Staff

Appointed CEO of The Shepherd Centre in February 2011, Jim Hungerford comes to the role with 30 years’ experience in health sciences. Prior to joining The Shepherd Centre, Jim held CEO positions in Australia and internationally, most recently CEO of Pareto Fundraising. Jim’s prior roles include CEO of Intervet in the United Kingdom, various senior management positions in companies in Germany and in the United States, as well as positions in the biotechnology sector and as a Veterinarian in private practice. Jim is also a Director with WorkVentures Ltd, a charity that engages with individuals and communities to improve lives through new skills, access to technology, community contribution and fulfilling employment.

Aleisha is Director of Clinical Programs and is a Certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist and practicing Speech Pathologist. Aleisha joined The Shepherd Centre in 2003 after completing her Masters in Applied Linguistics at Cambridge University in the UK. Aleisha leads the Senior Clinical team to implement the programs across the centres, through the cross matrix multidisciplinary team of Listening & Spoken Language Specialist, Child & Family Counsellors, Researchers and Assessors. Aleisha is currently undertaking her PhD through Macquarie University and the Hearing CRC on Language Acquisition in Children’s Hearing Loss and is looking forward to this contributing to improved intervention technologies and strategies for progression, and an evidence base for parents to guide their decision making.

Bernard joined The Shepherd Centre in June 2011, taking on the stewardship of managing the Operations Team. The core responsibilities are Financial Management, Workplace Health & Safety, Facilities & Infrastructure, Human Resources and Corporate Governance.

The overriding objective in Operations is to provide advisory services to the organisation, embed efficient processes, improve the shared service experience and create a culture of strong accountability across the organisation.

Yetta is the Principal Audiologist at The Shepherd Centre, overseeing all the audiological services at our centres. She completed her Masters in Clinical Audiology at Macquarie University researching Late Auditory Responses in School-Aged Children. She has a background in diagnostic audiology and has worked with cochlear implants for over eleven years. Along with a keen interest in research, Yetta has lectured at a university level for over seven years and prior to starting at The Shepherd Centre in 2008, held the position of Audiology Discipline Specialist in the Speech Pathology Department at the University of Sydney in 2008 and 2009.

Tracy is a Listening & Spoken Language Specialist, certified in Auditory-Verbal Therapy, and also a Speech Pathologist who has been with The Shepherd Centre since 2003 after graduating with a Masters in Speech & Language Pathology in March 2003. Tracy is responsible for developing The Shepherd Centre’s clinical programs including the ‘Little Listeners’ introductory program, Residential Workshop program and school aged support services. Tracy considers herself lucky to be able to travel to all the centres to meet with families.

Jenni started her career as a paediatric Speech Pathologist working in community health centres for NSW Health, before joining The Shepherd Centre in May 2004 as an Auditory-Verbal Therapist at our Liverpool Centre. Jenni currently manages The Shepherd Centre’s assessments and outcomes research.

Sara started at The Shepherd Centre in October 2010 and has over 25 years experience working with children and families. Sara works with families at the Liverpool Centre and occasionally at the other centres. Her role is to manage our Child & Family Counsellors and further develop the team’s support services for children and families. Sara and the team offer support through individual and family counselling sessions, parent groups and by working closely with the rest of the multidisciplinary team so families can achieve the best outcomes for their child.

Donna joined the Shepherd Centre in 2011 as Principal Listening and Spoken Language Specialist. Her key roles are clinical coordination and the training and mentoring of therapists. Donna completed her Masters in Education (Hearing Impairment) at the University of Melbourne in 2002. She achieved Auditory-Verbal certification in 2003. Donna has delivered therapy to children with a hearing impairment since 1997, and from 2003 has worked as an Auditory-Verbal Therapist in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Her particular interests are in habilitation following cochlear implantation, the development of theory of mind in children with a hearing loss and mentoring of Listening & Spoken Language Specialists.

Sharon has been with The Shepherd Centre since 2009. Sharon’s role is to co-ordinate support services for children and families who come to The Shepherd Centre and is instrumental in the successful running of the Residential Workshops. Sharon also performs the role of assistant to the Director of Clinical Programs and the Principal Listening & Spoken Language Specialists.

Moana has been with The Shepherd Centre since the start of 2011 and oversees all fundraising activities for the organisation including individual giving, direct mail and fundraising events.

In 2011, Berthe joined the organisation to secure support from various institutions such as trusts, foundations, philanthropic organisations and corporate sponsorships. Berthe also manages The Shepherd Centre’s interests in relation to government funding cycles and coordinates submissions and acquittals.

Jim Hungerford BVSc GAICD

Aleisha Davis BA/Bas, MPhil, MSLP, LSLS Cert AVT

Bernard Ho BA Commerce/Accounting; CPA

Yetta Abrahams BA (Linguistics), BHlthSc (Hg&Sp), MClinAud, MAudSA(CCP)

Tracy Hopkins BSc, DipEd, MSLP, LSLS Cert AVT

Jenni Harvey BSpHSc, MSLP, LSLS Cert AVT, MHSM

Sara Beresford BA Applied Social Studies, Grad. Cert. Social Work and M Counselling

Donna Sperandio Dip Tch (Early Childhood), Dip EOD, MEd, LSLS Cert AVT

Sharon Hill

Moana Wood

Berthe Youakim

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