Login
Login
NCOSS Staff
All members of the NCOSS executive, management and staff are united by our vision: to reduce disadvantage and poverty for all NSW residents.
You can contact us by email or at the phone numbers below during business hours.
Executive
Cara Varian
CEO
Cara joined NCOSS as CEO in 2024 after a long career in the not-for-profit, public service, pollical and corporate sectors. She believes that everyone in NSW should have equality, opportunity and dignity.
Management
Ben McAlpine
Director, Policy and Advocacy
Ben has been working in the social services sector for over a decade, following seven years in the private sector. His aspiration is to use his passion and skills to make a difference in supporting, enhancing and developing solutions for disadvantage and exclusion.
Olivia Wright
Director School Gateway Project
With more than 20 years of experience in the social services sector, Olivia is an accomplished project manager with expertise in community engagement, strategic planning, research, and the design and implementation of complex cross-sector initiatives.
Kathryn Lamond
Director, Communications and Advocacy
Kathryn leads the Communications and Engagement team at NCOSS
Alison Woolsey
Director, Operations
Alison joins NCOSS with a background in professional services firms (accounting and legal) together with experience as a non-executive director with Not for Profit companies in the cultural and education sectors.
Policy & Advocacy
Neha Shah
Policy Lead
Neha is a policy analyst and researcher with nearly 20 years of experience championing outcomes for children, youth, and families across the non-government, peak body and university sectors.
Elyse Cain
Policy Lead
Elyse leads NCOSS’ work on health equity, disability and Foundational Supports, and chairs the NSW Health Equity Alliance. She has over 15 years’ experience in policy and advocacy across government and non-government sectors.
Andrea Angeles
Policy Lead
Andrea works across multiple policy areas and projects at NCOSS, bringing a broad skill set to the team. Her policy areas include housing and homelessness, domestic and family violence, and poverty and living affordability, where she approaches each with an intersectional lens.
Justine Lee
Policy and Research Officer
Justine works at NCOSS on the sustainability of social services, drawing on over 20 years of experience in continuous practice improvement, learning and development and evaluation across national and state organisations.
Communications and Engagement
Michelle Shackleton
Sector and Community Engagement Officer
Michelle has a background in community organising, public narrative and grassroots campaigning in Australia and overseas, and studied behavioural ecology and sustainability at university.
Melanie Barnes
Communications Officer
Melanie Barnes is a communications specialist with a background in digital campaigns, storytelling, and stakeholder engagement across the social impact sector. Her experience spans not-for-profit organisations, education, and advocacy.
Community Organisations Disaster Adaptation
Eleanor Harris
Senior Project Officer, Community Organisations Disaster Adaptation Project
Eleanor is passionate about supporting communities and community organisations to navigate an increasingly complex disaster and climate adaptation environment.
Operations
Sarah Barnett
Executive Support Officer
Sarah Barnett’s role at NCOSS is to provide high-level support to the CEO and to act as a liaison between the CEO, the Board, Senior Management, and external stakeholders.
David Gbogbo
Business Support Lead
David is committed to providing high-quality governance and organisational support to the Operations department and the NCOSS Board.
Catherine Reilly
Business Projects
Catherine Reilly is public policy, strategy and governance expert, with 20+ years’ experience leading major policy reform programs for the NSW Government.
Therese Griffith
Finance Lead
Therese joined NCOSS in 2020 after a long career in social service departments of the State Government. She has extensive experience in both financial and management accounting and also bring her expertise in corporate services management to the team.
Daniel Zhao
Business Systems Officer
Daniel is a business systems officer, focusing on data-driven solutions and system implementations to enhance efficiency, streamline workflows, and enable smarter decision-making.
Craig Howe
Finance & Systems Officer
Craig is a long time NCOSS employee with extensive experience in Finance and Administration. If you have any issues regarding financial matters to do with NCOSS or problems with your membership he will be happy to help.
0480 079 396
craig@ncoss.org.au