Who we are

Our people

Liz Waters (CEO), Batman, and Emma Rowell (Family Food Patch Program Manager) serving healthy food from the Well Fed Tasmania truck at the Kennerley Children’s festival, 23 February 2019.

Staff

  • Mel Knuckey – Manager

    Mel Knuckey

    Mel joined the Families Tasmania team in , and has over 14 years experience working in the community sector, with the majority of her career working as a Manager of a Southern Tasmanian Neighbourhood House and a community/youth development worker for a Council in North-West Tasmania. Mel is extremely passionate about making a difference to the lives of others, specifically families, and her values strongly align with the ones that underpin Families Tasmania. As a mum of two children, Mel loves spending quality time with her family and going on adventures. She also enjoys playing social netball, spending time at the beach and volunteering with the Rotary Club of Hobart.

  • Emma Rowell – Family Food Patch Program Manager

    Emma Rowell

    Emma Rowell celebrates ten years with Family Food Patch in . She has an eclectic and rich professional background in media and events coordination, horticulture, tourism and community volunteer management. All these roles have brought her to a place where she can share these diverse skills within one organisation. Emma is passionate about creative community outreach and developing resources and tools that are fun and engaging for Tasmanian families. Living with her daughter in the Tasmanian bush, Emma loves sharing her joy of nature play, photography and bushwalking.

  • Lisa Rushton – Southern Regional Coordinator

    Lisa Rushton

    Lisa joined the Families Tasmania team in 2019 bringing over 20 years’ experience working in the family and community sector. Lisa is passionate about opportunities for connection, conversation, and partnership for families. Lisa adopts a playful approach to work alongside families and believes that through sharing our stories and experiences we can grow in confidence, connection, and community. A mum to three boys who offer endless inspiration, laughter, and learning, Lisa loves the outdoors, camping, jogging, cold water dips, coffee, and conversation. Lisa studied a Diploma of Community Services as a young adult, followed by a Bachelor of Social Science, and most recently a Graduate Diploma Family Dispute Resolution.

  • Susannah Koch – Regional Coordinator North and North West

    Susannah Koch

    Susannah joined the team in , bringing a background in counselling and education and a passion for parenting as a learned skill to Families Tasmania. Her focus is on supporting parents with information, connection and skills to be the parent they most want to be. Susannah is a trained facilitator in a range of parenting programs, and has years of experience in supporting parents with information and workshops on topics including sleep, family food and toileting using up-to-date, evidence-based information.

  • Sarah Johns – Project Manager

    Sarah Johns

    Sarah has worked in the community/social services sector for over eight years in various roles including: supporting parents and children after separation, creating and coordinating youth programs, life coaching and personal growth workshops, and community engagement. Sarah believes strongly in equity and is passionate about creating opportunities for all community members to be seen and heard, to feel empowered and have access to the support they need. As mum to two boys and a new grandmother, Sarah treasures the value of family and savours her other great loves of being in nature, cooking delicious food and sharing time with her cherished friends.

Board members

  • Fiona Miller – President

    Fiona Miller

    Fiona is a Community Building Practitioner who has worked across early years, Maternal and Child Health (Vic) in parent education, with not-for-profits, local government — early years, family violence, disaster recovery and community building, and always in the space of the person-centred lens for innovation. She received a NAPCAN award for her facilitation of CALD supported playgroups that built capacity and understanding for all to be safe. She has actively participated on working groups for a variety of Local, State and Federal early years initiatives, including the Best Start pilot program and the initial development of Tuning in to Kids. Fiona is a facilitator of PPP, Parent Child Mother Goose, Tuning in to Kids and many other early years programs. She advocates for change and the best outcomes for families in Tasmania. Fiona mentors and supports the CFC team and community committee in Launceston.

    Fiona is a member of the Northern Early Years Network, International Association of Community Development and an active member of the Jeder Institute, in which she facilitates strengths-based training and workshops locally, Australia-wide and globally.

    Fiona brings and values respect, relationships, innovation and inclusion and lives by H.O.P.E. — Helping Other Possibilities Emerge.

  • Margaret Carlisle – Vice President

    Margaret Carlisle

    Margaret is originally from Western Australia but has been living in Tasmania for 15 years. In WA, she was a specialised teacher working with children with language impairment or delay. She worked in a specialised school fitted purposely for those children with language impairment — the South East Metropolitan Language Development Centre.

    Since arriving in Tasmania, Margaret has worked with children and parents for over 14 years, with the last 12 years as the Playgroup Coordinator at Goodwood Community Centre.

    Margaret graduated with a Master of Education (Special Needs) from the University of Tasmania, adding to her previous postgraduate degrees in Special Needs. She has also been the recipient of several awards from The Dyslexia Speld Foundation (WA) and was a recipient of the Fogarty Scholarship from Edith Cowan University.

    In her spare time, Margaret is mother and grandmother to a loving family. She loves to stitch both cross stitch and tapestries, garden and complete jigsaws.

  • Rachel Watson – Treasurer

    Rachel Watson

    Rachel joined the Families Tasmania team in October 2022. She is based out of the beautiful Derwent Valley where she lives with her husband and two daughters. She has over 15 years’ experience as a bookkeeper and BAS agent, with a strong passion for not-for-profit organisations. Rachel is a very friendly and happy person, who takes a personal interest in everything she does for others, cheering you on your triumphs right along with you. In her downtime, Rachel loves to spend time with her family, enjoying the outdoors and going on camping trips.

  • Tanya Greenwood – Secretary and Public Officer

    Tanya Greenwood

    Tanya is a project officer with the Fingal Valley Neighbourhood House, delivering the mobile early learning and parenting support program, Building Blocks, which travels across NE Tasmania supporting families and children 0–8 years. Tanya has a background in social welfare, early childhood education and care and was a keen participant in local playgroups and school and sporting groups when her two children were younger. She was previously coordinator of Hub4Health (a not-for-profit community organisation based in St Helens), currently serves as a member of the Break O’Day Employment Connect and Youth Collective North East Coast Tasmania steering committees and is a community representative on the Premier’s COVID-19 Regional Recovery Committee (North). Tanya is passionate about giving every child in Tasmania the opportunity to thrive and grow and to see all families with the support they need to care for their children.

  • Sophie Buchhorn

    Sophie Buchhorn

    Sophie is passionate about creating connected, resilient and empowered Tasmanian communities. Currently on maternity leave, Sophie is a Policy Analyst within the Department of Premier and Cabinet, where she supports communities recovering from emergencies and natural disasters. Sophie brings policy development, strategic management and community development skills and experience to Families Tasmania. Sophie loves watching her two young children enjoy and learn from educational and social experiences. She is excited to join Families Tasmania in supporting all children and their families to build healthy lives.

  • Rachel Climie

    Rachel Climie

    Rachel is a Senior Research Fellow and Clinical Exercise Physiologist at Menzies Institute for Medical Research in Tasmania. Rachel is interested in the prevention of risk factors for heart disease (the leading cause of death worldwide), in particular in people who come from areas of disadvantage. Given that these risk factors commence early in life, Rachel’s research focuses on preventing risk factors from developing in young people by encouraging healthy lifestyles. Rachel strongly believes that all Tasmanians deserve an equal opportunity to live a healthy life and is actively trying to provide this through her research. Rachel loves being in nature, hiking, camping or ocean swimming, reading a good book or in the kitchen cooking up nutritious food for her family and friends.

  • Emily Dargue

    Emily Dargue

    Emily joined the Families Tasmania Board in 2022. She is a mother of two teenagers and lives in Hobart.

    Emily has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 20 years and has a passion for Continuous Quality Improvement. She has vast experience in Quality Assurance and writing Policy and Procedure for service delivery in Community, Family and Children’s Services. Emily currently works for a National organisation and supports services to gain accreditation in a variety of different standards across Mental Health, Alcohol & Other Drugs, Clinical Support and general Community Services. She also has experience with Governance, Risk Management, Impact Measurement, Child and Youth Safe Principles, Learning and Practice Communities, Client Voice and Case Management Frameworks.

    Emily is keen to share her knowledge and experience with the Board and Staff of Families Tasmania to support continued growth, education, and best practice across all services.

  • Kristy Holzner

    Kristy Holzner

    Kristy joined the board of Families Tasmania in late 2022. Kristy has an interest in building a sense of community through sport, recreation and wellbeing. She is an experienced primary school teacher and is currently working in education for children with disability, offering a unique skill set to help Tasmanian families navigate child development, learning and education.