At our recent Annual General Meeting in November 2024, VAADA held elections for the Board of Directors. There was a strong field of nominees which is reflective of our growing membership and the strength of the Victorian AOD sector. I’m delighted to have been re-elected to the Board, along with my colleague Dale Hardy, Executive Leader Community Partnerships and Integration and Bendigo Community Health Services. We are also thrilled to welcome back Kent Burgess, CEO of Your Community Health, who returns to the Board and will make an important contribution to the direction of our peak body as a former VAADA Vice President.
I am also pleased to advise that the VAADA Board has co-opted Professor Dan Lubman AM, Executive Director Turning Point, to the Board of Directors for the next three years. Dan will bring extensive clinical, academic and leadership experience to the Board and provide strategic leadership to VAADA at a critical time when both the inaugural Victorian AOD Strategy and a new National Drug Strategy are being developed.
Following our first Board meeting in December, the Board has re-elected the existing Executive which will provide strong continuity and governance to the organisation. I was very grateful to be re-elected as President of the Board this year, as I commence what will be my final term on the VAADA Board. Clare Davies, CEO of the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC) has been re-elected as Vice-President with Dom Ennis, General Manager Practice and Service Development at the Youth Support & Advocacy Service (YSAS) re-elected as Treasurer. Both Clare and Dom provide an amazing level of leadership on the Board, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them this year in my role as VAADA President.
I would like to thank all continuing Directors for their support of VAADA and the AOD sector in Victoria over the last year, as well as the VAADA staff and our valued members for their ongoing support, dedication and commitment to the sector.
Dr Tamsin Short
VAADA President
VAADA Board 2025
1 Tamsin Short, President
2 Clare Davies, Vice-President
3 Dom Ennis, Treasurer
4 Josephine Taylor
5 Dale Hardy
6 Cath Peake
7 Richie Goonan
8 Adrian Webber
9 Stefan Gruenert
10 Craig Holloway
11 Kent Burgess
12 Dan Lubman