About us

Gregory was appointed as CEO of Gateway Family Services in January 2019. He has had a diverse career in Leadership roles primarily in the Faith based and NFP sector. His most recent role was as Director of Social Services with Catholic Care in the Diocese of Parramatta. Prior to that he has held positions as Director of Mission with the St John of God Health Care Group, and Clinical Director with a large regional Health Centre.

When not working in organizational endeavours, Gregory engages his primary passion working as a psychotherapist in his own practice.  He predominately works in the relationship field, and it is in this domain that he came to more fully appreciate the world of the child. He holds the belief that many of our contemporary approaches to children, parenting and education are in need of reform especially given current knowledge in the fields of neurobiology, attachment and trauma informed practice.

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Mark has spent 30 years in the arts and cultural sectors both in Australia and North America.  He held the position of Director of Sales and Marketing for Sydney Symphony Orchestra for ten years recently concluding, and before that, held senior management arts marketing positions in California and Texas.

Mark brings a belief in collaboration, transparency, discretion, independent thinking, and a willingness to try new things to his role on the Management Committee. Mark lives with his family in NSW’s beautiful Blue Mountains.

Terese joined Gateway in 2011 and holds formal qualifications in accounting, book-keeping and training and assessment, with over 40 years working in business administration and financial management. Terese implements and maintains the financial functions of Gateway Family Services. Her expertise ensures the smooth running of the service and that financial, legal and employment accountability requirements are all met. She is also a registered BAS Agent, MYOB Professional Partner and Justice of the Peace.

Terese has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 20years and as well as providing expert financial management, she oversees all the IT requirements of the organisation. Terese has spent a lifetime on community committees and currently holds the position of Treasurer for Blaxland& Districts Chamber of Commerce and Treasurer on the board for LEAD Professional Development Association Inc.

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Peter has over 45 years of engineering experience in the design, construction and maintenance of the NSW state road network with formal qualifications in engineering, highway engineering and Data Processing.  

Peter's financial skills have been used to manage a 30 strong technical design office.  He is currently working as a consulting engineer on the design of new national highways, motorways and container shipping terminals. Peter is a member of Blaxland Uniting Church.

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Sophie Corbett has worked with vulnerable families in the community sector for over twenty-five years. She has a Master of Social Work from Charles Sturt University and a Bachelor of Arts from Sydney University and has extensive training and experience in the areas of child protection, domestic and family violence and trauma-informed practice.

Sophie has a strong belief in the importance of building strength-based trauma-informed organisations and social structures to support strength-based and trauma-informed work with families and communities.

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Peter is now retired but previously worked as the NSW Fair Trading policy and legislation manager. Born in Perth WA to RAAF family Peter grew up in Glenbrook and has been a resident of Mt Riverview for 46 years.

Peter is an elder of Glenbrook Uniting Church. and has been on the Gateway Board since December 2016 though he has been interested in Gateway activities for some time.

Carina has been handling general bookkeeping and administrative tasks at Gateway Family Services since 2022. She has over 20 years of experience as a bookkeeper and her expertise spans across diverse industries including hospitality, building and scientific and laboratory instruments.

Notably, she earned her BAS Agent qualification in 2014, further enhancing her professional capabilities.

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Carol, a recent member of the Gateway Family Services Management Committee and has been involved with Gateway as a volunteer for a number of years.

She is a retired Minister of the Uniting Church in Australia, living in the Lower Blue Mountains. She values and seeks to uphold the dignity and worth of all people.

Bec is a passionate community development practitioner withover 20 years of experience in diverse settings across the community sector.

Bec has particular experience working with public housing communities experiencing a high degree of concentrated disadvantage, and currently runs a small community development organisation in Bidwill. Bec also loves sport, films, art, animals and nature, and her three kids.

Lyn joined Gateway in 2024 as a bookkeeper, and has an extensive background as a general manager, payroll manager and administration/safetymanager in previous roles. She has experience managing payroll for large corporations with 500+ staff, with control of company budgets and cash flow and with oversight of human resources responsibilities.

In addition to business administration, Lyn also has extensive experience with work, health and safety and a skillset in recruitment and training, in addition to accounting, bookkeeping and all aspects of payroll.

Kerry has more than two decades of Executive level experience across the NFP sector in Community Services, Vocational Education & Training, Disability, Quality Management and Professional Development. She has worked extensively with community-based organisations and their Boards to support their governance and development of program logics.

Kerry holds a Masters in Business Leadership (CSU), Graduate Certificate in Business Leadership (CSU), Bachelor of Adult Education (UWS) and Cert IV In Training & Assessment. An experienced public speaker, Kerry has presented at the National Disability Conference, Quality Management in Florida (to organisations including NASA and Boeing) and represented Australia as part of the Australian Standards Committee’s delegation at The Hague.

In a previous role Kerry worked to support Gateway and other local service providers to provide professional development opportunities and project support. She is pleased to continue the connection with Gateway and its amazing team through this Board role.

Melissa works in a communications and administrative role supporting each of the program areas within the organisation. She has an extensive background working in media, communications and publishing, developing skills in marketing, copywriting, social media and graphic design.

Melissa is a qualified social worker, adding a Master of Social Work from Griffith University to her Bachelor of Social Science from Macquarie University. She brings this unique skillset to her role, combining her expertise in communications with a passion for working with people and communities to promote positive change.

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Kim Scanlon is the Family Worker Team Leader. Kim has many years of experience in the sector working with community from age 0 to age 100 and has held various roles in her career including Community Development, Community Hub Management, Case Management, Playgroup Facilitation, Meals on Wheels Coordination (including multicultural meal delivery), Youth Work, Parent Program Group Facilitation, General Manager and Team Leader.

Kim is passionate about supporting families through a solution-focused lens, to achieve their goals and recognise their inner resources and strengths. Kim loves working at Gateway Family Services because it is a grassroots organisation, developed by community for the needs of community and ‘community supporting community’ is one of her core beliefs. Gateway is strength based all the way through its support and respect for staff to its support and respect for clients. “Gateway is an amazing organisation to work for and at this point in my career, I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.”

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Lenore commenced working with Gateway in 2013, following a career in retail management and study in counselling and coaching.

Lenore leads the Evolve Program which provides community and parent support programs. Together with her team Lenore has a strong focus on delivering inclusive, informative and supportive programs aimed to help parents, carers and educators better understand child and adolescent development, and opportunities to strengthen relationships.

Lenore is passionate about collaborating with community partners, always looking for opportunities to deliver innovative and relevant groups and projects. Lenore extends her care for people and community by also volunteering with the charity organisation “Feel The Magic”.

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Karen began volunteering at Gateway in 2015 and in time was employed in the Essentials Program. Karen’s experience includes working in Disaster Recovery as a caseworker and community development worker, she has also completed a Bachelor of Community and Human Services and a Diploma of Counselling

Karen leads the Essentials Program and Volunteer Project. The Essentials Program provides food security to community, financial assistance and referral to specialised support organisations.

Together with an amazing crew of dedicated volunteers and students, Karen provides a strength-based approach to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity and financial hardship. Karen works collaboratively with a range of organisations, community, and individuals to assist families and individuals with the essentials of everyday living.

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Emma Nicholson is the Intake Counsellor and a Family Support Worker at Gateway. Emma has 15 years’ experience in Family Support and has been at Gateway since 2019. Emma loves talking to families who are making initial contact with Gateway, supporting parents and carers to share their stories and working with families to determine how Gateway can support their children.

In her Family Support role Emma feels privileged to be able to work with families in their homes, building on inner strengths and creating a network of services to support families reach their goals.

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Belinda MacMahon is one of the family workers with Gateway Family Services. Belinda has a background in case management and family work that has previously specialised with children aged 0 to 5. Belinda has a strong focus on child development and specifically, understanding a child’s developmental capacity when dealing with various diagnoses.

Belinda has a passion for helping families to see their strengths, and works within a strength based and solution focused model. Belinda is passionate about bringing attachment theory to life through a practical and affirming lens of strengthening relationships within the family. Belinda loves working with Gateway and is personally aligned with the values of strengthening families and communities.

She is excited to be part of a professional, warm and dynamic team that fosters growth and potential, of both staff and families.

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Nicole is an Art Therapist who works with children and adolescents. She came to Gateway from a background in education, primarily working with upper primary and high school students with diagnosed mental health conditions within special education settings.

Working in schools, initially as a visual arts teacher and then Assistant Principal led her to retrain as an Art Therapist, having witnessed the therapeutic benefits of utilising creativity when supporting young people to regulate their emotions and work through difficult situations. Nicole is passionate about supporting young people to fully realise their personal strengths and individual gifts.

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Ruth started her working life in Early Childhood but was soon drawn to wanting to work with children and families who had experienced trauma. She began working at a women’s refuge in the field of mental health and parenting, whilst doing further study in the areas of social analysis, gender studies, criminology and Indigenous studies.

Ruth moved to Central Australia and ran parenting workshops before returning to Sydney to have her own children. Still passionate about supporting others through grief, loss and trauma, she obtained further qualifications in this area. Ruth is committed to ongoing learning from First Nations People’s and continues to work with all people in their healing journeys and their relationships with others.

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Kathie has been working with children and their families for over 40 years. Along with postgraduate qualifications in Play Therapy and Filial Play, Kathie draws on extensive knowledge of child development, trauma and attachment theory, and neurodiversity. Kathie believes that all children have an inner drive to be their best self in unique and wonderful ways.  

In her practice Kathie trusts children to show her what they may be needing through their play.  Kathie has found that it is the potent doses of playful presence of play therapy (the experience of feeling “being withed”) that enables clearer self-awareness, confident self-acceptance and closer and more satisfying relationships. Kathie is a strong advocate for children’s voices to be heard and respected.  

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Morgana is a social worker, counsellor and art therapist with  fifteen years’ experience working in hospitals, community health facilities, and with families and children. She draws on strengths-based, solutions-focused and trauma-informed theories, with particular focus on attachment, childhood trauma, blended families, depression and anxiety. Morgana understands the courage it takes to engage in both art-making and therapy, so approach her work with humility and humour.

Morgana is professionally registered with Australian Counselling Association (ACA) and Australian New Zealand Asian Creative Art Therapy Association (ANZACATA). She is a certified provider of Triple P (Primary Care) and Seasons for Growth (Children’s grief and loss program), as well as being trained in providing therapy based on Theraplay principles. She holds a Masters of Art Therapy (Distinction), a Graduate Certificate in Counselling, a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce.

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Jenny is a fully certified play therapist who works with children, parents, and caregivers to support and celebrate the uniqueness of each child, and family’s strengths. She is passionate about helping children gain their own sense of self, develop skills to better cope with challenges in their lives and make sense of their worlds.

She focuses on supporting positive attachment relationships between child and parent/caregivers; through therapeutic play, meaningful connection and child-parent coaching strategies. Jenny has been working with children and families as a play therapist since 2011. She is also an occupational therapist and positive behaviour support practitioner.

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Angie is an early childhood teacher with 20 years of experience, working in a range of education settings including preschool, primary school, early intervention and Aboriginal education programs. She is currently completing a master’s of Indigenous education. She is the Early Childhood Teacher/Mentor and Community Development Worker at Gateway.

Angie coordinates the “It Takes a Village” (Early Childhood Mentoring) program, providing support to educators and also works in the role of community development worker, facilitating peer support groups and playgroups for parents and carers. As a proud Ngunawal woman, Angie is passionate about advocating for Aboriginal families and creating inclusive and culturally safe spaces for all children.

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Kaaren has worked in roles as a counsellor, supervisor, family support team leader, and an early childhood teacher. She has had 30 years’ experience in working in a range of services that support children and families. These include preschool, early intervention, working with mothers who have experienced mental illness, family support and counselling individuals, couples, and families.

Kaaren is a Parenting Program Support worker. In this role she coordinates the parenting groups that are delivered in the Penrith and Blue Mountains area, as well as facilitating supported playgroups that cater to children and families in the local community.

Kaaren has a passion for working collaboratively with individuals and families through a strength-based, person-centred and attachment-focused lens.

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