Who we are

Our people

Liz Waters (CEO), Batman, and Emma Rowell (Family Food Patch Program Manager) serving healthy food from the Well Fed Tasmania truck at the Kennerley Children’s festival, 23 February 2019.

Board members

  • Andrea Porte

    Andrea Porte

    Andrea joined the Families Tasmania Board in , and has served as President of the Board since . Andrea sits on a number of not-for-profit boards, and has a passion for community, advocacy, social policy and corporate responsibility. Andrea has a keen interest in programs that facilitate wellbeing and connectedness for Tasmanian families, and is herself a mother of two beautiful children. Andrea is a Senior Client Executive with Aon Risk Services, and utilises her professional skills in strategy, governance and risk management for the benefit of the organisation. Andrea is a Qualified Practicing Insurance Broker with the National Insurance Brokers Association and a Senior Associate with the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance.

  • Kate Crawford

    Kate Crawford

    Kate joined the Board in , bringing a background in event management, marketing, leadership, governance and the volunteering sector. Kate is the Strategic Manager of Sector Development for Volunteering Tasmania. Kate wishes she had discovered Families Tasmania when her two children were babies and she was a young mother navigating the world of motherhood. Her motivation in being part of the Families Tasmania Board was her way of giving back to the community and investing in today’s youth, providing opportunities to make better life choices towards their future world.

  • Tanya Greenwood

    Tanya Greenwood

    Tanya is a project officer with the Fingal Valley Neighbourhood House, delivering the mobile early learning and parenting support program, Building Blocks, which travels across NE Tasmania supporting families and children 0–8 years. Tanya has a background in social welfare, early childhood education and care and was a keen participant in local playgroups and school and sporting groups when her two children were younger. She was previously coordinator of Hub4Health (a not-for-profit community organisation based in St Helens), currently serves as a member of the Break O’Day Employment Connect and Youth Collective North East Coast Tasmania steering committees and is a community representative on the Premier’s COVID-19 Regional Recovery Committee (North). Tanya is passionate about giving every child in Tasmania the opportunity to thrive and grow and to see all families with the support they need to care for their children.

  • Madelaine Holt

    Madelaine Holt

    Madelaine was delighted to join the Families Tasmania Board in 2021 after discovering the work of the organisation following the birth of her daughter. Madelaine serves as Vice President and Secretary of the Board and brings extensive leadership, strategic management and stakeholder engagement skills from her role at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission where she leads complex investigations into contraventions of Australia’s consumer and product safety laws. In her spare time, Madelaine is a marriage celebrant and enjoys playwriting. Madelaine holds a Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice.

  • Emily Creak

    Emily Creak

    Emily joined the Board in . After relocating back to Hobart in 2020, Emily discovered Families Tasmania after attending one of our child and infant first aid courses. Emily is a proud mother to a spirited toddler, and is passionate about child health and wellbeing initiatives and equality. Emily is Special Counsel at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Australia’s leading social justice law firm. Emily has almost a decade of experience in the areas of social justice, anti-discrimination, employment law and human resources. Emily holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business from the University of Tasmania, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the College of Law, and is Accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as a Specialist in Workplace Relations Law.

  • Kaitlyn Graham

    Kaitlyn Graham

    Kaitlyn is a mother to a toddler, with a comprehensive background in health policy and research. She is motivated to empower Tasmanian families and communities to feel capable of, and confident to, improve the health and well-being of themselves and those around them. Kaitlyn has high-level skills in policy analysis, research, media and communications, project management/coordination, grant/proposal preparation, resource development, and stakeholder engagement/consultation. Kaitlyn has worked at consumer, provider and systemic levels designing and implementing initiatives that use evidence-informed best-practice models to create sustainable change systemically. Kaitlyn hopes to contribute to a better Tasmania, not just for the current generations of Tasmanians, but for many more to come.

Staff

  • Liz Waters (nee Crane) – CEO

    Liz Waters

    Liz has effectively led the Families Tasmania team since . She came to the organisation with a strong background in community services, qualifications in Community Services Management and — as a mum of young kids — a genuine passion for helping Tasmanian families. Liz is a strategic leader and community advocate who works tirelessly to create and facilitate collaborative, innovative programs and events that are responsive to community needs and create opportunities for connection. In her spare time she loves baking (especially sourdough bread) and enjoys hosting and feeding her family and friends.

  • Emma Rowell – Family Food Patch Program Manager

    Emma Rowell

    Emma Rowell celebrates ten years with Family Food Patch in . She has an eclectic and rich professional background in media and events coordination, horticulture, tourism and community volunteer management. All these roles have brought her to a place where she can share these diverse skills within one organisation. Emma is passionate about creative community outreach and developing resources and tools that are fun and engaging for Tasmanian families. Living with her daughter in the Tasmanian bush, Emma loves sharing her joy of nature play, photography and bushwalking.

  • Lisa Rushton – Southern Regional Coordinator

    Lisa Rushton

    With over 20 years working in the family and community sector, Lisa is passionate about opportunities for connection, conversation, and partnership in her work with Families Tasmania. Bringing a wealth of experience, Lisa adopts a playful approach to work alongside families and believes that through sharing our stories and experiences we can grow in confidence, connection, and community. A mum to three boys who offer endless inspiration, laughter, and learning, Lisa loves the outdoors, camping, jogging, splashing coffee, and conversations. Lisa studied a Diploma of Community Services as a young adult, followed by a Bachelor of Social Science, and most recently a Graduate Diploma Family Dispute Resolution.

  • Susannah Koch – Regional Coordinator North and North West

    Susannah Koch

    Susannah joined the team in , bringing a background in counselling and education and a passion for parenting as a learned skill to Families Tasmania. Her focus is on supporting parents with information, connection and skills to be the parent they most want to be. Susannah is a trained facilitator in a range of parenting programs, and has years of experience in supporting parents with information and workshops on topics including sleep, family food and toileting using up-to-date, evidence-based information.