Health Service Board

Board Members

Rebecca Strom

Rebecca is a non-executive director and lawyer with experience in the public, private and not-for profit sectors. She is a former national law firm Partner, having worked across Australia in commercial real estate for over 20 years. Rebecca has brought her significant commercial and governance expertise to the Board since July 2018. Rebecca is also currently on the Board of Landgate, including its People, Environment and Sustainability Committee; and the Board of Housing Choices Western Australia, which forms part of a national not-for profit community housing provider. She has previously held roles on the Executive, Finance and Property Committee of the Western Australian Planning Commission; the Department of Planning Audit and Risk Committee; and was a member of the WA Netball League Tribunal Panel.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Sydney University and is a member and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Rebecca took on the NMHS Deputy Chair role in May 2021 and has recently stepped down from the Audit and Risk Committee Chair role after more than 5 years.

Hear from Rebecca Strom here (external site) about her role on the NMHS Board.

Adjunct Associate Professor Karen Gullick NMHS Deputy Board Chair

Karen brings significant experience in health leadership and executive roles to the Board. She spent more than 30 years in leadership roles in health care organisations in the public and private sectors in both metropolitan and rural contexts. . A practising registered nurse, Karen has a Master of Science (Nursing), is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Managers (FACHSM), and a Certified Health Executive (CHE), a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). She is a member of the Juniper (Uniting Church) Aged Care Board. She jointly coordinates the Fellowship Program in WA for the ACHSM. She has been appointed as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University.

Jahna Cedar OAM
NMHS Board Member

A Nyiyaparli / Yindjibarndi woman from the Pilbara region, Jahna is recognised as a strong Indigenous community leader. She has worked for more than 20 years advocating for equal rights and reconciliation on behalf of Indigenous people, representing their interests at the United Nations in New York on three occasions. An executive director at IPS Management Consultants, Jahna holds a Diploma of Business Management, Bachelor of Business Management and Master of Business Administration. In 2017, she was named Business News 40 under 40 First Among Equals, taking the top honour in a field of business and community leaders. In 2020, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Indigenous community of Western Australia. In 2022, she was named the Western Australian recipient of the Australian Awards for Excellence in Women’s Leadership. The awards celebrate exceptional female leaders, particularly those who have made outstanding contributions to equality.

Associate Professor Mathew Coleman
NMHS Board Member

Mathew is a highly experienced Consultant Psychiatrist with the WA Country Health Service and a Clinical Academic and Associate Professor in Rural and Remote Mental Health Practice with the Rural Clinical School of WA, The University of Western Australia. In addition, he is self-employed in private practice as a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Great Southern Specialist Centre in Albany. Within his clinical and academic positions, Mathew largely focuses on the mental health of Australians living in rural and remote communities, including substance use disorders and addiction, youth mental health, Aboriginal cultural safety in mainstream health services and the epidemiology of methamphetamine related harms in rural and remote WA. Following completion of his medical qualifications, Mathew was awarded fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 2013.

Angela Edwards
NMHS Board Member

Angela has an extensive background in human resources, industrial relations, change management, organisational development and stakeholder management in both commercial organisations and not for profit. She is currently Chief People Officer – Telethon Kids Institute. Angela is also a board member of the not-for-profit cancer support group, Blue Dot Army.

Hear from Angela Edwards here (external site) about her role on the NMHS Board.

Anthony (Tony) Evans
NMHS Board Member

Tony is a certified practising accountant with extensive commercial, financial and corporate governance experience in the health, aged care, education, insurance, property, resources, government and not-for-profit sectors. He is an experienced non-executive director and has been a member of a number of boards and committees, including the RAC; Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee; Optometry Board of Australia; Therapeutic Guidelines; Australasian College for Emergency Medicine; Local Government Insurance Scheme; and Central Regional TAFE. Tony has a Bachelor of Business and a postgraduate Diploma in Education and is a Fellow of CPA Australia, the Governance Institute of Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Renae Farmer
NMHS Board Member

Renae has an extensive background in financial management with private and public sector organisations across a variety of industries, including healthcare. She is a Chartered Accountant and senior finance executive. Currently the Director of Finance APAC at Normet Group, Renae previously worked in senior roles with BCI Minerals, St John of God Health Care, Water Corporation of Western Australia and WesTrac. Renae brings experience from board roles across a variety of community-based organisations.

Angela Komninos

Ms Komninos is the Deputy State Solicitor (Commercial) at the State Solicitor’s Office, where she specialises in large construction and social and economic infrastructure projects. Ms Komninos has been a key adviser to government on projects including Metronet, Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre Car Park, NIB Stadium, 140 William St development, Perth to Mandurah railway tunnel, CBD Courts development, State Agreements and the Department of Health.

Associate Professor Lewis MacKinnon
NMHS Board Member

Lewis is a self-employed GP and Principal of Skye Medical Armadale, which he established in 2016. He commenced as Dean of General Practice at Curtin University in 2022, becoming Director of Clinical Placement the following year. Lewis is active in GP networks, specialist taskforces and advisory bodies at departmental, health service provider and college level and active in training of trainee GPs. He is currently a member of the WA Maternal Mortality Committee. Following the completion of his medical qualifications, Lewis was awarded fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK and of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is completing a Master of Business Administration.

Dr Ian Rogers
NMHS Board Member

Ian has a strong background in emergency and acute health care as well as healthcare management and clinical oversight. He previously worked as an emergency physician in public and private health organisations before retiring from medical practice in 2022. A former professor of emergency medicine and academic, Ian has held board roles in a variety of medical, university and community-based organisations, including with St John Ambulance WA from 2012 until 2022.