Our people
Meet the team
Our staff strive to ensure ADEA is future-oriented, a learning organisation, agile, innovative and sustainable. In our work we support continuous improvement and espouse the following values:
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Respect each other and everyone we work with
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Quality in everything we do
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Inclusiveness
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Honesty in all our dealings
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Collaboration
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Transparency to ensure we are accountable
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Communication to keep everyone informed and supported.
ADEA Board of Directors
Ann Bush , President
Ann has 20 years of experience as a registered nurse. She is a CDE working in metropolitan acute care, rural community health and private practice. Ann has been a member of the ADEA-VIC Branch Executive for six years and is a member of the ADEA Victoria Branch Conference Organising Committee. She has represented the ADEA as a member of a health advisory panel working with the Victorian Department of Education and Training and is passionate about diabetes education. Ann believes in the sustainability of private practice. Her focus is ensuring the CDE role is evidence-based best practice and continues to support the lobbying and support for ADEA members.
Anna Blackie, Vice President
Anna is a Consultant Pharmacist and Credentialled Diabetes Educator. She has over 15 years’ experience as a Pharmacist in both community and hospital settings in Australia and the UK. She has been a Credentialled Diabetes Educator since 2018 and has worked across a variety of clinical settings, including an Indigenous Chronic Disease Clinic, outreach services within GP Practices, NDIS and private services, and within the Community Health setting. Anna is a member of the ADEA Expert Reference Group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Development, and a member of the Medical Education and Scientific Advisory Council. She was elected to the ADEA Board in 2022. Anna is passionate about the role of Diabetes Educators and about working collaboratively to empower people, communities and the healthcare professionals who support them, to create meaningful improvements in health outcomes.
Tina Wyer
Finance Director
Tina brings more than 25 years of experience in corporate, financial services, and non-profit organisations. She has held multiple C-suite roles, where she led significant change and transformation initiatives across both business and technology domains. Her international experience in the US, Australia, and Singapore has equipped her with a unique understanding of business functions, regulatory environments, controls, and opportunities across various disciplines, geographies, and cultures. Tina is also the founder of Unbeatable You, a venture dedicated to supporting the next generation of leaders and promoting sustainability. She is a Chartered Accountant and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Emily Wooden
Board Director
Emily is a CPA-qualified executive with more than 25 years of experience across CEO, COO, and CFO roles, primarily in the not-for-profit sector. Her leadership spans health, education, international development, childcare, financial services, and member-owned organisations. She is currently Chief of Corporate Services and CFO at Diabetes Australia, where she is transforming the organisation’s financial modelling to create a more sustainable and efficient future. Known for her values-led leadership, she builds high-performing teams and strong stakeholder relationships. She brings a strategic mindset, operational excellence, and a strong commercial lens to every role. Her strengths include delivering revenue growth, creating financial value, improving systems and processes, leveraging technology, and leading major change initiatives that enhance organisational performance and community outcomes.
Derek Finch
Board Director
Derek has more than 22 years of experience in reengineering and is one of Australia’s leading contact centre specialists. Derek has worked in government, not-for-profit and corporates, both as a manager and as a consultant. Derek is an experienced change manager, contact centre judge and conference speaker. He has been an active member of Auscontact and has held the role of National Director and National Chair.
Coralie Cross
​Board Director
Over the duration of her career, Coralie has worked across a wide variety of clinical areas and locations, including hospitals, community, urban, rural and remote. ‘I have been afforded the privilege of working with diverse populations such as homeless persons, refugee health and Indigenous Health’, Coralie says, She has been working primarily within the specialty of diabetes for the past eighteen years, gaining her initial Master’s Degree within the specialty area of Diabetes in Rural, Remote and Indigenous Health, followed by a second Master’s Degree as an NP with the sub-specialty of Diabetes in Pregnancy. Coralie’s journey into diabetes was largely led by following the clinical need. Oncology led her to investigate wound healing in more detail. The combination of wound healing and oncology led her to Hospital in the Home which then led to diabetes.
Catharine McNamara,
Board Director
Catharine is a CDE with both clinical and academic experience. Catharine currently works at Deakin University as Unit Chair in the Graduate Certificate of Diabetes Education, and at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in a clinical role supporting people with type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts degree and post graduate certificates in Diabetes Education and Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Her primary profession is as an RN. Catharine has a great passion for educating and creating innovative tools to make the complex concepts around diabetes a little simpler and easier to understand. She has a longstanding involvement with the ADEA as a member of the Education Committee working group and other extracurricular activities such as mentoring DEs who are new to the GDS program.
Ian Harmer
​Board Director
Ian has been a CDE for more than 17 years and is an ADEA Fellow. He was recently endorsed as a Diabetes Nurse Practitioner. Throughout his career, Ian has worked in a range of settings, including internationally in the Middle East, where he taught nurses to become diabetes educators. He has coordinated and taught the Diabetes Educator course at Curtin University, and for the past 10 years, he has worked in a rural community health service in Gippsland, providing diabetes education and care. Over the past two years, he has done so in the capacity of a Nurse Practitioner. Ian has served on several ADEA committees, including the Credentialling Committee, the Course Accreditation and Standards of Practice Committee, and currently, the Board’s CDE Advisory Group. He also contributes as an advisor to ADEA’s microcredentials project. Advocating for his clients, particularly in improving access to new technologies that enhance health outcomes, is a key passion of his.
Shannon Lin
​Board Director
Shannon is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and CDE with about 20 years of experience. She completed her PhD on health literacy and diabetes education. Her clinical area has focused on type 2 diabetes management and prevention, particularly in First Nations health, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and aged care facilities. Providing outreach clinics also forms part of her work. Further, her passion for helping vulnerable groups extends internationally with her role as the Diabetes Education and Training Specialist at Life for a Child. Shannon also works as a Diabetes Course Director at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) where she has a strong interest in diabetes workforce development. She received several awards for her teaching and research excellence, including the 2023 UTS Alumni Award — Faculty Award of Excellence in Health. Shannon actively participates in various state, national, and international diabetes committees, including many key ADEA committees and working groups. In 2021, she was voted the ‘Most Influential International Diabetes Educator’ in China after reaching more than 30,000 Chinese healthcare professionals and consumers. In 2023, she was awarded the Jan Baldwin National CDE of the Year.
National Team
ADEA’s team brings together a wealth of knowledge and experience, including specialists from corporate, health, diabetes education and customer service backgrounds.
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Melanie Gray Morris - CEO
Melanie has been with ADEA for the past four years as Manager of Policy, Advocacy and Communications. She brings more than 20 years of senior leadership experience across the nonprofit and corporate sectors, with deep expertise in strategic planning, policy, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement. She has previously held roles leading diverse teams in Washington, D.C., and Latin America, and is deeply committed to cultivating healthy teams and collaborative leadership. Her past roles include serving as a department head in consulting firms based in Washington, D.C., where she advised Fortune 500 clients and managed multi-million-dollar portfolios, as well as working as a senior nonprofit strategist. She brings a global perspective and a proven ability to lead teams through complex transitions. She is deeply committed to supporting ADEA’s members and staff. Melanie has a BA magna cum laude with Honours from the University of Arizona, and an MA in Political Science.
Volunteers
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The ADEA relies on the ongoing support of volunteers to achieve our goals. Our volunteers include:
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Board Members
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Branch Executives
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Committee Members
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Special Interest Group Conveners and Representatives
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Working Group Members
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External Representations
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Reviewers
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Office Support Volunteers
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We value the important work that our volunteers do to support the ADEA and we encourage members to volunteer as opportunities arise. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us.