Welcoming Neami’s newest Board Directors

We’re pleased to appoint three new Directors to the Neami Board.

Ashley de Silva, Dr Jonathan Newchurch and Felicite Black will start in the role from 1st March.

These appointments come following the retirement of Tony Nippard and Fiona Nicholls from the Neami Board at the end of 2024. We thank Tony and Fiona for their many years of service and contributions to Neami.

Ashley, Jonathan and Felicite bring to the Neami Board deep community services experience, commercial acumen and a strong background of governance in the Human Services sector.

Ashley de Silva

Ashley has a background in leading purpose-driven organisations, with a focus on digital innovation, advocacy, and organisational transformation. He’s helped teams navigate growth and change, focusing on strengthening culture, strategy, and impact.

Ashley says: “I was drawn to Neami because of its commitment to supporting people to live a full life, focused on the outcomes that matter to them. I wanted to contribute my experience to an organisation that’s dedicated to people improving their quality of life on their own terms.”

Felicite Black

Felicite’s experience in health and community services spans a career of more than 40 years. Initially training as a Registered Nurse at Perth Children’s Hospital, Felicite worked as a clinician in paediatrics.

Felicite is a non-executive director in the WA retirement village sector, a director of a private mental health service and a deputy member of the WA Reproductive Technology Council.

Felicite says: “My motivation for joining the Neami Board is to continue to advocate for system reform at the national level and to contribute positively to the health and wellbeing of the community in an organisation with a deep respect and understanding of lived experience.”

Dr Jonathan Newchurch

Dr. Newchurch is a Kaurna and Narungga man and a General Practitioner with extensive experience in rural and remote healthcare, particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. His training has given him a deep understanding of the importance of inclusivity and the need to address systemic barriers to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Newchurch is President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association.

Dr. Newchurch says: “I am deeply impressed by Neami’s commitment to addressing mental health. They embody their philosophy of inclusion and challenge the status quo by tackling systemic barriers. I believe my Indigenous perspectives and medical background can further enhance Neami’s work in creating meaningful change.”

Together with the existing Neami Board, Ashley, Jonathan and Felicite will play a crucial role in the next chapter for Neami and how we support people to achieve the mental health and wellbeing outcomes that matter to them.