chairman
Gail Milner
B.App Science, Post Grad. Dip of Public Health, GAICD
Gail Milner trained as a registered nurse and midwife. She has extensive experience in strategic and operational health policy development, strategic planning, service improvement and health service management, project management, leadership, and performance evaluation in Western Australia.
Gail was a recipient of the Public Service Medal in the Australia Day Honours 2015 for outstanding service to the community and aged care reform, particularly through the establishment and implementation of innovative clinical programs.
Gail previously held the position of the Assistant Director General System Policy and Planning. As a member of the Department of Health’s executive, she was responsible for leading, stewarding and setting the strategic direction for the WA Health system.
Gail joined the Board of Brightwater in September 2017.
grant convenor
Professor Kylie Russell
Professor Kylie Russell RN is the Head of Program Development, Quality and Assessment in the School of Medicine at The University of Notre Dame, Australia. Here she has held previous roles as the Postgraduate Coordinator, Associate Dean and Clinical Placement Coordinator within the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
Kylie has a PhD, a Masters in Health Science (Education), a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management, a Bachelor of Nursing, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Kylie is a member of numerous nursing and research affiliated organisations and committees in Australia and overseas, a member of the RAAFA Divisional Council (Board) and has presented at national and international conferences. She is the recipient of one million dollars in education and research grants and provides supervision to higher degree by research students. Kylie’s current research focuses on support strategies for veterans experiencing homelessness.
treasurer
Annie Thompson
Annie Thompson is a UK trained registered nurse who has worked in Australian health care settings for 30 years.
Over this time, Annie has worked in a wide range of clinical and leadership roles within both public and not-for-profit healthcare settings. Annie is currently the Executive Director of Nursing for Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group and the Area Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services for North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS), where she provides strategic nursing and midwifery advice to the NMHS Board. At both a state and national level, Annie uses her voice to influence and inform professional workforce challenges and to champion digital and virtual care reforms to enhance safe and high-quality patient care.
Previously Annie has worked in major redevelopment projects, including at St John of God Subiaco Hospital as the Deputy Director of Clinical Operations and Redevelopment, as a Project Director for the clinical commissioning of Perth Children’s Hospital and as the Commissioning, Transition and Reconfiguration Lead for Fremantle Hospital and Health Service (FHHS). In this role she planned and delivered the transition of clinical services, staff and patients to commission Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Annie has held executive nursing roles as both the FHHS Executive Director of Nursing Midwifery and Patient Support Services, and as the Area Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Patient Quality & Safety, South Metropolitan Health Service.
She is a published wound care author and has a Masters in Nursing.
Sunita McGowan
Sunita McGowan held the positions of Director of Nursing Research and Evaluation at Fremantle Hospital and Health Service and Adjunct Associate Professor of Nursing at Curtin University prior to retirement.
She was a member of Fremantle Hospital and Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee, Hollywood Private Hospital Scientific Review Committee and The Western Australian Council for Safety and Quality.
Sunita has extensive experience in the design, implementation, management and monitoring of nursing research, evaluation, quality improvement and clinical pathway projects.
She has been the recipient of a number of research grants including a National Health and Medical Research Council grant for a study into the prevention of pressure ulcers.
Sunita has published in the national and international literature.
Ann Callaghan
Ann Callaghan recently retired after a long career as a registered nurse and midwife. She remains, however, keenly interested in the future of the nursing profession.
Ann’s extensive clinical experience includes paediatric, adult, midwifery, geriatric and palliative care. Following post-graduate studies her interests continued in child and family based health research.
In addition to this Trustee role, Ann has had other community interests, serving in several not for profit organisations as a Board member and also as a Board chair.
Secretary
Violet Platt
Violet Platt is the CEO of Palliative Care Victoria and Adjunct Associate Professor at The University of Notre Dame and Edith Cowan University.
Violet has a Masters of Nursing by Research, an Executive Masters of Business Administration and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Violet was the 2016 recipient of the Lifetime Honour Award at the WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards.
Meredith Walker
Meredith Walker is currently employed as a senior nurse leader within the Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group. Meredith’s extensive clinical experience as a registered nurse has spanned for more than 35 years across gastro biliary surgery, abdominal transplantation, renal medicine and comprehensive cancer services. Meredith has held nursing executive roles at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) for the past 15 years.
As part of her SCGH portfolio, Meredith has driven the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards agenda for safe and high-quality nursing care with a focus on clinical deterioration and clinical handover.
Meredith has a Diploma of Applied Science (Nursing), Bachelor of Science (Nursing), Post Graduate Certificate (Health Care Management) and is currently enrolled in a Master of Leadership.
Lisa Vilé
Lisa Vilé has over 25 years of clinical and corporate experience within the public health sector. She has held several senior nursing positions, including most recently as the A/Principal Nursing Advisor for the WA Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office. In this role she led system-wide reform projects to build and strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce in WA.
Having completed a Bachelor of Nursing in Melbourne, Lisa went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Critical Care Nursing through Curtin University, Perth. She has undertaken further studies in project and corporate health management, including a Master of Healthcare Leadership through Southern Cross University.
She is currently leading a project within the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) Program, to deliver statewide and cross-sector reform initiatives.