, Tania began her journey to change the landscape for people living with disabilities after starting in the community services sector as an Aged and Disability support worker.

Tania’s commitment to advocacy and support continued to develop through her professional experiences and roles within the industry. These roles include disability advocacy, case management, welfare support, and workplace training. Tania is moving into the mentoring program to give back to the industry that has given her so much and to help foster an environment of growth and leadership in the students.

Tania remains passionate about community inclusion and equality, and aims to continue this work in her role at WIDI.

Barbara brings over 25 years of experience in the disability, aged and community sectors to the role of Workplace Mentor at WIDI. Barbara has expertise in areas as diverse as early intervention, case management, community development, assessment, and teaching. She has worked in large NFPs, Local Government, and Community Health providers, as well as in small local community organisations and a social enterprise start up.

Barbara has a passion for well-being, meditation, and personal development, and brings this focus to her mentoring. She believes building strong communities includes supports for a skilled, resilient, and mentally healthy community workforce.

Barbara is a member of the Australian Institute of Training and Development, and Meditation Australia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Disability, and Cert. IV in Training and Assessment.

Cam started his career as a clinical social worker and during the pandemic he became an My Aged Care Intake and Assessment Team Leader. Cam joined WIDI in August 2022 as a Workplace Mentor. He brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to the sector. Cam has worked in various areas as diverse as aged care services assessment; disability, mental health and young people case management; child protection service and LGBTIQA+ community development.

Cam is passionate about representing the voice of vulnerable communities. He has supported individuals who are challenged with numerous life stresses. He is committed to assist people through a healing process and empower them to obtain better outcomes in their lives.

Cam holds a master by research degree in Social Work specialising in gender diverse. He is excited to be a part of WIDI and is looking forward to continuing the growth of the future community services workforce.

Heather commenced at WIDI in January 2023 as a Workplace Mentor Advisor to support students completing their Disability Studies.

Heather began her career in Disability Respite Services more than 35 years ago and quickly progressed to Senior Leadership roles supporting Vulnerable Victorians in Disability, Homelessness, Public Housing, Learning and Organisational Development, NDIS transition and Storm Recovery. Having recently retired from full time Public Service, Heather is aware of the significant issues currently facing the sector and is committed to utilising her skills and experience to support those who are starting out or progressing their careers in Disability Services.

After working in Senior Leadership roles for many years, Heather is super excited to get to know the students who are working in direct care roles and to assist them in any way she can to ensure their career journey is a positive and progressive one.