Board Members
Lisa Danker GAICD
Board Chair
Bachelor of Science (Architecture), Master of Urban and Regional Planning.
Experience and Expertise: Lisa has 20 years experience in planning and property development. She has particular expertise in master-planning large communities and building governance frameworks to manage complex projects. Lisa has a passion for creating memorable places and believes that sustainability should be the foundation for everything we do.
Dennis Vaccher GAICD
Technical Director
Chartered Accountant, BCom (Accounting, Finance and Systems) UNSW
Experience and Expertise: Dennis has 30 years experience as a Chartered Accountant in Internal and external audit, financial management, corporate governance and risk management.
Special Responsibilities: Secretary & Treasurer; Member of the Compliance, Audit, Risk and Governance Committee
Robert Bakewell
Technical Director
Bachelor of Commerce, Chartered Accountant
Experience and Expertise: ASX listed company CFO with extensive international experience across a range of industries and geographies. Robert is highly skilled professional in all aspects of financial management and control including balance sheet and capital management, treasury, liquidity management and equity raising. Broad experience in Investor Relations and key stakeholder engagement including all levels of government.
Robert is an active leader who brings new ideas and energy to his work, helping his organisation grow, transform, and achieve.
Robert aims to inspire, develop trust, and challenge people to achieve shared goals. Robert’s forte is in the development and leadership of high performing teams.
Liz Mackdacy GAICD
Technical Director
Masters of Business Administration, Masters of Counselling, BA (Psychology), Graduate Diplomas in Rehabilitation Counselling and Secondary Education
Experience and Expertise: Liz Mackdacy is grateful and delighted to be joining the Board at an exciting time of expansion of Co-ops. Liz has been involved in the social housing sector for more than 20 years wearing a number of hats.
Liz was a volunteer with her local community housing organisation, Burwood Community Housing, for a number of years just prior to the sector amalgamations in NSW. Liz worked in state housing authorities in both NSW and Queensland running policy, programs and operations. After leaving the public sector in the late 90s, Liz set up a consulting business. Through this business, Liz had the opportunity to research social housing issues and strategies across Australia including homelessness (and its funding), self-build projects, crisis housing, affordable housing feasibility studies, state planning policies and local government roles in facilitating and delivering affordable housing.
Liz recently retired from running her forensic psychology practice, that was set up 12 years ago. Liz looks forward to meeting as many of the Co-op members as possible.
Special responsibilities: Chair of the Compliance Committee.
Note: Liz is on leave of absence until January 2025
Annabelle Lewis GAICD
Note: Alternate director for Liz Macdacy from Aug 24 - Jan 25
PhD Candidate Transdisciplinary Innovation, Graduate Diploma Behavioural Economics, BA (Hons) Accounting, Finance & Economics, Chartered Accountant
Experience and expertise: Driven by her personal purpose of 'striving for the greater good', Annabelle combines her 25+ years' strategic, risk management and governance experience with robust research, to help create positive impact through both practice and academia. As a practitioner, Annabelle provides consulting services to organisations aligned to her purpose and has served on the board of a youth charity. As an academic, Annabelle's areas of interest are behaviour change, creative problem-solving and social impact. Her PhD research is on board strategic decision-making that considers people and planet impacts. She also teaches in the award-winning Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation at UTS.
Special responsibility: Member of the Compliance, Audit, Risk and Governance Committee
Bruce Tosello
Technical Director
Bachelor of Design, Master of Business Administration.
Experience and Expertise: For twenty-five years Bruce created strategies, developed businesses, and held senior leadership roles in consumer goods, building products, and financial services sectors. He then moved to the for-purpose sector in 2015 and leads client engagement, commercial management, and strategy development for a disability sector provider. Bruce is passionate about listening to and learning from clients and customers, while supporting for-purpose organisations to live their values and be strategic and commercially astute.
Special Responsibilities: Member of the Development and Growth Committee.
Lakshmi Venkat
Member Director
Experience and Expertise: Lakshmi has been an active member of Emoh Ruo since 2015, attending meetings regularly and CENSW forums and sector meetings. This experience has provided Lakshmi with a great foundational knowledge about co-operative housing visions and goals.
Lakshmi is a teacher by profession and likes to take part in friendly discussions on various social topics and enjoys swimming for leisure. Lakshmi looks forward to the opportunity to engage with Co-op life, visions and goals of affordable housing for people in need.
Special Responsibilities: Member of the Development & Growth Committee.
Elspeth Cameron
Member Director
Experience and Expertise: Elspeth has been a member of Palace Women's Housing Co-op since 2013, inspiring a deep commitment to the co-operative model of housing. I bring to the Board the voice of lived tenant experience of the difference the co-operative housing model can make to a life - in my case, immeasurable.
Special Responsibilities: Chair of the Compliance, Audit, Risk & Governance Committee
Magdalena Tausch
Member Director
Bachelor of Arts, Graphic Design And Photography
Experience and Expertise: Magdalena has a long history of ‘giving back’ from her fathers’ influence when she was a child in Romania to her current life living at Alpha House Artists Co-op.
She currently runs her own Graphic Design, Photography and Consultancy business in Sydney. Magda is very active in the Co-op and the broader community, having organised community forums and co-founding YEmpower, a nonprofit organisation whose purpose is to empower the next generation.
Magda is very passionate about advocating for sustainable, compassionate communities.