Meet the Board

ECIA VIC/TAS is governed by a united and cohesive Board of Directors who are committed to supporting young children with developmental concerns and/or disability and their families.

Liz Kelly | Chair

An experienced non-executive director with a strong background in financial management, governance, strategy, and people and culture across the private, public, and community sectors, Liz brings valuable lived experience of disability and ECI and understands the vital role early support plays in improving outcomes for children and families. Liz’s areas of expertise include audit and risk, corporate governance, law, disability and inclusion, and strategic human resources. She holds qualifications in organisational psychology, workplace training and assessment, and mediation.

Roxanne Higgins | Deputy Chair

Roxanne is an experienced early childhood intervention professional with a diverse background spanning the non-profit, IT, government, and private sectors. She is deeply committed to social justice, inclusion, and ensuring children and families receive the support they need to reach their goals. Roxanne brings strong expertise in operations, with a focus on relationship building, leading transformational change, and exploring new innovations and opportunities that help families thrive in their communities.

Leonie Beagley | Treasurer

Leonie is an experienced finance professional with over 20 years' experience across professional services and the not-for-profit healthcare sector. Leonie has found working alongside various leadership groups within the health sector highly rewarding. She values the opportunity to drive meaningful outcomes and contribute to achieving strategic and improvement goals. Leonie strongly believes in fairness, equality, and ensuring all families and children have timely access to the supports they need.

Mel Thompson | Director

Mel is a dedicated early childhood practice lead with extensive experience in early childhood intervention. She has supported children and families directly and held leadership roles across local government, community health, not-for-profit, and private sectors. Mel has led teams of allied health professionals and educators, demonstrating a strong commitment to best practice and team development. She is passionate about the sector’s evolution and the opportunities that ongoing change brings for children, families, and professionals.

Anne Muir | Director

Anne has a wealth of experience in the early childhood sector with over 25 years working extensively across the non-profit sector as a practitioner and manager in early childhood intervention service delivery. Anne has had a long-standing relationship with ECIA VIC/TAS and is passionate about high quality services and supports for children and families. She is a strong advocate for best practice as a foundation for achieving best outcomes for children and families.

Sara Donoghue | Director

Sara is an experienced speech pathologist with local and international experience across not-for-profit, education, and health sectors. In recent years Sara has specialised in autism and holds qualifications in speech pathology, clinical leadership, and sensory integration. Sara has held senior leadership roles focused on clinical governance and service quality. Sara is passionate about nurturing children through a multidisciplinary, evidence-based, and trauma-informed approaches that support inclusive, positive environments for all children.

Paul Leyden | Director

Paul is an experienced nurse with over 20 years in mental health, supporting children, youth, adults, and families. He has held senior leadership roles across mental health, women’s and children’s services, and surgery. Paul has broad experience in governance, service improvement, and risk management. He holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Mental Health. Paul is committed to creating equal opportunities and brings this focus to his work with ECIA VIC/TAS.

Chris McClelland | Director

Chris has had an extensive career with over 25 years of experience in early childhood education and intervention. Chris has held senior roles with the Victorian Department of Education and the NDIA, including as Branch Manager, Early Childhood Services. In this role, she worked across governments and the sector to lead strategy and policy for the NDIS early childhood approach. Chris is passionate about best practice and improving outcomes for children and families within an integrated early childhood ecosystem.

David Halstead | Director

David has practiced law since 1970 and is an accredited specialist in personal injury law. A former managing and senior partner, he now works part-time with a national plaintiff law firm, advising on privacy, conflict of interest, claims, complaints, and insurer relations. This role also includes mentoring lawyers and others. David previously served as a local government councillor for the City of Fitzroy. He has a strong interest in health law, regulation, and how organisations function.

Leadership

Sally Moore | CEO

An ECIA VIC/TAS member for over 15 years, Sally brings 30+ years of experience in early childhood and primary education across NSW, Victoria, and Hong Kong. For the past 15 years, Sally has specialised in disability, working in early childhood intervention at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Melbourne City Mission. With over seven years in leadership, Sally focuses on building high-performing teams that foster innovation, support professional growth, and deliver positive, lasting outcomes for children, families, and the broader community.

Learn more about the advocacy and professional development work we do across the ECI sector.