Our Board

Professor Geraldine Mackenzie is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southern Queensland. Prior to joining the University in September 2017 she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Southern Cross University.

Professor Mackenzie returns to USQ having been Foundation Head of the University’s School of Law in 2007 and 2008, before she took up senior executive positions at Bond University: Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business and Community Engagement), Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), and Executive Dean, Faculty of Law. Prior to joining USQ in 2007 she held various senior roles at QUT, and served on QUT Council for nine years. She has had a strong commitment throughout her career to widening participation in higher education, particularly in Australia’s regional areas, flexible learning opportunities and encouraging a strong link between the University and business, government, industry and the community.

In addition to her extensive organisational leadership experience, Professor Mackenzie has a PhD in sentencing law from the University of New South Wales and many years’ experience teaching in higher education. Her research interests are in law and public policy. A Barrister-at-Law and lawyer since 1985, she is a member of the Queensland Bar Association, American Bar Association and the International Bar Association.

Professor Mackenzie has held a number of senior positions at State and Federal level including Deputy Chair, Universities Australia DVC (Research) Committee; Co-Chair, Universities Australia Executive Women; Chair, NSW DVC (Research) Committee; Chair, RUN Research group; Chair, RUN Executive Women; Chair, Humanities and Creative Arts panel, Australian Research Council College of Experts; Chair, Queensland Selection Panel American/Australian Fulbright Commission, and was an executive member of the Council of Australian Law Deans.

Professor Mackenzie is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an experienced company director.

On being appointed to both the Ipswich Base Hospital and Mater children’s Hospitals as a consultant paediatrician in 1975 Bob was determined to make a difference. As Ipswich’s first paediatrician, his first task was to bring the primordial paediatric services at Ipswich Hospital up to an acceptable standard. This involved significant upgrades to the Special Care Nursery for premature newborns. In collaboration with local service clubs and community groups he succeeded in raising nearly $10000 in the first 12 months. That year he was instrumental in setting up the Ipswich Hospital Children’s Ward Amenities Fund, serving as its chair for the next 35 years. Over this time the organisation provided approximately $110,000 for medical equipment and various amenities for special care nursery and the Sunshine Children’s Ward. In 2015 this fund closed and passed accumulated earnings of approximately $45,000 to the Sunshine Children’s Ward Appeal run by the Ipswich Hospital Foundation.
Bob has served in many capacities over his working life. At Ipswich Hospital he arranged for upgrading its status to a teaching hospital for the University of Queensland and was responsible for establishing an effective program exposing students to both primary and secondary levels of paediatric care. He subsequently negotiated with the Royal Australian College of Physicians to establish a rotating paediatric registrar ship accredited for basic training. In 1991 Ipswich Hospital became the first nontertiary hospital within Australia to be so accredited. He served for 36 years as a Member and Chair of the Ipswich Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team for West Moreton region.
Bob has been proactive in developing health care services throughout the West Moreton Region since 1991 when he was appointed to the West Moreton Regional Health Authority Board. He has since served at the highest level after subsequently being appointed to the West Moreton Regional Health Council and then as a foundation Member of the West Moreton Hospital health services Board in 2012.
Bob continues to serve as a Member of the Ipswich Hospital Foundation Board since his appointment in 2000. Over the years he has been involved in many initiatives as chair of the Grants and Health Initiative Committee and sponsored healthy communities research with the University of Queensland. Bob has also served as Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee of St Andrews Hospital Ipswich since 2006.
Bob has been an active member of community service clubs, as a Board Member of the Moggill-Mt Crosby club for over 30 years and more recently as a Board Member of the Rotary Club of Ipswich City as its Director of Fundraising. Bob has held many other positions over the years particularly on the Board of the Asthma Foundation of Queensland and the Epilepsy Association of West Moreton and has contributed many articles and presentations to the local press, the family Medicine Program and to his College. He has received many citations and honours, most recently the 2014 Queensland Senior Australian of the Year, a Queen’s Baton Holder for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 West Moreton Child Protection Award. He also was awarded the Lions International Melvin Jones Fellowship for outstanding Community Service, its highest citation, in 1994.

Lana joined the Board in 2018. Lana is a legal practitioner who has recently started her own law firm. Lana has been in the legal profession for approximately 10 years. Having studied at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, she obtained a double degree; a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science. Lana and her small family have lived in the Ipswich region for approximately seven years and have established strong community connections during that time. During her time on the Board, Lana has developed a passion for broadening her knowledge and experience in the area of governance.

Sue Scheinpflug is a board member of West Moreton Health. Sue has more than 20 years of experience as a CEO. Most recently Sue was CEO of Brisbane South Primary Health Network. Sue is currently the Chair of Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners, a community board member of the Parole Board Queensland and a board member of CPL – Choice, Passion, Life.
Sue holds qualifications in education and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has held numerous advisory and policy development roles at local, state and national government levels, and has won awards as a business and community leader, including the 2009 Queensland Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Award. Sue and her family have a long association with the West Moreton Community having first lived in Ipswich in 1982.

Greg Chemello has some 35 years’ professional and management experience, generally in the property and development sectors. Greg has held senior professional, management and leadership roles with both property asset owners and advisory/consulting businesses and organisations within organisations undergoing significant change.

With a background of development manager/director roles with both private and public sector development projects, Greg has extensive business management experience and has demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, corporate governance, change management, commercial negotiation and stakeholder management and communication.

In August 2018, Greg was appointed by the Queensland Government as Interim Administrator of Ipswich City Council following dissolution of the Council by the Queensland Parliament. Greg was responsible for ensuring Ipswich City Council delivered accountable, effective, efficient and sustainable local governance in the best long term interests of Ipswich residents and ratepayers. This involved a significant program of reform and refocus of the council, towards leading local governance principles, policies and operations.

He is currently Chief Executive Officer of Moreton Bay Regional Council, the third largest local government in Australia. Greg is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and has been a Director of a range of companies over the past 28 years. Greg joined the Board in December 2019.

Dr Margaret Cook is a history lecturer at the University of Sunshine Coast and holds Honorary Research Fellow positions at La Trobe University and University of Queensland. She has been a freelance historian for many years, working in the heritage, museum, government and private sectors and publishing on numerous topics, including “A Hard and Nobel Life”, a history of nursing the Ipswich Hospital. She is an active member of the Ipswich community and was added to the Ipswich Heritage Hall of Fame in 2015.
Margaret served on the Queensland Heritage Council (1998-2006) including three years as Deputy Chair. She was also Councillor of the National Trust of Queensland (1997-2003), including terms as Vice President and Secretary, and an executive member of the Professional Historians Association at state and national level (1995-2003).
Margaret joined the Board in January 2020.

Kerrie is a highly respected and experienced executive with more than 15 years' in leadership of health care delivery and transformative change.

She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Community Health, Bachelor of Business, Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds an Adjunct Professorship at The University of Queensland. Kerrie is also a Board Director for Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners, a research collaborative.

Before joining West Moreton Health as Chief Executive, Kerrie led health services in New Zealand, remote Queensland and quaternary health services at Children’s Health Queensland. She also has senior executive experience in purchasing health services ($11.5 billion), implementing large scale digital change (>$30 million), redeveloping hospital infrastructure ($>168 million) and leading organisational cultural improvement.

Her driving passion is to serve the community, ensuring health services meet community needs and expectations by taking a population health approach to health strategy.

Vivienne is a marketing communication and fundraising professional with over 30 years’ in senior roles in the not-for-profit and corporate sectors.
Vivienne holds qualifications in Journalism, Marketing and has a Master of Business majoring in Communication Management. She is a member with both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Fundraising Institute of Australia and is on the board of MS Queensland where she chairs the Philanthropic Relations Committee
Since 2018, Vivienne has worked as the Development Manager, Philanthropy for the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF), a national not for profit which exists for the greater good of rural, regional and remote Australia. Her experience at the ARLF and in previous NFP roles, gives her an understanding of the issues and challenges that NFPs face. Vivienne became an Ipswich Hospital Foundation Board Member in October 2020.

Laura is an Executive finance and governance leader with a passion for bringing commercial thinking to the not-for-profit sector. A graduate of the University of Technology, Sydney, Laura holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Information Technology. During the completion of her MBA in 2016, Laura was nominated for the Zonta Prize for most outstanding female graduate within the degree
Laura is a CPA member and has had various roles within compliance, financial management and strategy development. Currently working as Commercial Director (CFO) and Company Secretary at Stuartholme School, Laura’s accomplishments have included leading the development of new risk management framework, launching a fundraising strategy based on building community, and improving financial stability of the school through years of funding changes.
Over the past ten years, Laura has team leader, mentor and participant in the Can Too Program fundraising for the Cure Cancer Australia Foundation in both Sydney and Brisbane. An Ipswich local, Laura became a Board Member with the Ipswich Hospital Foundation in October 2020.