Our vision is for a community free from family violence and sexual assault, and a society underpinned by the principles of gender equality, social justice and human rights.
The SAFV Centre is governed and staffed by a dedicated and highly experienced team of professionals committed to the prevention and elimination of sexual assault and family violence in our community and to supporting people in their recovery from trauma.
Our Board members take pride in the governance of our organisation. For the Board, good governance includes respectful and aspirational leadership in setting our strategic direction.
The SAFV Centre upholds a culture of respect and equality, where we celebrate diversity and embrace inclusion in all we do.
Our values Respect, Integrity, Innovation, Collaboration, Commitment are central to our Board and organisation.
Diversity and inclusion are important to us. We recognise our vibrant community comes from every background and in turn we seek to create a Board and workforce that’s representative of everyone we support.
Vesna is a lawyer and is Chief Legal Counsel at City of Greater Geelong. An experienced executive legal advisor and governance specialist, Vesna’s experience will be hugely beneficial for complementing the Board’s existing skills.
Vesna was appointed Chairperson in June 2025.
David is CEO at Leisure Networks and is a highly strategic, visionary and adaptive leader with over 15 year’s senior and executive leadership experience in healthcare, disability and NFP both in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Simone is passionate about women and children having access to services like The SAFV Centre in times of need. Much of Simone’s professional life has been spent in the counselling areas (B Arts – Psychology) in the South West working in community health, student support, after-hours crisis teams and research.
Simone has been involved in various other roles in the community space and Chaired Westvic Dairy/Dairy Australia for 7 years. She is also currently on the Timboon District Healthcare Board.
Simone owns and operates a Large Scale Dairy Business with her husband in Timboon and is also a graduate of the Company Directors Course from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Simone was on the Emma House Board in Warrnambool before joining our Board in 2023 to represent South West Victoria.
Eelco is the Global Director of Safeguarding at GiveDirectly. A senior leader and international professional, Eelco has over 20 years of experience in risk and integrity management, organisational development and strategic leadership across diverse non-profit and government sectors, with the majority of his roles related to child safety.
Tamara is both Lawyer and Practice Manager (Family Violence and Family Law) at Barwon Community Legal Service. Tamara has previously served on the Boards of Women’s Health and Wellbeing BSW and is well connected with The SAFV Centre.
Byron is Director of Corporate Services at Triple Zero and was previously Chief Financial Officer for Victoria Police. Working across a range of areas in the justice sector, Byron is a strategic and results driven leader that applies ethical decision making, and systems thinking, to reform and strengthen public sector organisations.
John brings to The SAFV Centre Board a distinctive combination of executive leadership, governance experience and a long-standing commitment to services that support people in vulnerable circumstances.
John’s background spans the not-for-profit, social enterprise and financial services sectors. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chair of the Board at Victim Support Service, where he led the organisation’s work supporting people navigating the aftermath of crime and trauma. Earlier in his career, he held senior operational roles within the credit union and banking sectors, including Executive Manager and Chief Operating Officer positions, and worked as a Product Governance Consultant at Coutts with oversight of banking, credit, treasury and dealing products.
Across these roles, John has developed deep expertise in operational leadership, risk management and governance, alongside a steady focus on organisations whose work matters to the people they serve. His contribution to The SAFV Centre Board reflects this dual orientation, bringing rigour to the Centre’s governance and stewardship while remaining firmly anchored in its purpose of supporting victim survivors of family violence and sexual assault.
Natalie McColl (GAICD) joins the SAFV Centre Board with deep expertise in executive leadership, governance and people-first organisational change. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Team at the Transport Accident Commission, where she leads enterprise change and workplace experience, and Chair of Residential Independence Pty Ltd. Natalie has served as Board President and is currently Deputy President of YMCA Geelong, where she led the Vision 2030 Strategy and a top-rated independent safeguarding review. Her strengths in human resources, child safeguarding, governance and authentic leadership make her a valuable addition to the Board.
We employ over 200 people across the Barwon, Wimmera and South West regions of Victoria. We ensure all our people are highly capable, qualified, professional and experienced in their role. Our counselling staff are qualified social workers, psychologists and family therapists who are dedicated to assisting the recovery of adults, young people and children who have experienced sexual assault, family violence and exploitation.
Our case managers are social workers who hold many years in this specialist field, and are able to assist women and children experiencing family violence through support and assistance, including court support, high risk management and short term accommodation.
Our gender equality and professional training team is made up of skilled educators with qualification in public health and gender studies with practical expertise in the area of sexual harm recovery and family violence primary prevention.
Our administration team includes a highly dedicated group of people providing customer services, finance, communications, quality services, and human resources.
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