The Sylvanvale Board has delegated the day-to-day management of Sylvanvale and the implementation of approved business plans and strategies to the chief executive officer, who in turn may further delegate to the Senior Management Team. In addition, a detailed policy sets out the decision-making powers which may be exercised at various levels of management.

The Sylvanvale Board entrusts routine responsibility for the operational and financial leadership of Sylvanvale to the Senior Management Team.

Jill Deering
Chief Executive Officer
Jill Deering has had a range of senior management roles which have prepared her for the challenges of leading the Sylvanvale Foundation by continuing the important work in reinforcing current partner relationships as well as exploring and securing new ones. Jill holds a post graduate degree in Health Policy and Management from Wollongong University and is a registered nurse.
Jill commenced her career in nursing at The Sutherland Hospital and has served in Local Government. She was previously the CEO for SIDS and Kids and General Manager with Sydney Cardiology Group. Jill has been the National Community Manager with the Westfield Group, where she worked with over 25 disability service organisations including Sylvanvale. Her most recent experience has been as the General Manager, Business Development for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.
Jill has demonstrated success in the key areas of human resource management, fund raising and financial control, business development, relationship management and performance management and reporting.

Jeff Scobie
General Manager Southern Region
Jeff has worked in various services for people with a disability for 30 years. He initially trained as a nurse, working with people with a disability and later successfully completed a Masters Degree in Management at the University of Technology (UTS) Sydney.
Jeff has worked at Sylvanvale since 2006, prior to which he worked in a variety of positions in NSW Government services managing a variety of programs including accommodation, training services day programs and community support services.
Jeff has extensive experience in managing services for people with a disability and remains committed to the provision of quality services that focus on the needs and aspirations of the individuals accessing Sylvanvale’s programs.

Bronwyn Howlett
General Manager Western Region
Bronwyn has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy and has worked in a hospital setting for a number of years with a focus on mental health.  During that time, Bronwyn held management positions in community rehabilitation and mental health service. She also sat on the SESIAH executive committee for the mental health services.
Bronwyn has also worked with a variety of disadvantaged groups including the homeless, women, aged care and people with mental health issues. She also has experience in working with parents and family members as carers.
Bronwyn has worked at Sylvanvale since 2010.

Leanne Fretten
General Manager Children’s Services
Leanne has a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy and a Masters in Health Sciences specialising in Paediatric Occupational Therapy. Over the past 10 years Leanne has worked in both clinical and senior management positions in both the government and non-government sectors.
Leanne has worked in community health and disability specific services primarly working with children and their families to assist them to overcome developmental concerns for their child through support, education, early intervention, therapy and respite services.
Leanne is committed to providing children and families with high quality, innovative and evidenced based services.
Leanne has worked at Sylvanvale since 2005.

Leanne Field
Business Development
Leanne has a degree in accounting, is a Certified Practising Accountant and has a Masters in HR. She is also an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
Leanne has worked in the disability sector for 12 years and held a variety of senior management positions at a regional and national level. She has also previously worked in the legal and financial sectors.
Leanne has been consultant to the not-for-profit sector for two years and has also been a board member for a not-for-profit agency.
Leanne has worked at Sylvanvale since 2011.

Robert Smith
General Manager Finance & Facilities
Robert has worked in the finance sector for his entire career. He studied finance at the University of Wollongong and majored in accounting. He is also a Certified Practising Accountant.
Robert’s first role was with BHP in Wollongong, where he was a commercial cadet in the finance department. He later worked as a financial accountant with media giant News Limited.
For the last five years, Robert has worked at Sylvanvale. As the General Manager of Finance and Facilities, he ensures that the monthly financial reporting requirements are met, tends to customer queries and reviews work practices and procedures.

Ellen Fussell
Acting General Manager People & Systems
Ellen is a highly experienced office manager and team leader. At Sylvanvale she manages the administration and employee relations teams who deal with areas such as risk management, compliance and accreditation certifications, industrial relations, audits, policies as well as learning and development.
Ellen has been at Sylvanvale since 2009. Previously, she worked in similar roles in large legal firms. Ellen has a achieved a number of qualifications including a Diploma of Business Management, a Certificate in Management and Team Leadership as well as a Diploma of Quality Auditing, completing each with distinctions.

Loretta Passerini
Fundraising Manager
Loretta has been a business consultant for a number of years. She is customer focused and this has seen her successfully lead a variety of corporate and social fundraising events such as charity bike rides and flights.
She has a diverse range of experience in areas such as learning and development, in particular as a workshop facilitator in leadership development, team building, management skills, communication, change management, recruitment and occupational health and safety.
Loretta graduated with distinction from the University Of Technology. She is accredited in the use of MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator), is a member of the Australian Institute of Training and Development and the Golden Key Honour Society.

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