Executive team and Board

At Uniting, we’re for people. We build relationships and create connections. And we partner deeply with our First Peoples to build a strong future together.

We’re proud to walk alongside the people we support, and each other.

Uniting has a committed team of more than 400 employees and hundreds of volunteers who provide support to thousands of West Australians every year.

Our Board

The Uniting WA Board oversees our direction and governance.

The Uniting Board is appointed by the Uniting Church WA Synod.

Click on a profile to learn more.

Erica Haddon FCPA FAICD

Chairperson

Erica Haddon FCPA FAICD - Chairperson since October 2019

Erica is an experienced Chair, non-executive director, and executive. In addition to being Chair of Uniting WA, Erica is the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the Governing Council of South Metropolitan TAFE, Chair of MNG Survey, Chair of Ausvet, a member of the CPA Australia WA Divisional Council, a member of the Curtin University School of Accounting, Economics and Finance Advisory Board, and Founder and Director of Navigating Innovation, her own advisory business.

Throughout her career, Erica has honed skills in finance, risk, innovation, transformational change (with a member focus) and the connection of profit and purpose. Erica has worked for RAC WA, Wesfarmers Energy (Wesfarmers Limited) and Argyle Diamonds (Rio Tinto Limited).

Erica has been a Certified Practising Accountant for over twenty-five years, has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and is a Fellow of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and CPA Australia.

Alison McCubbin

Deputy Chair

Alison McCubbin - Deputy Chair since September 2023

Alison is a member of the Uniting Church in Australia.  Originally from New South Wales, she has been in Western Australia for over twelve years initially working in the office of the Ombudsman Western Australia, and currently in the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Alison has undertaken leadership roles in her congregation serving as the Secretary and as Chair of the Church Council of the Uniting Church in the City.  She was a member of the Synod and Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Western Australia and the Synod Standing Committee. 

She has also been a member of Board of the “Creative Living Centre” (the CLC), a community focused organisation, which is part of All Saints Floreat Uniting Church.  The CLC is the home of the Boab Network, which works with the Aboriginal peoples of the West Kimberley and especially Mowanjum; and the Black Pearl Network, which provides an Australian-Papuan Cultural Exchange program for Papuan tertiary students and also assists health, clean water and English projects in cooperation with GKI church in Papua.

Alison grew up in the Church initially in the Methodist Church and then in the Uniting Church of Australia.  She embraces the commitment of the Uniting Church to social justice, to wholeness of life for all people, to standing alongside people who are on the fringe of society and to advocating for positive social change. 

Alison graduated from ANU with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws.  She also holds degrees in Music following studies in the United States.  She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Isabel de Jesus

Board Member

Isabel de Jesus - Board Member since December 2022

Isabel is a Finance Executive with over 20 years’ multinational experience in various finance leadership roles across professional services, mining, EPC and residential construction. Her skills and experience relate to accounting, finance, taxation, compliance and internal control matters.  Her governance skills were enhanced at Cliffs Natural Resources and CB&I, both registered in the USA, with significant Sarbanes Oxley requirements.

Isabel has a Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) degree, is a Fellow of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and a member of CPA Australia.  In addition, she is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). 

Isabel was Treasurer for the Breakers Swimming Club and is a current Board Member for Swimming WA.

David Kyle

Board Member

David Kyle - Board Member since October 2019

David Kyle is the Director of Admissions, Engagement and Communication at Scotch College, a leading Uniting Church School in Western Australia. He has taught in schools in Australia and the United States, primarily in the areas of the humanities, service learning and character education and was previously the Director of Scotch’s Service and Citizenship Program.

David is passionate about education and knows how important it is in alleviating poverty and building a more equitable world. He is particularly enthusiastic about service learning and character education and knows that by providing opportunities for young people we are shaping our future leaders’ awareness and understanding. 

David is an active member of North Cottesloe Surf Lifesaving Club and a former Secretary of the Christ Church Grammar School Old Boy’s Association. Prior to joining Scotch, David taught at Friends Seminary, the oldest co-educational school in New York City, and St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls.

He has a Masters of Educational Leadership at the University of Western Australia and also holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education from UWA. In addition, he has completed a Graduate Certificate in International Relations from Curtin University, and a National Excellence in School Leadership course at the Australian School of Applied Management.

Lisa Fini

Board Member

Lisa Fini - Board Member since June 2015

Lisa Fini started her first business at the age of twenty-one and has owned and managed several Perth-based businesses. Lisa brings extensive experience to the Uniting WA Board in all aspects of business management including human resources, marketing, financial control, reporting and analysis, budgeting and planning.

Lisa has held board and volunteer positions for twenty-five years in the not-for-profit and educational sectors. She was treasurer of the Mark Howlett Foundation when it received the 1996 Premier’s Award for ‘Most Innovative Sponsorship for the Arts’. Lisa is a Foundation Member of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, member of the Curtin Alumni and Perth College Old Girls Association.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), a Graduate Diploma in Property from Curtin University and a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from Edith Cowan University, and she is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jane Barker

Board Member

Jane Barker - Board Member since August 2019

Jane Barker is an experienced community sector board member and CEO, with a strong background in community engagement.  As an accomplished senior executive through a successful career in professional services, Jane brings strategic and commercial skills balanced with a passion for inclusion and social justice.

Jane has a qualification in Applied Science, Psychology and Business Administration and at KPMG she holds both a national role as Chief Operating Officer for Risk Strategy & Technology products and a global Operations Executive role for the Governance, Risk & Compliance Services line, bringing strategic, risk, technology and innovation experience to the Board.  In her former role as CEO of Kids Are Kids!, a not-for-profit provider of therapy services to children with disability or developmental delay, Jane led the organisation during a time of significant sector reform through effective change management, strategic planning, sound financial management and strong stakeholder relationships.

Jane was formerly the Chair of Burrendah Independent Public Primary School, a large independent and culturally diverse public school for nearly 700 students which has a strong focus on community and belonging.

Alison Xamon

Board Member

Alison Xamon - Board Member since September 2021

Alison Xamon is a lawyer who has practiced in industrial and equal opportunity law and then in the area of mental health law and with refugee clients.  She is a former State member of Parliament who was the Parliamentary Leader of the Greens.  Alison has a comprehensive background working in the area of mental health and suicide prevention. She also worked for a decade in the union movement and prior to that worked in the area of community development and with children at risk as a qualified playleader.

Alison now works as the General Manager for the Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD), an essential service providing emergency relief, case management, ongoing support for refugees and people seeking asylum, including those who remain in immigration detention.  CARAD also runs successful social enterprises including the well known FareGo Foodtruck.

Alison is a lifelong member of the Uniting Church, and is Chair of the Presbytery of the Uniting Church in WA, as well as Secretary of the Church Council of Uniting Church in the City (UCIC).  Alison founded and runs the monthly evening service at UCIC called Social Justice Church.  She is also a member of the Synod Standing Committee and the SSC legal subcommittee.

Alison has demonstrated her commitment to social justice and advocating for positive social change through extensive activism since she was a teenager.  Alison has been involved with Friends of East Timor, Deaths in Custody committee, CSNF, Rainforest Action Group, Greenpeace, Peace House, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, People for Nuclear Disarmament as well as animal welfare, education and feminist campaigns.  

Mr Liam Roche B.Bus 

Board Member

Mr Liam Roche B.Bus  - Board Member since January 2024

Liam Roche is an experienced business leader and board member who retired from the role of Chief Operating Officer of Seven West Media (WA) following a 40-year career in the media and manufacturing industry.  

With extensive knowledge of management and governance, Liam is widely recognised for his collaborative and inclusive leadership style.  He excels in simplifying complex challenges, finding new growth opportunities and building highly effective, results-driven teams in tough economic conditions. 

Liam is a dedicated contributor to the Western Australian community, serving in various capacities on not-for-profit and health service industry boards. These include Chair of the Perth Eye Foundation, Deputy Chair of Crime Stoppers WA, and a member of the Western Australia Board of the Medical Board of Australia. He also serves as Deputy Chair of Multiple Sclerosis Society WA and a Director of the South Metropolitan Health Service. In addition, Liam provides guidance for the Murdoch University Emerging Leaders Program and teaches part-time at Murdoch University. 

Liam has a Bachelor of Commerce, with a major in Management and a Minor in Human Resources. He is also an Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors graduate.

Ralph Addis CA GAICD 

Board Member

Ralph Addis CA GAICD  - Board Member since January 2024

Ralph is an experienced chief executive, with strong commercial acumen and a wealth of experience in strategic leadership, organisational development and governance. Ralph has served in prominent leadership roles as Director General of the WA Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development and CEO of Lotterywest and Healthway. 

Ralph demonstrated a 15-year commitment to community development in the East Kimberley, focusing on Aboriginal-led initiatives in housing, employment, education, and welfare reform. 

In addition to his executive roles, Ralph brings a depth of expertise as a non-executive director and Chair in various public sector and not-for-profit settings.  

Ralph holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of New England (AU).  He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Our leadership

Click on a profile to learn more.

Jen Park

Co-Chief Executive Officer / Secretary

Jen Park - Co-Chief Executive Officer / Secretary since May 2022

With more than 30 years’ experience in human resource management and 15 years in executive roles, Jen Park is a highly experienced and passionate professional with a proven track record of leading teams to deliver contemporary HR and culture practices across diverse and complex organisations in the financial services, local government and community services sectors.

Jen is also an accredited Change Management practitioner and member of the Australian Human Resources Institute of Australia, where she has participated in a mentoring scheme to promote the development of HR practitioners across Australia.

Michael Chester

Co-Chief Executive Officer

Michael Chester - Co-Chief Executive Officer since Appointed May 2022

Michael Chester initially joined Uniting to bring focus to the transition of disability and mental health services to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).  His role then expanded to provide leadership across all operational teams, to facilitate the delivery of person-centred community services that maximise the resources of Uniting in order to meet strategic objectives and achieve its purpose of providing best practice support to the most vulnerable members of the community.

A Master of Business Administration and Australian Institute of Company Directors graduate, Michael takes a relationship-focused approach to business development, stakeholder engagement and client retention. This approach, together with his strong business management skills and Board experience in the not-for-profit sector, sees Michael deliver innovative solutions that successfully position Uniting as an effective service provider, an advocate for the people it supports and trusted community partner.

Sue Thomas

Chief Governance Officer

Sue Thomas - Chief Governance Officer

Sue has been with Uniting WA for over eight years providing high level secretariat and administrative support and advice to the Uniting WA Board and Executive in the areas of governance, compliance, reporting and responding to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse.  Sue’s background is in mining, small business and church leadership.  

Justin Bunter

Chief Financial Officer

Justin Bunter - Chief Financial Officer

Justin Bunter is a Chartered Accountant and has held senior operational and financial positions for more than 30 years.

Justin has worked across a number of industry sectors in both Australia and the UK. In addition, Justin has worked within the not-for-profit sector with executive roles in aged care, community development, disability and environmental organisations.

With a focus on overseeing corporate functions including finance, IT, HR, assets and risk management, Justin’s experience includes supporting mergers and acquisitions and restructures designed to modernise organisations and build alternative revenue streams.

Justin has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Post Graduate Diploma of Business and has held several Board positions.