Board of Directors

BA(Hons), BSpPath, GAICD

Tim Kittel is based in South Australia and works with paediatric and adolescent clients. He has previously worked across Health, Disability, and Education government settings, and is currently employed within a private practice.

In addition to serving as President of Speech Pathology Australia, Tim currently sits on the Board of International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders, where he represents medium sized organisations’ interests in promoting the rights of people with communication disability across the world. In addition to chairing meetings of the Board of Directors, Tim regularly links with the Branch Chairs, and as a result sees the results of initiatives across Australia in raising public awareness and advocacy for people with swallowing and/or communication disorders. Tim is driven to realise the positive futures described within SP2030.

In order to help progress the Association’s strategies, Tim graduated from the Australian Institute of Directors’ Company Directors Course in 2020.

BAppSc(SpPath), MHA

Kathryn McKinley graduated from La Trobe University in 1999. She also holds a Master of Health Administration. Kathryn has worked in public health for over 20 years and is currently the Speech Pathology Manager at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. She is also a Clinical Fellow at the University of Melbourne.

Kathryn has been a director of Speech Pathology Australia since 2019. Kathryn is currently the Vice President Communications, and chairs the Board Governance Subcommittee. Kathryn has a passion for communication, advocacy and good governance. She is keen to ensure that our strategy continues to prioritise services to members, builds the profile of our profession and advocates for the needs of Australians with communication and swallowing difficulties.

BSpTher, GdipT(Infants/Primary), FSPA, CPSP

Alison trained as a Speech Pathologist at the University of Queensland and has had a career working in the education sector in remote, regional and metropolitan contexts including roles in administration, service management and project leadership. She also completed a Graduate Diploma in Teaching at the University of New England to broaden her understanding of the teaching and learning process.

Alison has been a long-standing, active member of Speech Pathology Australia including as a Regional Representative, National Council Member and Branch Chair along with representing SPA on the Speech Pathologists Registration Board in Queensland and convening two national conferences. Alison is currently a member of the Governance Subcommittee.

While committed to the right to communicate for all, Alison has a particular interest in the impact of communication difficulties on educational achievement. She is interested in professional standards and the professionalism of speech pathologists particularly as we grow in number and diverse practice contexts within Australia.

BSpThy, GradDipEd, GradCertAutism

Eddie graduated as a speech pathologist from the University of Queensland in 1987, originally working at the Cerebral Palsy League and Child Youth Mental Health in Brisbane. After working another eight years as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the Department of Education, Eddie completed a Graduate Diploma of Education in 2001 from the University of New England and has since worked as a teacher and Head of Special Education Services in primary, secondary and special school sectors. Eddie has a substantive position as Deputy Principal at a secondary school but is currently working as Principal Advisor Inclusion within the North Coast Region of the Queensland Department of Education.

Eddie has been a member of Speech Pathology Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee since its inception and a member of the Reconciliation Action Plan Sub-committee. Eddie is also a member of the Queensland Department of Education’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Reference Group.

Eddie is a strong advocate in the disability, diversity and inclusion space and is focussed on ensuring the barriers to learning for diverse learners are addressed in order to improve their access and participation in education.

B. App. Sc (Speech Path)

Lucy graduated as a Speech Pathologist from the University of Sydney and has since worked in both Sydney and Melbourne. She currently leads a large multidisciplinary team of therapists and is a member of the leadership team at a school for students with disabilities. She has previously worked as a Speech Pathologist and a manager in a range of education and disability services, including Early Childhood Settings, private practice and both mainstream and special school settings. She also lectures at RMIT University in the School of Education and has a keen interest in collaborative practice.

Having worked with Speech Pathology Australia on a range of smaller projects, Lucy is excited to extend this association by being elected to the Board of Directors in 2021. She values interdisciplinary collaboration, with an interest in extending relationships with education and early childhood services and training institutions. Lucy is keen to be a part of establishing governance and policy to support speech pathologists, clients, organisations and communities to form collaborative partnerships while seeking opportunities to promote and extend the diversity of the profession.

BA(Hons) Econ/Maths, ACA, GAICD

Inma is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants. She has over 25 years’ experience as a Finance Professional with a strong track record in audit, risk, financial control, strategy and process improvement within domestic and major multinational institutions like Procter & Gamble and Citibank, both in the UK and in Australia. Most recently Inma has become a Marketing, Communications and Fundraising Professional at Universities and Schools. She has a passion for helping organisations in education and not for profit sectors enhance their reputation and pursue diversified funding.Inma holds Non-Executive Director positions at UN Women Australia, The Women’s College at the University of Queensland and Guide Dogs Queensland. She holds Bachelor degrees in Mathematics and in Commerce/Economics from the University of Valencia in Spain. Inma speaks English, Spanish, French and Italian.