Board & Executive Team
Meet the Rivmed Board
Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation’s Board is made up of community elected Directors and Skills Based Directors.
Judith Johnson
Chairperson
Aunty Judith (Judy) Johnson is a respected Elder in the Wagga Wagga community who has served as Former Director and Chair of Griffith LALC, Former Director of Dyrri Bang-Gu Aboriginal Aged Care and Former Director of Griffith AMS.
Max Lyons
Deputy Chairperson
Max Lyons is a diligent and hard-working individual, with extensive experience working in Aboriginal Organisations and having connections to Aboriginal communities, always looking to expand his knowledge and skillset. He is currently a First Nations Adviser at the Charles Sturt University and has held roles within the Australian Unity Aboriginal Home Care including Service Coordinator and Community Access Coordinator.
Simone Sheriff
Director
Simone Sherriff is a Wotjobaluk woman, currently working at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Sydney, based in Wagga Wagga. She has a Graduate Diploma of Indigenous Health Promotion, a Masters of Public Health and has just finished her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Simone is also on the committee for the Wurega Aboriginal Corporation in Horsham. She brings skills in community-led research and program design in child and maternal health, food security, and breastfeeding, and has extensive connections in Aboriginal health research across Australia. Simone is passionate about supporting Aboriginal organisations and peoples to gain further skills and training in research to develop and apply for funding grants to lead their own research around community priority areas to inform programs and policies.
David Mandel
Independent Director
David Mandel is one of the independent Directors of the RivMed Board. Based in Melbourne, David has a considerable business acumen, having garnered experience across executive leadership roles and a portfolio of non-executive appointments in both ASX listed, private and not-for-profit organisations. David has made valuable contributions to Boards across the health service, medical therapy and devices, biotech, software and FMCG sectors. After nine years on the Board of the Melbourne Children’s hospital and his time on this and another ACCHO, he brings the best of Clinical Governance in a culturally safe manner, to RivMed.
Hasantha Gunasekera
Independent Director
Professor Hasantha Gunasekera (Has) is the Professor of Paediatric Priority Populations for the Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School (University of Sydney), where he trained and then worked as a paediatrician for the last quarter century He has worked in Aboriginal health since 2000 and has a particular interest in Aboriginal ear disease, refugee health and the importance of improving child health for a health lifecourse. He was a Chief Investigator on SEARCH (Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health) and from that work, set up and still helps manage HEALS (Hearing Earhealth And Language Services) partnering with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across NSW, including Rivmed since 2013, to provide much needed ENT and speech services. Has is on the Board of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Health, has been an advocate for #KidsoffNauru, and also teaches medical students in the Sydney University Medical Program, including Aboriginal health sessions alongside our Aboriginal faculty. He will bring his passion, clinical, academic and advocacy experience to the Board to hopefully help advance the goal of positive health and wellbeing across the Lifecourse for First Nations children in the Riverina
Bernard Higgins
Director
Bernard Higgins is a proud Wiradyuri man who was born in Wagga Wagga. His family moved to Leeton when he was 4 and he grew up there but with family connections in Wagga Wagga they would always visit. Moving back to Wagga Wagga in 2013, Bernard attended Charles Sturt University where he has so far completed a Bachelors of Animation and Visual Effects, A Bachelor of Science (Honours) First Class, and the Graduate Certificate in Wiradyuri Language, Culture, and Heritage.
Meet Our Executive Team
Peta Larsen
Chief Executive Officer
Paul Locker
HR Manager
Natalie Smith
Clinical Manager
Felix Machiridza
Programs Manager FFT
Tangerene Ingram
Mental Health and Wellbeing Manager
Cecily Lyons
PSP OoHC Manager / Principal Officer
Michelle Little
Practice Manager
