Our Board Members

Home /
Our Board Members

Susan Saleeba OAM

Chair / Founder

Susan Saleeba OAM

Susan, the Founder and Chair of Nakuru Hope, began her journey in 2004 as a volunteer in Kenya. Witnessing the need to help those whose lives were different from her own, she started with a small school that empowered women with sewing skills and a pre-primary school. Over time, she established her own school and orphanage, providing food, education, and refuge to over 300 children and their families. Susan has been recognized with the Order of Australia Medal, the John Curtin Medal, and the Paul Harris Fellowship Award for her humanitarian work. She resides in Perth, Western Australia, and visits Kenya annually for a period of time.

Mark Tomasz

Vice Chair / Director Corporate Philanthropy and Grants

Mark Tomasz

Mark has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and has worked as a Chief Operating Officer in Asia, Europe and Latin America. He is a qualified CPA Australia accountant. He is passionate about giving back and making a positive impact in the community. Mark has the responsibility for Nakuru Hope’s corporate partnerships and grants.

Professor Vicky Vass PhD, BA (Hons)

Company Secretary and Governance Director

Professor Dr. Veronica Vass

Professor Vicky Vass, PhD, BA (Hons)
Secretary

Professor Vicky Vass is the CEO of Alzheimer’s Research Australia, bringing her extensive global tri-sectoral and academic leadership experience to the forefront of the organisation. With a distinguished academic career and a profound commitment to for-purpose organisations, she has served on more than 20 Boards, demonstrating her versatile expertise and dedication to impactful governance. Passionate about education, Professor Vass actively supports Nakuru Hope, leveraging her broad experience to foster positive change.

Julian Bennett

Strategy and Special Project Director

Julian Bennett

Julian has over 15 years experience in strategy and business development in corporate and not for profit organisations having lived and worked across the globe. Julian is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and has spent the last few years getting increasingly involved in youth development projects. Julian is also a keen triathlete and adventurer with a particular interest in the application of adventure therapy and benefits of nature on our wellbeing.

Born and raised in East Africa, Julian is also passionate about social development in Kenya and in particular creating opportunities for future generations to create their own destiny and create impactful change for their communities.

Noelene Devine

Operations Director

Noelene Devine

After more than 25 years in the corporate world in the capacity of Executive Assistant in the Legal, Financial and Human Resources sectors, Noelene joined Nakuru Hope Op Shop on a voluntary basis in September 2021. In February 2023 she, along with Susan Saleeba and 9 other volunteers, visited Gabriel Learning Centre and Orphanage in the slums of Nakuru, Kenya. The experience was life changing and gave her a greater appreciation and understanding of the charity and her passion grew. She knows first-hand that Nakuru Hope does make a huge difference to so many who would otherwise go without. In August 2023 Noelene became a member of the Nakuru Hope Board and is the Operational Director of Hope Op Shop. Noelene was born in Perth, Western Australia and has two adult children and three grandchildren.

Ahmed Aseef

Finance Director

Ahmed Aseef

Ahmed Aseef is a seasoned Finance professional with over 15 years of international experience in the field of Business and Finance. He previously worked as Director of Corporate Banking and has worked across aviation, energy and finance industries. Aseef is passionate about Community work and is committed to leveraging his experience and expertise to bring a positive and an impactful change to the community, through his role as Director of Finance at Nakuru Hope.

Alex Gurr

Digital Operations Director

Alex Gurr

Alex is passionate about building technology that makes a real difference. As Head of Engineering at Australia’s leading contact centre provider, he works across development, security, and DevOps to keep systems running smoothly and securely. He focuses on creating simple, intuitive solutions that people love to use, with a strong attention to detail, design, and efficiency.

Beyond his work in tech, Alex has been a dedicated volunteer with Nakuru Hope, helping to build the charity’s school IT systems and creating CONNECT, the platform that powers its sponsorship program. He has also spent time in Kenya, working with the children and seeing firsthand the impact of education and technology in their lives.

When he’s not solving engineering challenges, Alex enjoys cooking, optimising anything he can, and navigating the chaos of new parenthood.

Nathaniel Munk

Digital Operations Director

Nathaniel Munk

Nathaniel Munk is a software engineer with a passion for making computers work for people. After building Nakuru Hope CONNECT and seeing firsthand the amazing work done at Gabriel Learning Center, Nathaniel joined the board to help shape Nakuru Hope’s digital presence and streamline board operations. The resourcefulness and determination of the children and staff at GLC serves as his constant inspiration.

Bianca Starcevich

Director

Bianca Starcevich

With over 25 years of leadership and executive experience, Bianca has a passion for creating great places to work from the Board through to leadership teams to enable sustainable success. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and Vice Chair of two non-profit organisations, Bianca gets joy from supporting Boards and Leadership team to promote good governance and build amazing teams. Bianca is committed to giving time to those who need it most in the community particularly in the space of children and education.

Our Directors voluntarily serve and demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility and a desire to give back to society. Their leadership, guidance, and strategy drive Nakuru Hope to achieve its goals, tackle challenges, and maximise its impact on the lives of our children and families.