Governance and financials

Travers McLeod is BSL’s Executive Director, responsible for the day-to-day management of the activities of BSL as delegated by the Board.

In April 2022, Travers joined BSL from the Centre for Policy Development - an independent Australian policy institute he led as CEO for eight years and remains connected with as a Senior Fellow. In his first year at BSL, Travers has already made significant impact by speaking at the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit in September 2022 and being appointed to the interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee that will make recommendations to the Federal Government prior to each Budget.

He began his career in public law, working for the State Solicitor’s Office in Western Australia and for Justice Michael Kirby in the High Court of Australia.

Travers holds a DPhil and MPhil (Dist) in International Relations from Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes scholar and was a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations. Travers worked as a Policy Adviser for the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford, playing a lead role in their 2013 report Now for the Long Term. He is the author of Rule of Law in War, which was published by Oxford University Press in 2015. Travers remains an Associate Fellow of the Oxford Martin School and holds adjunct positions at the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia. He is a board member of the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture and an occasional moderator for the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership.

Travers grew up in Exmouth and Perth in Western Australia and is married to a Kiwi. They and their two young daughters now call Melbourne home.

‍

Dr Lucia Boxelaar was Deputy Executive Director until May 2023, having previously led BSL’s portfolio of community programs – Children’s Programs, Youth Services, Work, Economic Security and Social Inclusion and Strategic Partnerships.

Lucia joined BSL in November 2018, after being with World Vision Australia for 11 years where she led teams that managed, researched and developed large-scale programs. She also led two global strategic initiatives for World Vision International to promote evidence capture, utilisation and communication.

Lucia has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Anthropology from Monash University, and a PhD in Community Based Natural Resource Management from the University of Melbourne.

Karli Middlewood is BSL’s Chief Operating Officer, managing functions including People and Culture, Volunteer Engagement, Facilities and Assets, and Information, Communication and Technology.

In March 2023, Karli joined BSL with a wealth of commercial and financial acumen from working in technology and innovation. She joins BSL after being General Manager of Finance (CFO) at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Hailing from the United States, Karli started her career in finance at Intel Corporation, where she worked for nearly a decade with innovative teams across the globe before gaining experience in marketing, start-ups and business development. Since moving to Australia, Karli has supported organisations undergoing significant transformation, including industries in energy, aviation, digital media and healthcare. She also held seats on the Finance and Risk Board Committee of the Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH) and Alumni Board of the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management.

Karli holds an MBA from the University of California, San Diego, specialising in finance and entrepreneurship.  

Julie Ware is BSL’s Chief Services Officer, providing strategic and practice leadership of our services portfolio including Children, Youth and Inclusion, Aged Care Services, and Disability Services

In March 2023, Julie joined BSL with over three decades of experience managing complex portfolios in health and human services, focusing on service delivery and system reform. She joined BSL having served as COO of complex services at ermha365 and Chief Experience and Innovation Officer at Scope Australia.

Julie started her career in health and has worked in a range of social service settings, before going on to develop national and state policy on health, disability, justice, and mental health whilst in government.

She has held senior executive roles in a range of community organsiations, developing and transforming areas such as quality and continuous improvement; client safeguarding, experience and outcomes; knowledge translation; service model innovation and redesign; and research and innovation. She has a deep understanding of the intersectionality of social challenges.

Julie holds a Bachelor of Health Science, a Postgraduate Diploma in Community Health, and a Masters in Health Services Management.

Zeah Behrend is BSL’s Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, leading strategy implementation and supporting the Social Policy and Research Centre (SPARC), and Communications, Marketing and Fundraising teams.

In March 2023, Zeah joined BSL from Life Without Barriers where she was leading strategy implementation as the Director, Strategic Initiatives and Governance, Child Youth and Family.

Zeah brings a passion for social justice and diverse experience working in strategy, policy, and operational roles in not-for-profit, commercial, and government organisations. Zeah’s early career grew from her work as a youth advocate, beginning at the NSW Commission for Children and Young People and working in professional services conducting service reviews, program evaluations and strategy development for a variety of clients. Since moving to Melbourne, she has held senior roles at Save the Children Australia, Child Wise, and Liberty Financial.

Zeah holds an MBA and Bachelor of Social Science.

Susan joined BSL in 2016 as Head of Early Childhood Early Intervention, within the NDIS team and moved to the role of Deputy Director of NDIS in 2019.

Susan has worked in Business Development, Early Childhood Inclusion and Direct service provision in the disability field.

Susan has a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, Master of Occupational Therapy, Diploma of Management and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Director.

The Children, Youth and Inclusion Program division includes four departments including: Strategic Partnerships, Children’ Programs, Youth Services and Work, Economic Security and Social Inclusion (WESSI).

Melinda joined BSL in 2013 as a Project Lead in the Home Integration Program for Parents and Youngsters and in 2018 moved to WESSI as the Head of Department. Prior to joining BSL Melinda worked in the child and family services sector for more than 25 years and has extensive experience in service delivery, service development and project management.

Melinda has a Bachelor in Social Work (RMIT) and Master of Social Work (University of Melbourne).

Niamh O’Malley began leading the Shared Services division in September 2018.

The Shared Services division comprises People Services, IT, Volunteer Services and Facilities and Assets.

Niamh joined BSL in 2011 as an HR Consultant and was promoted to Senior Manager, Retail the following year and General Manager, Social Enterprises in 2015. Niamh’s team-building leadership was instrumental to the successful restructuring and rebranding of our community stores, redevelopment of the warehousing and logistics functions, and the growth of Brotherhood Books.

Niamh has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Graduate Certificate (Human Resources Management), and she is a board member of Foodbank Victoria.

Lisa joined BSL Aged Care Division in 2002, and was Senior Manager - Community Care from 2010 to 2016. During this time, Lisa managed and executed a comprehensive change strategy to facilitate the transition of BSL’s service model to consumer directed care. In an environment of constant change within the BSL NDIS and as a senior team member, Lisa has facilitated and implemented NDIS’s strategic vision in operations through service design, management and delivery of high quality services and partnerships for the Division.

Lisa has a Master of Business Administration, (MBA) and a Graduate Diploma of Business (E-business and communication) from Swinburne University, and a Graduate Diploma of Education (Health) from Deakin University.

Sonia Bijelic led the Marketing and Engagement Division, which encompasses fundraising, public relations, marketing and BSL’s social enterprise businesses.

An experienced senior leader, Sonia came to BSL in 2018 with a strong track record of success working across numerous organisations and industries, including sport, entertainment, hospitality, telecommunications, consumer packaged goods and financial services.

Sonia was recognised as one of Australia’s top 50 chief marketing officers in the 2017 IDG ranking.

Before joining BSL, Sonia was head of marketing at Cricket Australia. She holds a Master’s degree in Marketing and lectures in the subject at Swinburne University.

Rodney joined BSL in 2011, leading a business transformation for the Social Enterprises division. He was appointed General Manager of Business Development and has facilitated planning for consumer directed care.

Before joining BSL, Rodney worked at IBM, AMP, Optus and the ASX. He also co-founded an online stock market information provider.

Rodney has a Bachelor of Science and Mathematics in Business Information Technology. He is an Associate with CPA Australia and serves on the boards of three community organisations.

Professor Shelley Mallett led the research and policy work of BSL and had a joint position with the University of Melbourne as a Professorial Fellow of Social Policy.

Professor Shelley Mallett leads the research and policy work of BSL, and has a joint position with the University of Melbourne as a Professorial Fellow of Social Policy.

Her career has been diverse, spanning service delivery, service development and training as well as academic research and teaching. Shelley began her professional life as a speech pathologist, moving on to parent-adolescent mediation and counselling before developing an academic career in sociology and anthropology.

Shelley has held positions at Melbourne City Mission and Hanover Welfare Services. Her research interests are youth transitions, the role of the not-for-profit sector and the future of social security. Shelley is a board member of the Council for Homeless Persons.