Women in Public Service Leadership

Dr Jacqueline Boaks is the Curriculum Lead with the Curtin Centre for Applied Ethics and Philosopher-in-Residence at the WA Data Science Innovation Hub. Jacqueline works in curriculum and industry engagement applied ethics with a focus on leadership ethics and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

In March 2025 she delivered Curtin’s first executive education program on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

Jacqueline has a background in management, consultancy, and academia. She has taught ethics and leadership at University of Western Australia, Notre Dame University and Curtin University.

She previously taught ethics, leadership, and critical thinking to students at Bachelor of Commerce, MBA, and Executive Education levels and was the discipline leader for the School of Management and Marketing’s Social Leadership and Ethics specialisation.

Owen has been CEO of West Australian Music (WAM) since late 2024. Prior to this he spent over a decade in trade union leadership as Secretary and Assistant Secretary of UnionsWA between 2012 to 2024 leading significant campaigns on workplace safety and public sector pay.

Owen is currently a member of the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal, Chairperson of the Work Health and Safety Commission, Director of the McKell Institute WA Advisory Committee and was previously Chairperson of the Welfare Rights and Advocacy Service and a Non-Executive Director of WorkCoverWA.

Sue commenced her role as Chief Executive Officer in February 2023, representing both NOPSEMA and OIR. Prior to this, she served for eight years as the Chief Executive at the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.

A career of over forty years in Government, Sue has held a range of roles across Education, including time as a school principal, the Public Transport Authority and as Deputy Director General of Policy, Planning and Investment at the WA Department of Transport.

Sue holds a Bachelor of Law from Murdoch University, a Master of Education from Edith Cowan University, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Sue is a member of the National Association of Women in Operations, Women in Decommissioning and is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration.

Maryann Tsai is an award-winning social entrepreneur, gender equality advocate and Founder & Board Chair of Reach Her Inc., a Perth-based not-for-profit empowering women from multicultural and under-represented backgrounds through employment, mentorship, entrepreneurship and leadership. With more than two decades of senior leadership experience across the public, private, government, mining, technology, education and not-for-profit sectors, she brings a wealth of experience in strategy, impact and community leadership.

She is a TEDx speaker and #1 bestselling co-author of Ignite. Her work has been recognised through numerous awards, including Community Citizen of the Year, UNAAWA Gender Equality Award and Swan Woman of the Year, alongside finalist recognition for WA Volunteer of the Year and WA Volunteer Excellence in 2026.

Maryann is passionate about creating equitable and inclusive communities where women have the opportunity to thrive.

Justine has more than 35 years’ experience across the government, private and not-for-profit sectors in Australia, the UK and Europe, with a career spanning everything from running a pub to running a prison.

Since moving to Australia, she has worked to support and promote the needs and rights of some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in our community.

For the past 15 years, she has been CEO of Rise, which provides services for people experiencing mental health issues, disability, ageing, youth at risk, family and domestic violence, and homelessness.

Justine also spent 15 years in the WA public service, working across the environment, justice, housing and communities portfolios, including a secondment to the Department of Communities.

Paris McNeil is a keynote speaker, facilitator and lawyer who helps organisations navigate the generational shifts reshaping communication, leadership and the workplace. As a Gen Z speaker working across government, education and industry, Paris challenges assumptions about younger employees and explores what different generations really need from work, leadership and each other. Her work is focused on creating clarity, starting better conversations and helping multigenerational teams work together more effectively.

Dr Juliana Peloche is a Senior Curriculum Designer at Edith Cowan University’s Centre for Learning and Teaching, where she oversees curriculum development for the School of Engineering and leads AI literacy initiatives across the institution. She holds a doctorate in AI in education from the University of Wollongong, with research focused on how educational stakeholders perceive and adapt to emerging technologies,  a lens she now applies to questions of equity, ethics, and responsible AI use in professional settings.

Originally from Brazil, Juliana has taught across three continents and brings an international perspective to her work at the intersection of AI, gender, and education. She is also co-founder of Women in AI Australia, an organisation dedicated to empowering women to learn, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled world. Her work consistently asks who benefits from AI, and who gets left behind.

Mike is Director General of the Department of Communities in Western Australia. Prior to joining Communities in May 2021, Mike was Director General at the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and Department of Water.

Mike has worked in the Western Australian public sector for more than thirty years across multiple portfolios and in diverse leadership, policy, advisory and delivery roles. These include human services, regional development, Aboriginal affairs, natural resources management, agriculture, environment, water, and the Premier and Cabinet.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science and has also completed postgraduate qualifications in social research and program evaluation and public sector management.

Henrietta Podgorska is a values-led leader with more than 11 years’ experience across community services, government, policy advocacy and sector capability building. She has led diverse, culturally and linguistically diverse workforces and worked closely with communities to strengthen participation, service delivery and influence. Her experience spans frontline service delivery, government engagement, policy and reform, and building the capability of people and organisations to navigate change and growth. Henrietta is particularly interested in how leadership, culture and opportunity shape the progression of culturally diverse women into leadership.

Nina Skewes was appointed as Privacy Deputy Commissioner in January 2026.

Nina has over 14 years’ experience in privacy and regulatory leadership across both the public and private sectors, specialising in data protection, regulatory governance and emerging technology risk.

Prior to commencing her role as Privacy Deputy Commissioner, Nina was the Chief Privacy Officer (Asia Pacific) for a professional services company. She has also held senior regulatory, legal and privacy roles in Australia. Prior to her recent private sector experience, she worked at the federal privacy regulator in the privacy practice and technology branch. She has also worked as an economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Nina holds a Master of Innovation Law with Excellence from the University of New South Wales and Bachelor of Law and Economics (first-class Honours) from the University of Western Australia.

Dr Ashley McGrath is a gender equity trailblazer on a mission to bridge the gap between awareness, intention and action. Ashley leads CEOs for Gender Equity, a for-purpose organisation which seeks to accelerate gender equity through CEO leadership. Ashley received a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) for her research which aims to increase the inclusion and diversity of women in the mining industry.

Joanne Abbiss is an accomplished Chief Executive Officer with over 20 years of experience shaping the future of Western Australia’s fastest growing local governments. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Notre Dame University and a Bachelor of Science (Distinction) from Curtin University. As CEO of the City of Armadale, Joanne oversees a $160 million annual operating budget, $32 million in capital works, $2 billion in assets and a workforce of 800 staff serving over 110,000 residents.

Her leadership spans strategic infrastructure delivery, economic development, environmental sustainability, social policy and community engagement. She has held ministerial appointments to State boards and advisory committees, contributed to local government reform, and has been recognised internationally for her achievements in strategic planning. Joanne has extensive expertise in governance and public administration and is a sought-after speaker on leadership and organisational transformation. In 2015, she was named WA Telstra Business Woman of the Year (Government and Academia).

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Morgan Marsh has been the Executive Director of the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority since September 2024 responsible for the care and management of Kings Park and Botanic Gardens and Bold Park. She has over 20 years’ experience within the Western Australia public sector with roles in the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, Disability Services Commission, Commerce, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (and its predecessors) and the Ombudsman WA.

Morgan has undertaken pivotal roles in leadership, innovation, governance, strategy, corporate services, and change management. She has a passion for the pursuit of continuous improvement and facilitating change through collaboration, effective communication, and building a vision for the future.

Kaylene has extensive experience in public policy, knowledge of financial markets and expertise in the Western Australian economy. In her role as the WATC’s CEO, she is at the forefront of the central borrowing authority’s responsibility to the State of Western Australia and its management of more than $50 billion in financial assets and liabilities. She has previously held senior roles in the Western Australian Department of Treasury.

As well as being a member of CPA Australia and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Kaylene currently holds directorships at the Australian Financial Markets Association, Synergy and WA’s premier children’s theatre company Backing Gecko Art.

Kaylene was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2021 for outstanding public service in a range of roles to Western Australia.

Since starting her public sector career in the Wageline call centre in 2006, Emma has worked on social and strategic policy projects at the Department of Communities, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, and Treasury WA. For the past five years she has worked at the Economic Regulation Authority and is the Assistant Director, Licensing and Customer Protection. The ERA is Western Australia’s independent economic regulator. Through the licensing framework, Emma’s team regulates the customer protections obligations for the approximately 100 private companies and government trading enterprises licensed to provide electricity, gas and water services.

Emma has served on the IPAA WA Council since 2013 and as Secretary since 2021.

Paula Della Gatta is a Senior Project Officer in the Commercial/Legal team on the New Women’s and Babies Hospital Project at the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure. A 2024 EG Cohen Medallist, she completed her Master of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame Australia and draws on over four years of private sector experience to deliver projects from affordable housing to mass-timber constructed civic centres. Passionate about the intersection of architecture and human behaviour, Paula strongly believes that a great workplace culture and working collaboratively is the key to delivering impactful, fit for purpose infrastructure across Western Australia.

Umi Joshi is a Senior Project Officer at the Economic Regulation Authority. With a people-centred approach to project delivery, change management and stakeholder engagement, she combines practical experience with postgraduate qualifications in project management, PMP certification and certification as a coach.

Since migrating to Australia in 2016, Umi has continued to grow professionally while balancing full-time work and family life. She is passionate about coaching, mentoring, and creating inclusive spaces where people feel supported to build confidence, strengthen capability and lead authentically.