Board
Rural Health West is governed by a nine member Board, made up of elected and appointed Directors. Members of the Board have a wide range of experience in the health sector, politics, Government relations, agriculture, tertiary education and financial services.
Hon. Terry ‘Tuck’ Waldron
Chair
Hon. Terry ‘Tuck’ Waldron was raised in the agricultural town of Kojonup (Jingalup), and is a former Nationals Member of State Parliament, representing the electorate of Wagin from 2001 until his retirement in 2017. He was Deputy Leader of the National Party of Australia (WA) for 11 years; and Minister for Sport and Recreation; Racing and Gaming for 6.5 years.
An avid footballer and cricketer, Tuck played league football and A grade pennant cricket in both Western Australia and South Australia. He also captained the Australian Country Cricket XI and the Western Australian Country Cricket XI. Tuck managed the West Australian Country Football League prior to entering politics. He was inducted into the Australian Country Cricket Hall of Fame in 2024.
Previously, Tuck worked on the family farm before moving into real estate where he managed his own business for 12 years, and managed Elders Southern Area.
Tuck is currently Chair of Regional Development Australia – Wheatbelt, Central East Aged Care Alliance, and WA Sports Star of the Year Selection Panel.
Tanvi Haria BSc Business Administration Accounting FCPA MAICD
Company Secretary
Tanvi Haria is an established non-executive and C-suite executive with extensive commercial and business acumen underpinned by expertise in strategy, financial management and corporate services, audit, risk and corporate governance, and business transformation. Tanvi has over 25 years of experience spanning public, private and not for profit sectors within a variety of industries including infrastructure, transport, education, health, community services, tourism and manufacturing.
Her independent, non-executive Board and committee experiences include the Metropolitan Cemetries Board, Edith Cowan University Resources Committee, Neuro Muscular WA (formerly Muscular Dystrophy WA), and CPA Australia WA Division Council.
Tanvi previously held the position of Chief Finance Officer, General Manager Commercial and Corporate Services, and Board Secretary at Fremantle Ports. Her leadership responsibilities included finance, information communications technology and cyber security, procurement and contract management, Board secretariat functions.
Tanvi is a Fellow of CPA Australia and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Matthew Tweedie BPE Dip Ed GAICD
Matthew Tweedie held the position of Director of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch from November 2008 to June 2023. Prior to this he held executive and senior management positions as CEO Canning Division of General Practice, Health Services Manager Derby/Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek Health Services, CEO Asthma Foundation of WA, Secretary Asthma Australia and Football Manager West Perth Football Club.
Matt received his secondary education at Applecross Senior High School and completed his tertiary education in Human Movement at The University of Western Australia. Upon leaving university Matt worked with Leighton Holdings at the Tom Price Iron Ore mine before teaching Physical Education and specialising in troubled and at risk youth programs as a Youth Education Officer in secondary schools for 10 years.
Matt still maintains an active interest in sport having recently competed in the World FINA Water Polo Masters tournament in Japan 2023 and remains a keen supporter of the Richmond Football Club. He has held paid and voluntary positions with various sports clubs including player, coach, committee member, treasurer, WA AFL U18’s selector, and AFL recruitment officer.
Matt has over 20 years’ experience leading public and private sector health service organisations. He has held roles as a leader of strategic planning and corporate governance in these organisations and completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course in 2010. Matt is a past founding member of the founding Board of WA Primary Health Alliance, and past member of the Board of the Perth South Coastal Medicare Local serving on their Finance and Risk Management Committee.
Associate Professor Mathew Coleman BMBS BA (Psych) MHSM AFACHSM FRANZCP GAICD
Associate Professor Mathew Coleman is currently a Consultant Psychiatrist with WA Country Health Service, and Clinical Academic and Associate Professor in Rural and Remote Mental Health Practice with The Rural Clinical School of Western Australia and has over 25 years’ experience as a medical practitioner.
Mat is a highly experienced psychiatrist and has worked in the Northern Territory, New South Wales, Western Australia, the United Kingdom and in Germany, and has worked for the Australian Defence Force and British Army.
He has been a state and national leader in mental health education and service advocacy and completed two terms as a Commissioner with the National Mental Health Commission. He is also a Board member for North Metropolitan Health Service. Mat’s research and teachings are focused on the mental health of Australians living in rural and remote communities, substance use disorders and addiction, medical education, developing innovative health services, youth mental health, and development of mentally healthy sustainable models and systems to reduce the disproportionately high mental illness and suicide burden.
Associate Professor Karen Bradley RN B (Nursing) ML MACN FACHSM GAICD
Associate Professor Karen Bradley is a Registered Nurse and Independent Consultant with over 30 years’ experience in the public and private health sectors in Western Australia.
Her previous appointments include Executive Director Clinical Leadership and Reform with the Department of Health, Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer, Area Director Nursing and Midwifery – South Metropolitan Health Service, Acting Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery – WA Country Health Service.
Karen’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Nursing from Edith Cowan University and a Masters in Leadership (Social Justice) from The University of Notre Dame Australia.
Karen is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management and Vice President of the WA Branch, a member of the Australian College of Nursing and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dr Stephanie Trust MBBS FRACGP ACCAM
Dr Stephanie Trust is a Gidja/Walmajarri woman and was born and raised in the East Kimberley. She initially trained as an enrolled nurse, before converting this to an Aboriginal health worker qualification and worked with Aboriginal medical services in Kimberley and Pilbara regions for around 12 years. In 2000, Stephanie travelled to Perth to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor.
Stephanie is a Fellow of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners with a passion for remote primary health care, Aboriginal health, chronic disease management and is a designated aviation medicine examiner. She has previously been Medical Director at the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Council, Board member of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association, East Metropolitan Health Service, Kimberley-Pilbara Medicare Local and Kimberley Stolen Generation Aboriginal Corporation, and has been a Cultural Mentor and Advisor for the Western Australian General Practice Education and Training Ltd.
Stephanie is currently the Clinical Director at Wunan Health & Well Being Centre, a position she has held for ten years. She is strongly committed to the next generation of doctors and mentors and since 2016 has been a Principal GP Supervisor with both the RACGP and ACRRM and has introduced many registrars to remote medicine in the East Kimberley whilst providing education and training. A few of these registrars have since Fellowed and become permanent residents to Kununurra.
When not clinical, she spends her hours broadening professional relationships at Wunan Health and strives to expand their service with allied health and addiction medicine. Stephanie has been leading the development of the Low Medical Withdrawal Unit.
Cr Liz Guidera
Cr Liz Guidera has long been a champion of rural communities. She has served on the Shire of Katanning council for 18 years, becoming Shire President in 2015, and is currently the Deputy President.
Liz was also an inaugural reference group member and former Chair of the Rural Remote and Regional Women’s Network of WA (RRR Network).
Liz has served on the Board of Regional Development Australia Great Southern and is a current Board member of the Great Southern Development Commission.
David Rigby BExSc MPhty
Deputy Chair
David Rigby is the owner and principal physiotherapist of Pilbara Therapy Services, a privately-owned allied health service servicing the greater Pilbara region.
After completing his Masters of Physiotherapy, David returned to Bunbury to complete his graduate period, relocating to Wickham in 2014 to establish a private physiotherapy practice of which he was the sole employee. He established the business after seeing a need for quality healthcare in the region.
Under David’s leadership, Pilbara Physiotherapy has grown into “Pilbara Therapy Services” a multidisciplinary business servicing many areas of the Pilbara through funded programs focusing on prevention and self-management of chronic diseases, Indigenous health, NDIS services and occupational therapy services across the lifespan, in addition to private services encompassing pain and disease management.
David’s business facilitates a range of work experience and clinical students and aims to be a destination for future health workforce training.
David also represents the private allied health sector on the Regional Clinical Committee.
Chantal Bachere BA Hons mental health nursing BA French literature DIP HE nursing
Chantal Bachere is a Mental Health Academic for the WA Centre for Rural Health in Geraldton. She has over 20 years of mental health nursing experience and is a general and mental health trained registered nurse. Chantal develops and facilitates mental health training programs, and provides workforce development and upskilling in the health, education, and welfare sectors. Her current work focuses on developing a clinical upskilling mental health nursing program to address mental health nursing workforce issues.
Working in regional Western Australia for the past 15 years has given her a strong understanding of the mental health needs of the community and its nursing workforce.
Chantal is committed to advocating to improve mental health outcomes and increasing mental health awareness and literacy.
Rural Health West Senior Management Team
Rural Health West works hard behind the scenes to ensure people living in country communities have good access to healthcare.
Rural Health West’s day to day activities are managed by a small executive management team, each of whom have strong and extensive backgrounds in the local health sector.
Tim Shackleton
Chief Executive Officer
Tim has extensive experience in the rural and regional health sector in Western Australia, previously working for rural health counterparts, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the WA Country Health Service.
His current focus for Rural Health West is developing stronger links with partner organisations in the rural health sector and securing long-term funding for the company’s recruitment, retention and outreach initiatives.
Tim is experienced in strategy development, health service planning, stakeholder engagement and project management.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (Human Movement) and Post Graduate Diploma in Health Services Administration.
Kelli Porter
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, General Manager Workforce
Kelli has extensive knowledge of Australian health issues and reform, with experience spanning the not-for-profit, government and private health sectors. She has a strong strategic focus on Australian health care and health workforce, with a commitment to delivering solutions for rural communities through building stakeholder relationships and sustainable services.
Kelli provides leadership and management of the Workforce Division at Rural Health West, incorporating Workforce Solutions, Regional Services and Community Workforce Planning.
She holds a Bachelor of Science (Health Promotion), a Graduate Certificate in Health Policy and Management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Leesa Thomas
General Manager, Education and Engagement
Leesa has extensive experience in the events and education sector. Having worked at Rural Health West for 16 years, Leesa began her tenure in 2006 as Manager in the Education and Skills Development department.
In 2019 Leesa became the General Manager of Regional Innovation and Outreach, before being appointed to her current role as General Manager Education and Engagement in 2021.
During her time at Rural Health West Leesa has been responsible for the creation and delivery of a range of new programs including, the Rural and Remote Retrieval Weekend, Health Professionals Networks, WA Rural Health Long Service Awards and expansion of the WA Excellence Awards program. Leesa is currently undertaking a Master of Business Administration with Southern Cross University.
Kerida Hodge
General Manager, Communications and Business Analytics
Kerida is responsible for overseeing Rural Health West’s marketing, communication and membership functions. These activities ensure that rural medical and health professionals are aware of the support and development opportunities available to them, and that the organisation is accurately representing the rural workforce at all levels.
Kerida holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University, with a double major in Marketing and Public Relations. She has twenty years’ experience in communications and marketing and been recognised multiple times by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (WA) for her work developing and implementing large-scale communications strategies.
Asanka Dissanayake
General Manager Finance and Administration
The General Manager Finance and Administration is responsible for overseeing Rural Health West’s financial and administrative functions and provides strategic advice to the CEO and Board via the Board’s Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee. The position is also responsible for the administration of corporate contracts, compliance, infrastructure, IT and other business systems.
Asanka brings with him extensive experience in financial management and corporate services in the not for profit and commercial sector. Asanka is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA), holds an MBA from the University of Southern Queensland and is an Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) graduate.
Rural Health West Medical Advisors
Rural Health West employs several Medical Advisors to ensure that our organisation can provide the best available information and services to the rural health workforce.
The Medical Advisors’ guidance and advice enables us to deliver bespoke programs and advocate for policies that improve the health of those living in rural and remote communities across Western Australia.
All our advisors are medical practitioners who have experience working in rural communities.