Governance at Community Work Australia
The board plays a vital role in promoting and safeguarding the profession of community work.
While daily operations are managed by a Melbourne-based staff team, the board is responsible for the organisation’s overall governance and strategic direction.
Working within the Policy-Governance model©, the board sets clear policies to ensure members belong to a respected and valued profession.
Conrad Townson – President
Qualifications: BA (Hons) in Youth & Community Studies (First Class); Diploma of Leadership in Health & Social Care for Children & Young People
Practitioner interests: Welfare of children and young people; child protection; child sexual exploitation
Conrad has worked with young people across the UK and Eastern Europe in community and outdoor education. He brings strong expertise in child protection, having worked across a range of areas including harmful sexual behaviour intervention, missing children, child sexual exploitation, residential care, family intervention and domestic violence.
Conrad is currently Principal Advisor on Child Sexual Exploitation at IFYS Ltd and works as a consultant and trainer in child protection.
Pamela Mitchell – Vice President
Qualifications: B Bus (Business Management); Graduate Certificate in Adult Education; Advanced Diploma in Community Sector Management; Diploma in Community Services; Certificate IV in Training and Assessment; Certificate IV in Disability; Certificate III in Individual Support
Practitioner interests: Social justice; social inclusion (particularly for people with disability); education and lifelong learning
Pamela is a community services trainer with a strong commitment to quality and ethics in the sector. She has worked in various roles across New South Wales and Queensland — including management, case management and NDIS support coordination — and is passionate about developing ethical, reliable, well-trained professionals who deliver person-centred care.
Nick Toonen OAM – Director
Qualifications: B Sc (Information Science); Advanced Diploma of Community Services Management
Practitioner interests: Community development; social justice; LGBTI rights; Aboriginal rights; family violence
Nick is an experienced non-profit leader and executive, passionate about the development of thriving organisations, people and communities. He has worked across diverse sectors — primarily focused on community development and human rights — including family violence, early childhood education, community legal services, disability, HIV/AIDS, family planning and end-of-life care.
Nick currently serves as Manager, Governance, Risk and Compliance at Djirra, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. He has also led campaigns that transformed national and state legislation and advanced global human rights protections, particularly through gay rights advocacy.
Dr Anne Jennings – Director
Qualifications: PhD; Master of Arts; Bachelor of Social Science; Diploma of Community Development; Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
Practitioner interests: Community development; research; professional development and education; ethics
Anne has worked in community development across regional Western Australia for more than 30 years as a practitioner, researcher and trainer. Her experience includes roles in NGOs and across all levels of government, as well as in academia — where she has been a university lecturer, VET course coordinator and community development consultant.
Anne is currently Editor of the Australian Journal of Community Work and a Research Fellow with the Nulungu Research Institute at The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Broome Campus.
Associate Professor Vicki Banham - Director
Qualifications: PhD; Master of Education; Bachelor of Education; Teaching Certificate Primary; Diploma of Education
Practitioner interests: Rights and social justice; child and youth learning; active community participation; quality teaching and research.
Vicki is Associate Professor of Human Services and is an experienced academic and community-sector contributor with a strong background in teaching, research and governance. She spent seven years as Associate Dean (Social Work, Social Science, Counselling and Youth Work) at Edith Cowan University and now holds a research-focused role supervising doctoral students.
Her work is grounded in rights-based and social justice principles, with research interests in child and youth learning and active community participation. She brings significant governance experience through 16 years on the Ngala Board and service with the Joondalup Community Foundation and Trust.
Dr Stuart Robertson – Director
Qualifications: PhD, Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)
Practitioner interests: Disability, Community Development with a particular focus on outer regional and remote services delivery.
Stuart has worked in the disability sector for numerous years. Including direct care and local area coordination with the NDIS. He also worked in the child protection and community development spaces. Currently Stuart is Associate Professor of Community Services at the University of New England and has a research focus on rural and remote communities, including their economic sustainability and the services delivery into outer regional and remote communities
Gerald (Fred) Boog - Director
Qualifications: Bachelor of Social Science; Diplomas in Community Services, Mental Health, and Adult Education
Practitioner interests: Community wellbeing; disability support; youth work; mental health; drug and alcohol counselling; suicide prevention.
Gerald is an experienced community services practitioner and trainer with more than 40 years of combined lived and professional experience across policing, disability support, youth work, mental health, drug and alcohol counselling, and community wellbeing. His career includes 30 years as a NSW Police Officer before moving into the community sector, where he has worked in a wide range of frontline and support roles.
With such a diverse background, Gerald is able to engage with people from all walks of life and bring practical, grounded insight to community-focused initiatives. He brings a strong, hands-on perspective, informed by decades of frontline experience and community engagement.
Executive leadership
Jesu Jacob – CEO and Director
Qualifications: Master of Social Work; Bachelor of Commerce; Diploma of Community Welfare Work; Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
Practitioner interests: Strategic management; social inclusion; community and human services education; multicultural services
Jesu has more than 15 years of experience in the community services sector and has held various leadership roles within Community Work Australia for over a decade. He is a strong advocate for the profession and has represented members on numerous industry advisory committees.
As CEO, Jesu works closely with government, education providers and sector stakeholders to ensure community work professionals are equipped with the skills and standards needed for best practice.