At our recent AGM we had the appointment of our new Board of Directors for the Mental Health Coalition of South Australia. This group of leaders from our membership brings together decades of expertise in mental health, community services, and advocacy, reinforcing our commitment to improving mental health outcomes across South Australia.

Meet Your New Board

Helene Nielsen – President
Helene brings over 25 years of experience in human services, with the last two decades focused on leadership roles in Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs. As Executive Director of Operations – Community Wellbeing for Neami National, she has a strategic vision across mental health, homelessness, and suicide prevention services both nationally and internationally.

Danielle Stoneham – Deputy President

Danielle is a strategic leader passionate about driving transformation in community-focused organisations. With expertise in social housing, homelessness, and complex needs support, she excels at operationalising strategy, leading change, and fostering collaboration.

Tim Davis – Secretary
As Manager of State Funded Psychosocial Services at Centacare Catholic Family Services, Tim has 15 years of experience delivering mental health services across metropolitan and regional South Australia. His passionate advocacy for equitable access to person-centred mental health services in regional areas will be invaluable to our mission.

Bryan Atherton – Treasurer
Bryan’s 16 years in the NGO sector include leadership of diverse government-funded programs at Uniting Communities. His advocacy for holistic therapeutic services has driven innovation, including establishing South Australia’s first non-government forensic mental health service, Chrysalis, integrating psychosocial support with clinical services and lived experience workforce.

Adam Dunkley

Adam is the Chief Executive Officer at Skylight Mental Health focussing on a people-centered approach. Drawing on 16+ years of executive leadership across private tech and not-for-profit mental health sectors, plus direct social work experience, he excels at uniting teams, navigating complexity, and developing creative solutions that drive meaningful impact.

My Phuong Sramek
As Executive Manager at Community Access and Services SA (CAASSA), My Phuong brings 17 years of experience in community and health services, with extensive expertise in mental health, AOD, and gambling sectors. Her commitment to improving access and reducing barriers for culturally and linguistically diverse communities will strengthen our ability to serve all South Australians.

Kelly Stewart

Kelly brings extensive mental health experience from Australia and the UK across service delivery, leadership, design, and commissioning. As Executive Manager of Sonder’s Mental Health and AOD portfolio, she leads strategic direction and operations with a compassionate, relational approach. Kelly champions inclusive, non-stigmatising, integrated care systems ensuring meaningful support for all.

Robyn Smythe
Robyn is the Director of the Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service (STTARS) and a Foundation Member of MHCSA. With over 25 years supporting survivors of torture and trauma, and having served six previous terms on the MHCSA Board, Robyn brings deep expertise in delivering culturally responsive mental health services and championing lived experience in service development.

Acknowledging Departing Board Members

As we welcome our new Board, we want to express our sincere gratitude to the departing Board members for their dedicated service and invaluable contributions to the Mental Health Coalition of South Australia.

We thank Paul Creedon (outgoing President, Skylight), Steven Wright (outgoing Treasurer, Sonder), Deborah Milford (Life Without Barriers), Kim Formosa (Centacare), Lyn English (NMHCCF), Andre Maddocks (Flourish Australia), and Kirsty Wallman (Uniting SA) for their leadership, wisdom, and commitment to advancing mental health outcomes across South Australia.

Not only did Paul retire as our President but from his work. Paul championed human services throughout his distinguished career, spanning mental health, disability, correctional, and student services. A passionate advocate for human rights and social justice, Paul built strong community partnerships and lived-experience programs. As CEO of Skylight Mental Health and President of Mental Health Coalition of Australia his strategic leadership and deep sector knowledge leaves a lasting legacy.

To all departing Board Members we want to acknowledge their collective efforts have strengthened our sector, influenced important policy developments, and ensured the voices of psychosocial services were heard at the highest levels. We wish them continued success in their ongoing work supporting mental health and wellbeing in our communities.