Our People

AWHN Board Office Bearers

Board Members

Bonney Corbin, Chair

Bonney Corbin has been Chair of AWHN since 2020, following Marilyn Beaumont’s long term leadership in the role. Bonney is an urban and regional planner with postgraduate qualifications in public policy and conflict resolution. She has worked at the intersections of women’s rights, gender-based violence and determinants of health for the past 19 years’ in Australia, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the South Pacific.

Bonney currently works at Marie Stopes Australia as their Head of Policy, and is on the Australian Women Against Violence Alliance policy executive. Her other current board appointments include Genetic Alliance Australia and Violence Prevention Australia. Bonney’s previous board appointments include the Planning Institute of Australia, Children by Choice and Working Women’s Centres.

Helen Keleher, Deputy Chair

Helen has recently returned to the AWHN Board, having previously served as a Board member from 1999-2006. In her past role with AWHN, Helen was co-convener of two hugely successful Australian Women’s Health Conferences (in 2000 and 2005).

Helen is now Adjunct Professor with the Schools of Rural Health and Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University.

She is also Director of Keleher Consulting. In this role she works for health and human services with all levels of government, community health and women’s health services, hospitals and non-government organisations.

Helen has significant expertise in women’s health, gender equity, primary health and population health.

She was a Board member of the South-East Melbourne Medicare Local from 2012- 2015, and Chair of Women’s Health in the South-East until October 2016. She is past President and Life Member of the Public Health Association of Australia and was Convenor for the 2017 World Congress on Public Health held in Melbourne. She has also served on committees for many other conferences.

Helen is widely published in journals and has several textbooks including Understanding Health (Oxford University Press, 5th edition will be published in October 2021). Her other co-edited books include Understanding the Australian Health Care System (Elsevier), Health Promotion (OUP), and Community Nursing Practice (Allen and Unwin).

Denele Crozier AM, Treasurer

Denele Crozier is the CEO of Women’s Health NSW the peak body for 21 community Women’s Health Centres in NSW.

Denele has a 39-year history of working in and for community NGO charities specialised in understanding, advocating and promoting women’s health needs from a social model of health care and an understanding of the effects of gender on health outcomes aiming to improve health and welfare services, law, public policy and practice.

Denele is on a variety of Boards and Councils including the Women’s Legal Service NSW, NSW FGM Education Program Advisory Committee.

In 2017 Denele was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.

Patty Kinnersly, Secretary

Patty Kinnersly is Chief Executive Officer of Our Watch, a not-for-profit organisation established to drive nationwide change in the structures, norms and practices that lead to violence against women and their children.

A leading health, welfare and education professional, Patty was Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Health Grampians for nine years, before joining Our Watch in 2015 as Director, Practice Leadership. She was appointed to the chief executive role in June 2018.

Patty has extensive governance experience, serving on the boards of Ballarat Health Services, the Australian Women’s Health Network, Rural Northwest Health, and Child and Family Services Ballarat.

She is currently a member of the Carlton Football Club Board of Directors, the first to oversee its women’s football programs.

Patty lives in regional Victoria.

Annie Flint, Board Member

Annie Flint is the Manager of Paediatrics and Priority Populations in Southern NSW Local Health District. Annie holds a BHSc and has worked in NSW Health for more than 40 years in nursing, mental health and women’s health programs including Family Planning NSW as a Nurse Practitioner and Justice Health as the Manager of the Emu Plains Women’s Correctional Centre medical clinic.

Annie is a strong advocate for women’s health and applying a gendered lens to health systems, she is also passionate about social inclusion and fairness. Annie lives in a small rural town on the far south coast of NSW and is a member of a variety of community based organisations.

Dianne Hill, Board Member

Dianne Hill has over 30 years senior leadership experience in Australia and the United Kingdom in women’s health, community development, housing and homelessness, and aged and community care in government and the not for profit sector including strategic planning, public policy and program development and delivery.

In September 2019, Dianne was appointed CEO of Women’s Health Victoria.

With a strong commitment to women’s health rights, gender equality and social justice Dianne is passionate about using leadership opportunities to influence structural and social change and have a positive impact on the lives of women and girls.

Emma Iwinska, Board Member

Emma is the CEO at Women’s Health Queensland and the President of Ending Violence Against Women Queensland (EVAWQ). Emma is passionate about empowering women and creating structural change to promote equity for all.

Emma has worked in health for more than 25 years where she has supported a diversity of women in wide ranging environments. Emma holds formal qualifications both in health and in higher education. Alongside her health management skills, Emma has a decade of experience teaching in higher education and embraces a philosophy of lifelong learning.

Emma loves working collaboratively and purposefully to create positive change and listening to the experts in women’s lives – women!

Holly Brennan OAM, Board Member

Holly Brennan OAM has worked in women’s health, prevention of violence against women and children, sexual and reproductive health, child protection, sexuality and respectful relationships education and health promotion for over 25 years.

She is currently CEO of the Centre Against Domestic Abuse (CADA) in Moreton Bay region.

Previously, Holly was Manager of Children by Choice, Daniel Morecombe Foundation CEO, the Community Council’s Coordinator for a Primary Health Network (PHN) and the Director of Education and Community Services at Family Planning Queensland.

Jo Flanagan, Board Member

Jo Flanagan is the CEO of Women’s Health Tasmania, a women’s health promotion service which delivers services across Tasmania.

In addition to a background working in women’s services, Jo managed Tasmania’s largest social policy unit for 15 years and has worked extensively in social policy, advocacy and research on a range of social issues affecting Tasmanians.

Jo is on a number of Boards and Committees including the Australian Women’s Health Network, the Tasmanian Foetal Alcohol Syndrome State Coordinating Group, the Tasmanian Government’s Family Violence Consultative Group, and she is co-Chair of the Tasmanian Sexual and Reproductive Health Collaborative Group.

Karen Martin, Board Member

Karen Martin is currently the Manager of MND support services for people living in NSW, ACT and NT. She also sits on the management committee of Family Advocacy an organisation working towards full inclusion for people living with disability. Her work involves supporting women and in particular those in caring roles within Australia’s two tier disability support framework. She qualifications in Psychology, Dementia Care and is currently completing a Masters in Gerontology.

Karen has worked in the area of ageing and disability for 25 years and having experienced significant health issues as a single parent is committed to improving the experiences of women, particularly older women who are increasingly disadvantaged in the health, caring and housing context as well as people living with dementia.

Marilyn Beaumont OAM, Board Member and previous Chair

With a general and psychiatric nursing background Marilyn Beaumont’s career spans many States and national health service provision, policy advocacy, health workforce representation and governance.

She has long history of Board participation including Health Insurance Commission, HESTA, Australian Nursing Council, Hanover Welfare Services to the Homeless, Melbourne Health, Northern Health and Northern Melbourne Medicare Local, and is currently a Board member of Bendigo Health, a major rural regional service in north western Victoria and of the Australian Women’s Health Network National Board.

Marilyn’s work has included being

• State Secretary, Australian Nursing Federation South Australian Branch, 1982 to 1987,
• Federal Secretary, Australian Nursing Federation between 1987 and 1995, and
• Executive Director, Women’s Health Victoria, a statewide women’s health promotion and advocacy service between 1995 and 2010.

She received the Australian Centenary of Federation medal in 2001, was inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2007 and was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2017 for her significant contribution to community in particular to women’s health.

Wendy Abigail, Board Member

If you are an existing AWHN member and wish to express your interest in joining the AWHN Board, please complete the following form. If you have any questions about joining the AWHN Board please contact the AWHN Chair.