Meet our Board of Management
The MiLife-Victoria Board of Management consists of volunteers from within our community. The election for general membership is a part of the Annual General Meeting.
The Board are responsible for taking a guiding and overseeing role, and must ensure that the financials status of the organisation is sound and that all legal requirements are met. The Board are also required to develop strategy and policy that will support the organisation to deliver high quality services.
Find out more information about the members of the current 2020-2021 Board below.
Board Chair
Karen Major
Karen has over 30 years of experience within the Disability Sector having worked in disability accommodation, training and support and many other leadership roles within the sector. She is currently a Director on the Whittlesea YMCA Board having been on the board since 2013, and works in a senior position at Life Without Barriers. Karen comes to MiLife-Victoria with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Treasurer
Jeremy Worthington
Jeremy started out as a Chartered Mechanical Engineer in the automotive industry in the UK, Europe and Japan. When the Australian automotive industry was de-funded in 2012 he transitioned to a successful career in professional services including KPMG and PwC, leading to the founding of Worthington & Associates in 2019. He now provides business advisory and R&D Tax advice to startups and SME’s. He sits on a number of advisory boards with a diverse range of clients. Jeremy brings a corporate viewpoint to the table, utilising his experience in working through the financials of over 400 different companies. He’s new to the disability sector and is a fresh pair of eyes on the MiLife board. On a personal level he’s local, living with his partner, a dog and two gorgeous cats in Mt Martha. He runs Artisan’s Alley which is a retail collective of local artists, makers and designers on Main Street in Mornington and his spare time (when he gets some) passions are divided between cooking and classic cars.
General Members
General Member
Vacant
MiLife-Victoria is open to expressions of interest from members of the MiLife Community, members of the broader community who have lived experience with disability, professionals with marketing and sales experience and others who can bring to the Organisation a passionate drive for transformational change within the Disability Sector. Please reach out to our Company Secretary for further information [email protected]
General Member
Arul Arogyanathan
Arul has over two decades of increasingly accountable management experience working in multiple industries - Retail, Healthcare, Banking utility, etc.- across Asia, the Middle East, and North America. He is known in the industry as a transformational leader who not only manages IT systems & costs but has far more business savviness and helps businesses identify new revenue streams through the power of data & digital. He specialises in business transformation and financial and risk management. He holds a Master's degree in Technology Management and is an active member of various industry and customer advisory boards. On a personal front, Arul lives in Ballarat with his wife and two boys, Neil & Liam. Both his parents were disabled, so he has first-hand experience with of challenges for disabled individuals and their family members. Arul enjoys cross-fit & running as his me time and loves hiking with his boys.
General Member
Angela Mucic
Angela brings a people management lens to the Board. She has years of experience in leading workforce culture, design and learning initiatives across the disability, public and private health and tertiary education sectors. Angela is passionate about helping the disability sector fully realise the potential of working together to create new possibilities. She supports her son, who is a consumer in this sector. Angela’s background is physiotherapy and she completed an MBA as well a Green Belt in Lean Sigma Six and a post grad L&D certificate.
General Member
Phillip Toovey
Phillip Toovey’s career in disability services spanned 4 decades, commencing as a Teacher’s Assistant in a disability specialist school, then an adult Support Worker, a Day Services Manager, and nearly 30 years as a CEO of The Bridge Inc., an organisation that provides a wide range of disability services across South East Melbourne. During his tenure of The Bridge, services delivered included learning and development, leisure and recreation, Respite for Carers (weekends away for the person in their ongoing care), daytime shared support activities (Day Services) through six locations, in-home and community based individualised (1:1) supports, NDIS Support Coordination and Plan Management. The Bridge’s employment services include, supported employment (ADE) through a social enterprise model with a mixed workforce of people with and without disabilities, a Transition to Work service (NDIS School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES)), Disability Employment Services (DES), plus employment services for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who experience barriers to employment, funded through the Jobs Victoria Employment Services (JVES) program.
General Member
Peter Symonds
I have occupied management and governance roles in the disability and community services sector for 35 years. I have been an Executive Director, a General Manager, a national NDIS Manager and a CEO, leading operations over five states and territories. My working life has also seen engagement with peak sector bodies, at national subcommittee and state committees, assisting in the development of disability policy as well as supporting peer services. My particular interest is in Community based employment for people with high and complex support needs.
Meet our Executive Team
The Chief Executive Officer reports directly to the Board of Management. On behalf of the Board the CEO is responsible for ensuring that the strategic plan is actioned and oversees all operational activities of the organisation.
This includes staffing, professional development, and the day to day running of service. The CEO also provides essential input into planning, leading, directing and organising the service to ensure high standards are met and maintained, whilst being supported by the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Operations Officer.
Amanda Youngs - Chief Executive Officer
Amanda commenced her career in disability services in 2004, working with Monash and Dandenong Valley Special Developmental Schools.
During her studies to gain her law degree, Amanda worked with the Domestic Violence Integrated Response Project and Victim Support organisations in Leicestershire, focusing on education about respectful relationships and recovery from family violence.
Before and after moving to Melbourne in 2009, Amanda put her law degree to use at the Ministry of Justice (UK) and Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. During this time, Amanda missed her ‘heart work’ re-entered the sector in Local Government, working with schools in preventing youth suicide. This recaptured her passion for community services and from there, she had a long career in State Government with the Department of Health and Human Services commissioning disability, housing homelessness and children youth and family services.
Following baby number two, Amanda was head hunted to Family Life to an Executive role as General Manager Services, managing family law, family violence, parenting and mental health services in South East Melbourne. Amanda held a Non-Executive Director position at the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, the children youth and family sector’s peak body and in 2021 completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors Foundation of Directorship course.
Amanda is excited to be recapturing her roots in disability services and honoured to be appointed as MiLife-Victoria’s second Chief Executive Officer.