Meet Our Career Ambassadors

Cathi currently works part time in mentoring and community consultation in the ACT and is a Company Director. Cathi has had extensive experience in governance and volunteering in the non-government sector.

Since the mid-1970s Cathi has worked and volunteered in the Community sector. Cathi has a wide range of experience in social policies and programs and housing policy. Cathi began volunteering as a member of ACTCOSS and has volunteered in governance roles and as a fund raiser for community organisations.

Cathi has had experience in reviewing and writing policies and procedures in the non-government sector.

Cathi is currently a Director of Community Housing Canberra, President of Parentline ACT, Assistant Treasurer of the Marymead Auxiliary and a Life Member of the YWCA of Canberra and YWCA of Australia. Cathi is a Director of the Board of ACTCOSS. Cathi is also a member of the Legal Aid Commission of the ACT.

Cathi was appointed ACT Senior Woman of the year in 2018.

You contribute time and effort and skills to change people’s lives and I think that the community sector’s very good at being in the front line of where need is. Government’s often a long way behind where the interventions really needed and I think it’s fulfilling. You get joy out of it, sometimes you get heartache, but you are helping improve people’s lives.

Cheryl been working across the sector for nearly 30 years, starting from frontline services to now being the CEO of Canberra PCYC. Cheryl started off in the disability sector and then moved into upper management, project design, implementation, and overseeing operations across Southern NSW/ACT and Riverina Murray. This included 11 Homelessness projects, including Women’s and Children Domestic and Family Violence Crisis services, Women’s Refuge, Youth Crisis Accommodation, Disability support services, Brighter Futures Early Intervention services, Employment Services and Adult learning services.

Cheryl decided to come over to the Canberra PCYC after years of seeing youth programs not being a focus of government. Cheryl is passionate about seeing young people achieve, especially when they are continually told they won’t amount to anything. Coming from a background much like many of our young people, Cheryl knows it takes a lot of hard work but if you have a support network behind you, then you can achieve anything.

Coming into the community sector, and I’ve been in this sector for almost 30 years, but I’ve also previously been in private business. And I think it’s just the ability to be able to change people’s lives and make their lives better. And there’s so many people out there, especially these days, that struggle. There’s a lot going on and you get a lot of fulfillment out of being in this sector.