Board of Directors
Jason Duarte – Chair
Jason has been on the board of CS#1 for over five years and is also Chair of the Risk, Audit & Finance Subcommittee. He has over 15 years of Board experience, including the Canberra Business Chamber and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, IPAA Council and fellow of FINSIA. Jason has a Bachelor of Economics, Master of Business Law, Master of Applied Finance and Grad Diploma in Executive Leadership.
Jason is a leader in Westpac’s Institutional Bank in ACT and lives in Canberra with his young family. Jason is a passionate member of the community and has taken part in the CEO Sleepout, is an active member of Rotary and as Chair of CS#1, is able to contribute positively to the well-being of our community.
Nichola Perry – Deputy Chair
Nichola has over 20 years experience in Early Childhood across the not-for-profit and private sector. She holds a B. Education (Birth – 5) and Diploma of Vocational Education, and teaches Early Childhood Education and Care at CIT.
She is passionate about supporting children and families through high quality Education and Care, and elevating the skills and recognition of Educators. She joined the CS#1 board in 2021.
Rhonda Maher – Ordinary Member
Rhonda has more than 35 years’ experience as a front line nurse, manager, and senior executive nurse (including Director of Nursing roles) in public, private, aged care, acute, subacute, rehabilitation and community settings.
Rhonda has recently retired as Director of Nursing for the Division of Rehabilitation, Aged and Community Services, Canberra Health Services.
Rhonda has a passion for making a difference in both her professional and personal life. To keep her perspectives balanced she spends several weeks each year in a volunteer capacity in a fairly remote province in the Solomon Islands.
Rhonda is a champion of the inclusion of elderly and disability friendly initiatives and is passionate about innovation and quality in health care services’
David Maywald – Ordinary Member
David is an experienced Director, having contributed to a dozen boards during the last 25 years. Many of these were NFP roles in health and community services. He has served as Chair, Treasurer, and Chair of Finance/Audit/Risk Committees. David is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
He is professionally qualified as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). For two decades David worked in Investment Management (including product development, research, marketing, portfolio management, and customer service). He is the proud father of two young children.
Jim Roy – Ordinary Member
Jim is an executive recruiter with two decades of experience under his belt. He is passionate about his craft and he immerses himself in the HR world daily. His recruitment career has spanned numerous locations prior to settling in Canberra a decade ago and his CV highlights significant growth in every team he has led. He has also been a key part of many executive teams, allowing him to understand and appreciate the unique challenges of contemporary leadership and give him a peer to per partnership with his board and C Suite stakeholders.
As a busy father of four, Jim is an authentic advocate for diversity and contributing to a better future for the next generation.
Sonya Blondinau – Ordinary Member
Sonya brings over 20 years of leadership experience growing businesses across Australia from start-ups to SMEs, corporates, listed and unlisted, not-for-profits and private organisations. Her strategy and leadership experience spans Chief Operating Officer, Senior Consultant in Governance and Strategy, General Manager, Non-Executive Director, Responsible Manager and Company Secretary.
Sonya has a Bachelor of Economics, Graduate Diplomas in Applied Finance and Investment and Quantitative Analysis, a Diploma in Children’s Writing, is a qualified hypnotist and Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and has lectured and authored papers and books on risk, governance, financial services, and leadership. She is also a recent graduate from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Sonya aims to make a positive difference in everything she does. She is passionate about giving everyone the right to belong , the right to participate and the right to be respected.
Gill Savage – Ordinary Member
Gill is an experienced board director with a focus on strategy, governance, and innovation. Her board career spans over 25 years in the government, NFP and private sectors. She also has extensive strategy experience in the provision of professional services, including through her company LeadAbility Group Pty Ltd. Her current board roles include Chair of the Risk, Compliance and Audit Committee at The Navy’s Anchorage – a for-purpose Commonwealth company providing benefits to members and families of the Royal Australian Navy.
She is a former chair of a social enterprise focused on research into, and prevention of, domestic violence. Her career experience spans senior executive service roles within government developing and implementing policies and programs where she was a diversity and indigenous champion, and actively pursued a gender equality agenda.
She is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, an Executive Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government and holds an MBA in International Business.
Gill is driven by the desire to make a difference and believes that it starts with small actions, every day that have a positive impact on people and communities.