Kerri Lawrence , President  

Kerri Lawrence is the Manager of the Manly Drug Education and Counselling Centre (MDECC). Kerri has extensive experience in the drug and alcohol field, working in both government and non-government sectors at all levels from local to state-wide. Kerri has a commitment to ensuring practice is evidence-based and to the process of quality improvement. Kerri will represent comprehensive drug and alcohol programs from education, health promotion, early intervention, through to treatment and ensure support for all of these activities. 

James A Pitts , Vice President 

James Pitts has been involved in the alcohol and other drugs field for 30 years in Australia and the United States. He has been a resident of Australia for the past 28years working with the Odyssey House program in Victoria and New South Wales. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Odyssey House McGrath Foundation. James’ extensive experience has seen him produce many peer reviewed papers on aspects of residential treatment, and specifically the therapeutic community model. He is a founding member of the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association(ATCA), a past Board member and Vice-President of that Association;Current Vice-President of the Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies(NADA);Current Board member of the Alcohol and Other Drug Council of Australia(ADCA) and Co-Chair of its Co-Morbidity Working Group and member of the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities Standards and Ethics Committee. James has been recognized for his work in the alcohol and other drugs field by being awarded the Australia Day Medal from ADCA in 2000 for his contribution to the field; a recipient of the Ted Noffs Award for Individual Contribution to the alcohol and other drugs field in 2001; inducted to the Roll of Honor at the National Drug and Alcohol Awards in 2007; and was Runner-Up for the Equity Trustees CEO of the Year Award in 2008.

Kate Hewett , Secretary 

Kate is a registered psychologist and has been the Director of Kamira Farm for the last nine years. Being a NADA board member for the last three years, Kate continues to enjoy her role in supporting the advancement of NGO drug and alcohol services and their relationships with funding providers, with a particular interest in small agencies. Kate has been invited to participate in the NSW Drug Summit and numerous other consultations as a representative of both women’s treatment facilities and smaller rural facilities. Being passionate for the continuation and further development of quality and diversity in drug and alcohol treatment, Kate looks forward to the opportunity of being involved with the NADA Board for another year. 

Mark Buckingham, Treasurer

Mark has a background in social welfare & is a graduate of the University of Wollongong’s Faculty of Commerce, where he focused his studies on Health Management. Mark has contributed to the Drug & Alcohol sector for 16 years. Working in both Government & Non Government sectors at both specialist treatment and senior managerial levels.
Mark is currently  CEO of Kedesh Rehabilitation Services. Kedesh is a treatment, training & research organisation providing residential & non residential treatment services to clients aged 16 yrs & above with co-existing Mental Health & Dependency issues.
To this extent, Mark as CEO has been successful in creating a sustainable organisation with long term goals & strategies, increased capacity building initiatives & improved strategic positioning.
Mark has a strong interest in the area of NGO Sector  development, within the D&A field.

Gerard Byrne , Board member  
Gerard has worked in the Alcohol and Other Drugs field for the last eleven years. He has held numerous positions with the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Services. Initially in a counselling position, he then moved on to hold the post of Director at the William Booth Institute for five years. Currently he is the coordinator of the Bridge Program in Eastern Australia.

Barbara Rich , Board member 

Barb has worked in the Alcohol and Other Drugs field for many years and is currently the General Manager of Jarrah House. Barb graduated the University of Sydney in 2002 and has managed the all women's facility Jarrah House since 2001. Barb is the chair of the NADA Treatment sub comittee.

 
Will Temple , Board member  

Will has over 20 years of involvement in the alcohol and other drug field within the Illawarra and Shoalhaven areas of NSW, including membership and presidency of the Watershed( formerly Wollongong Crisis Centre Drug and Alcohol Services) Management Committee, chair for the Illawarra region CDAT, and a founding member of the only halfway house for drug dependent persons in the Wollongong area. Will was part of WCC when they became the first drug and alcohol NGO of its kind in NSW to achieve Quality Accreditation. He has also been an executive member of the South Coast Labor Council, a Director of the South Coast Workers Medical Centre, and a member of the Community Consultative Committee for the Illawarra Division of General Practice.

As Manager of the Watershed (WCC) for the past 6 years, Will is also on the Executive Committee for Headspace Illawarra.
 

Sandra Pedler , Board member 

Sandra has a background in education, communication, retail management/supervision and welfare. She has worked within WSAHS AOD adolescent residential units and in the NGO sector as a Youth and Family Counsellor. Sandra held the position of Youth and Family Worker with the Ted Noffs Foundation as part of the Youth Drug Court Pilot Program until accepting her present position of Team Leader at WESDARC. Sandra is currently a NADA Board member. Western Sydney Drug and Alcohol Resource Centre Inc. (WESDARC) is a primary prevention organisation funded by Wentworth Area Health Drug and Alcohol Services.
 

Danny Jeffries , Board Member  
 

Since 1974, Danny has been employed in positions of caring for people in health and children’s foster care. CEO of Weigelli Centre Aboriginal Corporation since 1997. Danny was a member of the initial steering committee that established the Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Network (ADAN). He has a strong interest in local Aboriginal community development.
 

Tony Trimmingham , Board member 

Tony Trimingham started Family Drug Support after receiving many phone calls from families suffering the effects of illicit drugs after he went public about the death of his son Damien from a heroin drug overdose. He has been a counsellor and group leader for 20 years and these skills have helped him assist many families who suffer the impact on their lives of family members who use illicit drugs.

In 1998 he was made a founding member of the Australian National Council on Drugs. The appointment was made by the then Prime Minister - Mr John Howard. On Australia Day 1999 he was awarded an Australian Day Medallion by the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia for outstanding achievement in the reduction of alcohol and drug-related harm. The awards panel unanimously agreed that his personal commitment and hard work to support families of people with drug problems and to raise the profile of drug issues from a family perspective merited some measure of public acknowledgment of his exceptional achievements.