Our Board
Cathy Skippington – Chair
Cathy has more than 25 years’ experience across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors as a non-executive Director and Senior Executive. Cathy has worked across a range of areas including environment protection, affordable housing and workplace health and safety. Cathy is a strategic thinker, principled and value driven. As a successful Executive Consultant, Cathy provides advice and training in governance, strategy, business and change management, risk management, safety leadership, stakeholder engagement, organisational culture and performance.
Dr Robert Tanton – Deputy Chair
Robert is a Professor in Economics at the University of Canberra and was Director of the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling from 2015 to 2020. He has advised State, Federal, Local Government and NGO’s on housing; poverty; inequality; and disadvantage. He has been involved in work on the impact of communities on early childhood development through the Kids in Communities collaboration; has led the development of child social exclusion indexes for NATSEM; and indexes of wellbeing for older Australians for The Benevolent Society. He has advised the ACT Government on their Wellbeing framework, and continues to work with the ACT Government on their affordable housing strategy.
Stephen Brand
Stephen is a professional social worker who has spent most of his career working across mental health services in Sydney and rural NSW. Stephen has extensive managerial experience, although his clinical work with people who have mental illnesses and their families is where his focus lies.
A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Stephen was Senior Manager for policy and advocacy for the Australian Association of Social Workers. For 12 years he held a position on the board of Neami National, a national NGO providing mental health services across five states, four of those years as Chair.
Matt Sierp
Matt joined the Board in 2017 and is an experienced, client focused and dedicated health professional with over 30 years’ experience in the aged care industry. Matt has a wealth of experience in community, retirement communities and care centres and has developed his clinical and business management expertise while providing effective executive leadership for a number of aged care organisations.
Matt recently retired as CEO of a not-for-profit aged care organisation and is currently providing support to aged care organisations in building retirement villages in a part time role. Matt is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ram Naik
Ram joined the Board in early 2020 and brings a wealth of financial management and accounting experience to Northside. He has almost 20 years experience in the accounting and finance field. He has held leadership and management roles across national and international companies, government departments and not-for-profit organisations. He currently serves as Director of Finance and ICT at Directions Health Services in Canberra.
Dr Sandie Wong
Sandie is a Professor in Early Childhood at the Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University and currently holds a four-and-a-half year Senior Research Fellowship with Goodstart Early Learning. Sandie has worked as an academic, manager, researcher, evaluator, educator, consultant and nurse, within a range of early childhood, academic and health organisations. She is committed to working in collaborative, strengths-based ways, to lead and support high quality research, evaluation and practitioner enquiry that contributes to best practice in early childhood.
James Tonkin
James has 25+ years’ experience in the corporate sector where his work in corporate real estate markets has seen him focus on building strong leadership, corporate governance and best practice financial and risk management approaches. He also has experience supporting indigenous businesses strengthen their business systems to support success. Through his work, he has seen the importance of teams developing effective business practices to ensure success. James joined the Board in 2022 as an opportunity to give back to the community in which he lives. As an inner northside resident, he sees the direct impact of the diverse range of services that Northside Community Service delivers to create a fair and inclusive community. James is a keen cyclist and can be found on the inner north netball courts and rugby fields supporting his teenage kids on Saturdays.
Nour Al-Asmar
From navigating diverse cultures to empowering young minds at diverse sectors like health, telco and consulting, Nour brings a vibrant tapestry of experience to the Northside Community Service Board. With a heart for social justice and a mind honed in consulting, she joined firms like RSM, Aurecon, Synergy, and Noetic, she thrives on solving problems. Nour believes in building bridges. Her multicultural background fuels her passion for creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome and empowered. Whether facilitating workshops or advocating for refugee rights, she injects her strategic thinking and collaborative spirit into every endeavor. Driven by the conviction that community thrives when individuals do, Nour champions initiatives that: amplify marginalized voices, unleash potential and celebrate diversity. Beyond her professional endeavors, Nour is a wife and mother of three amazing children. Loves the Canberran outdoors and deeply invested in community well-being. Recognizing the value of diversity, she draws on her multicultural background and experiences having lived and studied in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Australia, and possesses a unique understanding of intercultural communication, opportunities and sensitivities. She also holds a Bachelor of IT and Masters in Marketing, and is a Prosci® certified Change Practitioner.