Board and Team

First Step Leadership Team

First Step’s Leadership Team provides collaborative, cross departmental advice and insights into operating a unique organisation with a complex clientele.

Patrick Lawrence, CEO
Gayle Wood, Operations Manager
Dr Peter Wright, GP
Joe Fishburn RPN, Manager Mental Health Services
Kym Coupe, Team Leader Mental Health Services
Chloe Bradford, Manager ResetLife
Nelly Katsnelson, Fundraising and Engagement Manager
Tania Wolff, Director of Legal Services

First Step Board

First Step is governed by a Board of Directors – a diverse group of leaders who bring a variety of talents, experiences and expertise to the governance of First Step.

The Board works closely with our Leadership Team to guide their decision-making on strategic issues and hold them to account for their leadership of the organisation.

Marius Smith

Marius is currently CEO of VACRO and prior to that grew the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash University from a small research organisation into a globally respected human rights...

Joe Corera has worked within banking, insurance, logistics and most recently within the for-purpose sector in a financial and shared services capacity. He brings both finance and governance experience and is a...

Dr Gyu Lee

Gyu works as a doctor for Monash Health embarking on psychiatry specialist training. He has worn many hats along the way before his current role as a psychiatry registrar. He joins the...

Patrick Lawrence, CEO

After an early career as a classical pianist and vocal coach, Patrick transitioned to the world of social justice through volunteering in the humanitarian sector. He joined First Step as a volunteer...

Catherine Easton, Deputy Chair

GAICD, MSF, BBus, DipTeach(Prim) Catherine has worked in both the commercial and for-purpose sectors in service delivery, transformation and shared service roles and has over 15 years board experience. She is a...

Barbara Kelly

Barbara has worked in the alcohol, drug and mental health sectors over a 30-year span. Recently retired as the Program Director of two state-wide services specialising in treatment, clinical research and education,...

Mark Watt, Chair

AM, Chair Mark is the CEO Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia. Brothers Big Sisters Australia (BBBS) is a not-for-profit organisation whose mentoring programs create life-changing connections between positive role models and young...

Richard Kasperczyk

PhD FAPS Richard is passionate about creating mentally healthy workplaces. As an Organisational Psychologist, Richard brings his extensive consulting and management experience to First Step, with a dual focus on supporting clients...