Board | Phunktional

Rick Noble – Chair of the Board (2011 onwards)

Rick’s professional background is in Information, Communication and Security Management predominantly within the Health and Community Services sector. He is a qualified AGAL QIC reviewer with significant experience in assessment and guiding organisations through standards compliance. Rick has been a contributing author to a range of industry publications and papers and has served on a number of Boards, Committees and Reference Groups since 1992. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed the Company Directors Course in 2017.

Rick holds a deep personal commitment to the principles of social inclusion and social justice. Professionally, he values collaborative partnerships in developing solutions to meet both expressed and emerging community needs.

Gerard Veltre – Board Member & Secretary (2009 onwards)

Gerard is an artist, dancer and an equal opportunities and Human Rights advocate for young people and marginalised communities. He leverages arts to create opportunities for Australia’s young people and multicultural communities to explore their creativity, learn, reconnect with culture, and shine.

Alison Craigie-Parsons – Board Member (2015 onwards)

alison Alison is a proud Aboriginal woman of the Gamilraay people of Central New South Wales/ Southern Queensland with over 20 years of experience in indigenous health and higher education. Alison has a policy and visual and performing arts background. She has previously been a dancer with the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) and later Assistant Manager of Walkabout Gallery at World Vision Australia.

Philippa Schapper – Board Member (2011 onwards)

With a long standing interest in and support of community based cultural and arts activities, Philippa Schapper has an impressive 33 years of experience in the education sector. Previous consultancy roles include Western Regional Education and the Victoria wide Participation and Equity Programme. Her areas of expertise include organisational structures, role clarification, working with diverse ages and communities (Indigenous, CALD) and capacity building.

Dana Moran – Board Member (2015 onwards)

dana Originally contracted as a media and communications officer for Phunktional, Dana became a welcome member of the Board of Directors in 2015. Dana is a strategic communications professional, specializing in the not-for-profit and government sectors. Dana is currently employed at the Australian Ballet as Government Relations & Strategic Communications Manager. We are thrilled to have Dana on the Board, contributing her expertise in communications strategy development to Phunktional.

Carolyn Worth – Board Member

Carolyn Carolyn Worth’s belief in social justice has driven her passion and commitment in the field of women’s rights. In 1975, she was instrumental in setting up the Women’s Liberation Halfway House, the first women’s refuge in Melbourne. In 1993, she established the first specialised legal clinic in Victoria for victims of sexual assault, in conjunction with Monash University Law Faculty. For the past 18 years, Carolyn has managed the South East Centre Against Sexual Assault, the largest sexual assault service agency in Victoria, providing women and child victims with access to comprehensive services.

Carolyn established a program for children with sexual problems and sexually abusive behaviours, developed and implemented prevention programs for primary and secondary schools, and expanded crisis services for victims to 24 hour availability. She currently sits on advisory committees for the prevention of family violence and sexual abuse and is the chair of CEASE, the peak body for agencies working with adolescents with sexually abusive behaviour. In 2003, Carolyn was awarded the Leadership Victoria Community Leadership Award.