Our Board
Pushpa Vaghela
Board Chair
Pushpa is an internationally recognised expert in developing leaders, an author and executive peak performance coach. A former accountant, tax auditor and clinical neuro practitioner, Pushpa has trained leaders in Fortune 500 companies for over 15 years.
Dedicated to serving others, Pushpa is the founder of three organisations, including the Women’s Mentoring Foundation (WMF), a charity that aids women in poverty and/or suffering from distress, grief and trauma. Pushpa is familiar with the mental health needs in vulnerable populations and uses these experiences to inform her role as Board Chair for Mind Blank.
Pushpa sits on several global organisational boards and has won multiple awards for her service, mentoring, business achievements and speaking skills. She holds a Masters in Accounting from BPP Law School and a Bachelor of Psychology from University of Leicester.
Ally Kelly
Founder and CEO
Ally Kelly is the CEO & Founder of Mind Blank. As a child and teen, Ally served as carer for her suicidal mother. This experience led her to become a social advocate and believer in early intervention. Combined with her love of the creative arts, Ally established Mind Blank in 2011.
In the past 12 years, Ally has received multiple awards recognising her hard work on behalf of Mind Blank. In 2017, Ally won the Mental Health Matters Award for Mental Health Promotion, in 2019, she was presented the Mental Health Services Award for Mental Illness Prevention and in 2021, Ally was recognized in the Suicide Prevention Australia LiFE Awards in the category of Outstanding Contribution for Queensland. This national award showcases the important work of suicide prevention and support of people affected by suicide across Australia.
Ally has a Bachelor of Creative Arts, Performance, Psychology from University of Wollongong, a Master of Arts, Social Justice, Social Inequality and Humanitarian Affairs from Griffith University and a Higher Degree Research in Program Evaluation, also from Griffith University.
Megan Anderson
Megan Anderson is a psychologist with expertise in evaluation, capacity building, strategic planning, education management, research, project management and policy development. Her projects have bridged higher education, healthcare and NGO sectors.
In addition to her work with Mind Blank, Megan has served as a board member for the Child Abuse Prevention Service, Boundary Lane Children’s Centre, the Lilian Howell Project and the Australian Evaluation Society.
Megan has a Bachelor of Science, Psychology, a Bachelor of Arts, Sociology and a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology, all from the University of New South Wales.
Kim Chamberlain
A former Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Treasurer and Foreign Exchange Risk Manager, Kim has extensive experience and knowledge in corporate financial management. She is currently a Finance and Strategy Manager for an information technology company.
Given her finance background, Kim helps oversee Mind Blank’s budget, funding, and accounting activities to safeguard the organisation’s corporate finances and assets.
Having witnessed her own children struggle with their mental health in recent years, Kim is passionate about supporting those suffering from poor mental health and finding engaging ways to promote best practices within the community.
Kim obtained her Bachelor of Business in Accounting and Finance from Queensland University of Technology and a Masters of Analytics from University of New South Wales.
Devon Cuimara
Devon grew up in Newman, Western Australia, a small mining town nearly 1200km northeast of Perth. Newman has a large indigenous population, a significant percentage of which is impacted by substance abuse, domestic violence and poverty. A member of the Stolen Generation and victim of multigenerational violence, Devon founded the Aboriginal Males Healing Centre (AMHC) in 2015 to provide culturally appropriate family violence services to Indigenous Australians.
AMHC aims to provide First Nations women and children with safe and healthy lives free of family violence and homelessness and to reduce the overrepresentation of First Nations men incarcerated for their use of violence.
The lack of mental health services and programs in remote communities such as Newman is what drew Devon to join Mind Blank. Mind Blank’s cultural co-design programs with First Nations communities is something Devon hopes to help expand into WA in the coming years. Devon is also a Board Director at The Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health.
Jemmalee Laing
Jemmalee is a highly accomplished senior business leader, Founder and CEO of a real estate company and Zone Development Manager at Police-Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) Queensland.
In her role at PCYC, Jemmalee is responsible for managing over 350 staff, nurturing relationships throughout the community, defining short and long-term business objectives, and budgetary management. Recently, she helped establish the new PCYC in Logan. As a Board Director at Mind Blank, Jemmalee is a member of the Fundraising Committee.
Jemmalee is a lover of learning and always looking to increase her knowledge and understanding of different topics. She holds a Bachelor of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences/ Master of Dietetics Studies from UQ, a Bachelor of Business and Certificate IV in Marketing from Griffith University and a Diploma in Mental Health from TAFE NSW. She is a Member of the Australia Institute of Company Directors.
Maggie Leung
Maggie is the longest serving Mind Blank board director, having joined the board in September 2017. A lawyer with over twenty years’ experience, Maggie has served as corporate legal counsel for Caltex Australia and Commonwealth Bank and is currently the Senior Legal Counsel at Qantas Airlines.
Experienced in regulatory compliance, negotiations and contract preparation, Maggie utilises her legal expertise to help Mind Blank maintain and improve its corporate governance and manage risks.
As a mother, Maggie is keenly aware of the pressures young people face and the impact social media has on their self-esteem. She joined Mind Blank because she appreciates how our program offerings help foster honest conversations amongst young people, help them develop positive mental health habits and build resilience.
Maggies holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and a Bachelor of Law, both from the University of New South Wales.
Mark Marriott
A proven business leader with over 10 years of general management and C-level experience in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, Mark has worked with some of the world’s leading companies, including Disney, Magnum Confectionary and Monopoly.
Originally from the UK, Mark worked in London for 15 years before moving to Australia in 2011 to launch the Australian operation for Winning Moves Games – and to launch a Sydney version of the Monopoly board game. He later ran a confectionery company and cleaning products and franchising business. Since 2020, Mark has worked as a consultant, helping salvage and grow businesses experiencing duress.
Mark understands the importance of mental health from his own lived experience. He previously served as a Non-Executive Director for the Top Blokes Foundation.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Science, Geography from Newcastle University in the UK.
Terry McEvoy
Terry is a diligent and pragmatic leader with over two decades of strategic, operational and leadership experience within the vocational education sector. Formerly the Director of Trades and Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology, Terry is now Principal Advisor at RMIT University.
A keen AFL supporter, Terry has been involved with the Victorian Amateur Football Association and his local footie club for years. It was at his local club where Terry had his first lived experience with the mental health struggles young people endure. This incident led Terry to Mind Blank. Mind Blank’s dedication to mental health, youth and education was the ideal fit.
With his experience in building relationships, engagement and development, Terry is a valued member of the Fundraising Committee.
Terry holds an Associate Degree in Vocational Education from Swinburne University and is a Member of the Australia Institute of Company Directors.
Paul Milne
A former Sergeant and Acting Commissioner for the Northern Territory Police, Paul left the force in 2017 after nearly 20 years of service. The experiences obtained on the job led Paul to dedicate his life to mental health advocacy and suicide prevention.
Paul is currently an ambassador and motivational speaker for Beyond Blue, and Director for both Heart2Heart Foundation and Lived Experience Australia. A dedicated community mental health advocate, he is passionate about helping people in difficult situations to achieve their goals and display strength and courage to others.
A father of four, Paul knows the importance of physical and mental health. He shares his knowledge of project management, leadership and organisational effectiveness as part of Mind Blank’s board.
Paul holds several certificates and diplomas, including Certificates of Education, Mental Health First Aid, Counselling and a Diploma of Public Safety (Policing). He is currently completing his Masters of Counselling at University of Canberra.
Mea Ravu
Originally from Papua New Guinea, Mea is a corporate banking executive who specialises in internal audit, operational integrity, compliance and risk assessment. Mea is using his corporate expertise to help shape Mind Blank’s governance structure.
Having attended boarding school as an international student, Mea knows first-hand the challenges young people face when not provided the right support, particularly with regard to mental health. He joined the Mind Blank board with the intention of helping expand program offerings to more young people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Mea has a Bachelor of Business, Marketing Management from Central Queensland University and is a Member of the Australia Institute of Company Directors.
