Governance and strategy
Our Board members
We are governed by a Board of Directors, who implement the Strategic Plan in line with the MHCC ACT Rules of Association.
Leanne Heald: President
Leanne has worked in the community sector for over 20 years, supporting vulnerable people across government and not-for-profit settings. Her experience spans community development, welfare, mental health and disability, with the past six years spent in management roles.
Leanne is an active contributor to the sector, serving on community boards and participating in collaboratives, working groups and forums to drive positive outcomes for participants. She is passionate about building capacity—both at an individual and community level—so that people have the tools they need to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
Leanne has been on the MHCC ACT Board since 2021 and was elected President in January 2025.
Prue Slaughter: Vice President
Prue is the CEO of Mental Illness Education ACT (MIEACT). With a diverse professional background across the not-for-profit, international development, education, IT, and defence sectors—including international experience in Cambodia, South Africa, and the UK—Prue brings a global perspective to her work. She has a proven track record of leading complex projects, building collaborative partnerships, and driving sustainable impact.
Prue combines strategic vision with compassion, transforming challenges into opportunities to grow resilient communities. Her commitment to addressing mental health through education and lived experience advocacy exemplifies her belief in the power of prevention and the importance of fostering connection and understanding within our communities.
Anne Kirwan: Treasurer
Anne Kirwan is the CEO of Marymead CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn and has worked in community social services for over 30 years.
A Registered Psychologist, Anne has held varied leadership roles across the mental health, child and youth, ATOD, housing and homelessness, disability and aged care sectors, leading multi-disciplinary teams focused on improving opportunities and outcomes for all.
She is committed to working with both government and community partners to build a stronger sector with greater diversity of service options, by pursuing initiatives which disrupt fractured systems, improve service integration and support self-determination for clients.
Anne has held various Board positions across the social services sector and has completed the AICD Company Directors course. She became the Treasurer of MHCC ACT in February 2025.
Yvonne Luxford: Director
Yvonne is the CEO of the Perinatal Wellbeing Centre and previously led Palliative Care Australia. She has experience interacting and collaborating with all levels of government, health professionals, service providers and advocacy bodies to achieve high-quality health care which is accessible and culturally appropriate.
Yvonne has particular interests in perinatal wellbeing, First Nations health, chronic disease prevention and equity of access to healthcare. Before a long history in management positions in healthcare organisations, she was a university lecturer in various health-related subjects. She has qualifications in philosophy and higher education, and her doctoral thesis explored a mixture of policy and medical issues with a focus on child oral health.
Yvonne has been on the MHCC ACT Board since 2019, including four years as Board President.
Rob Antich: Director
Rob has extensive management and governance experience in the public sector, which includes senior executive roles at the Commonwealth Department of Finance and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
He has a strong background in regulatory policy, compliance frameworks, financial frameworks and risk management, and since 2017, has specialised in governance roles for government organisations, the World Bank and not-for-profits.
Brenton Higgins: Director
Brenton is a workplace, employee and industrial relations specialist with a keen focus on psychological safety and wellbeing in the workplace. He holds a Masters Degree in Industrial Relations and has honed his skills in this area though union positions and membership of committees including the ACT Labour Hire Licensing Advisory Committee and the Work Health and Safety Council ACT, through which he helped develop and implement the Psychosocial Safety Code of Practice. Brenton is also the Vice President of the Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association (ALERA) and the President of the ACT ALERA branch, through which he has developed governance experience.
Brenton joined the MHCC ACT Board in January 2025. He believes that we all need to participate to make a difference in reducing stigma related to workplace psychosocial risks, and that focusing on mental health and wellbeing in all aspects of a person’s life is critical to ensuring they can live a healthy and safe lifestyle.
Bianca Rosetti: Lived Experience Director
Bianca is a Peer Support Worker with Woden Community Services, and also holds advocacy roles with the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network (where she also held the Board Chair position from 2016 to 2024) and MIEACT, where she collaborates with mental health services to identify gaps and together work on solutions to empower the community.
She is passionate about improving wellbeing for consumers and carers with mental health issues, and believes that strong community connections support individuals in their recovery.
Katerina Powick: Lived Experience Carer Director
Katerina joined the MHCC ACT Board as a Lived Experienced Carer Director in February 2025.
As a single mother with two autistic sons, this position aligns with Katerina’s passion for enhancing the quality of care and wellbeing for people in our community.
Having worked in the public service, including the Department of Health and Aging, Katerina holds qualifications in mental health, community education, youth services, community services, training and assessment, leadership and management, and is currently completing a psychology degree. She also has a long history of volunteering in the Canberra community.
Katerina’s strengths lie in meeting people where they are, in collaborating with compassion to realise collective potential and drive meaningful change.
Governance documents
MHCC ACT Rules of Association
The Mental Health Community Coalition (MHCC) ACT adopted the new Rules of Association at the Special General Meeting in October 2019.
MHCC ACT Strategic Plan 2022-2024
Our Board of Directors implement our Strategic plan in line with the MHCC ACT Rules of Association.
MHCC ACT Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan 2022–24
We are proud to actively work towards reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Under this RAP, we aim to bring a First Nations perspective to our work, integrate de-colonisation into our daily activities, and make the organisation a better ally for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.