OUR TEAM
Sight For All’s team is made up of a passionate Board of Directors, tireless volunteers, dedicated staff, our generous Visionaries and an amazing events team.
Meet them below.
Board Directors with an unwavering focus on eye health.
To ensure our focus of ophthalmic health care remains at the core of our activities, at least 50% of Directors appointed to the Board at any one time must be ophthalmic health care professionals.
To find out more about our incredible team of leaders, click on the profiles below.
-
Dr James Muecke AM
Chairman -
Professor Bob Casson
Vice Chair -
Mr Phil Jaquillard
Treasurer -
Mrs Melissa Emmett
Board Director -
Clin A/Prof Andrew White
Board Director -
Mr Jason Karas
Board Director -
David Paterson
Board Director -
Kylie Harris
Board Director -
Dr Luke Chehade
Board Director
Dr James Muecke AM
Chairman
James is an eye surgeon based in Adelaide. He is a visiting consultant and senior lecturer at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Women’s and Children’s Hospital. James has a special interest in blindness prevention, ophthalmic research and education in the developing world. James was a co-founder and Director of the Vision Myanmar Program.
He received an ‘Outstanding Service in Prevention of Blindness Award’ by the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology in 2011. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2012 and received a South Australian Community Achievement Award. In 2015 James was the recipient of the Ernst Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award. James delivered the Hollows Lecture at the 2016 RANZCO Congress.
In November 2019, James was announced SA Australian of the Year 2020. In January 2020, James received the 2020 Australian of the Year Award.
Professor Bob Casson
Vice Chair
Mr Phil Jaquillard
Treasurer
Phil Jaquillard is a partner of Jaquillard Minns Chartered Accountants and a Director of SuperGuardian Pty Ltd. He holds a B Ec from Flinders University and a Post Grad Diploma in Accounting. Phil consults to business on a wide range of matters including taxation, business structures, information technology, wealth management and offshore business.
He is actively involved in charitable projects, including until 2016, as Treasurer for the Mary Potter Foundation in Adelaide, and is a volunteer and advisor to Black Pencil Project in the Philippines.
Mrs Melissa Emmett
Board Director
Melissa is the principal consultant for Emmett Marketing. She has a business degree majoring in marketing from the University of South Australia. For over 30 years her career in marketing and brand management included working with brands such as Snappy Tom, SAFCOL, Balfours, Fauldings and SAFE.
More recently as a consultant she has worked with SMSF Association, Dressed For Sale, Bedford, Optimistic Kids, Joust and Hands On SA.
Clin A/Prof Andrew White
Board Director
Clin A/Prof Andrew White B.Med.Sci(hons) MBBS PhD FRANZCO is a clinician scientist ophthalmologist at Westmead Hospital. His subspecialty interest is glaucoma. He was awarded First Class Honours in Medical Science in 1995 and a combined MBBS/PhD degree in 2002 from the University of Sydney. He also undertook research work at the Max Plank Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Gottingen, Germany and the State University of New York (SUNY) and the University of Cambridge.
Clin A/Prof White is Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Westmead Hospital in Sydney as well as working in private practice. He has research affiliations with the University of Sydney at both the Save Sight Institute and Westmead Institute for Medical Research where he runs a laboratory developing new treatments for glaucoma. He has been working with Sight For All for a number of years, supervising in-country fellowships in glaucoma.
Mr Jason Karas
Board Director
Jason Karas is the co-founder and global leader of Lipman Karas, an international law firm specialising in financial dispute resolution, with offices in Australia, Hong Kong and London. In more than 25 years working as a lawyer, Jason has led some of the most significant corporate litigation and cross-border fraud investigation projects in the Asia Pacific region and internationally. He is a recognised industry leader in the areas of litigation finance, multijurisdictional disputes and cross-border investigations.
Jason graduated from the University of Adelaide with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and an honours degree in Law. He is a keen amateur tennis player and competitive runner.
David Paterson
Board Director
David Paterson is principal of Cornerstone Strategy, a consultancy specialising in strategy & innovation for purpose-driven organisations.
He is the former Chief Innovation Officer of World Vision, Chief Marketing Officer of Medibank Private, and Professor of Innovation & Enterprise at the University of South Australia.
Kylie Harris
Board Director
BScOptom, GradCertOcTh, GAICD
Kylie is an optometrist and healthcare manager located in Melbourne, with a broad administrative skillset across numerous fields of specialist medicine. She is the Business Development Director for short stay hospital group, Nexus Hospitals.
Kylie is a Graduate of the Institute of Company Directors, and has served on the boards of not for profit organisations Optometry Australia and Optometry Victoria, focused on leading and promoting optometrists, optometry and eye health.
Dr Luke Chehade
Board Director
Luke is a South Australian Ophthalmology Registrar moving into his second year of training in 2021, having graduated with an MBBS from University of Adelaide in 2014. Luke has always had an interest in public health and volunteered on multiple Sight for All projects including spending time at the Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology in 2016, prior to being appointed to the board of directors. While continuing to work toward becoming an Ophthalmologist, Luke completed a Masters of International Public Health through the University of Sydney with Distinction in 2018, in order to help understand the most effective and efficient ways of delivering overseas healthcare and combating preventable blindness.
Energy + Passion + Fun = Our Team.
We have a small but dedicated team. Through their persistence, positivity and dedication, this small but mighty team, consistently work at 150%.
To find out more about our wonderful team, click on the profiles below.
-
Judy Hatswell
Executive Officer -
Mena Muecke OAM
Events Director - Volunteer -
Dr Cesar Carrillo
Ophthalmic Public Health Officer -
Neeta Bhise
Marketing Manager -
Dr Ye Win
Country Officer, Myanmar -
Jo Croft
Eye Health Educator -
Mr Sith Sam Ath
Country Officer, Cambodia
Judy Hatswell
Executive Officer
Judy Hatswell (Bickmore) joined Sight For All as Executive Officer in January 2014. Judy has held senior management roles that have included strategic planning, the provision of disability services, project management, events planning, marketing and promotions. Prior to joining Sight For All, Judy was the General Manager for a large disability service provider that worked across South Australia and the Northern Territory. Judy has experience in working with Boards, governance, human resources and communications. Judy has a Bachelor of Social Science, Human Services Social Health Studies and a Graduate Diploma of Social Science, Health Counselling from the University of South Australia. She was awarded a King and Amy O’Malley Scholarship for her post graduate study. Judy was a member of the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee during 2017 & 2018. In 2017, Judy completed a Leadership Development Program with the Melbourne Business School and she currently holds the position of Chairperson on the Gleeson College Board.
Mena Muecke OAM
Events Director - Volunteer
Since graduating from the University of South Australia, Mena Muecke has spent 20 years practicing as an interior architect in Australia and for a short time in Israel. Mena refocused her energies in 2009 to join her husband Dr James Muecke in championing blindness prevention in Australia and the developing world with Sight For All. In her voluntary role as Events Director, Mena has created several iconic and unique events including Sculpture For Sight, Posters For Sight, Films For Sight and The Very Slow Long Lunch. In the six years since commencing this new role, Mena has helped raised more than $1 million for much-needed ophthalmic training and equipment. Mena also plays a vital role in the marketing and publicity of Sight For All and is a co-founder of the Vision 1000 social impact initiative. Mena was awarded an OAM in 2019 for services to the community through charitable initiatives.
Dr Cesar Carrillo
Ophthalmic Public Health Officer
Cesar Carrillo graduated from Colombian School of Medicine in 1996 and completed ophthalmology speciality training in 2005. After working as a comprehensive ophthalmologist in Bogota, he moved to Adelaide to undertake a Masters of Health and International Development. During the Masters he focused his studies on Australian Aboriginal eye health and Public Health Ophthalmology in developing countries. Cesar has special interests in ophthalmology education, international development and Aboriginal eye health. He joined Sight For All in 2014, as the organisation’s first Ophthalmic Public Health Fellow.
Neeta Bhise
Marketing Manager
Neeta Bhise joined the Sight For All team as Marketing Manager in June 2019, bringing more than 17 years of experience in marketing and advertising. Having worked in Adelaide and London, she has spent the majority of her career on the agency side of marketing, with a focus on creative campaign management incorporating brand management and strategic planning across online and offline channels.
Neeta holds a double degree from the University of South Australia (BA Management – Marketing and BA Arts- International Studies) as well as accreditations from the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) and Australian Marketing Institute (AMI). She has worked across a range of industries including tourism, science & research, retail and manufacturing as well as the not-for-profit sector. Neeta is looking forward to using her experience to help fight blindness both in Australia and overseas, by increasing awareness of Sight For All’s projects and engagement donors Australia-wide.
Dr Ye Win
Country Officer, Myanmar
Dr Ye Win joined the Sight For All team in September 2017 as Project Officer (Myanmar). Ye has worked in public health field for 8 years in Myanmar. He is working closely with Yangon Eye Hospital and Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports to ensure Sight For All Project activities are successful. He is also a member of Myanmar Medical Association.
Jo Croft
Eye Health Educator
Jo Croft completed her Bachelor of Optometry at The University of Melbourne in 2012. Since then, she has worked in private practice optometry clinics in Adelaide and regional South Australia. Over the past 8 years, Jo has also been involved in volunteer eye care trips in remote South Australia and Papua New Guinea. In 2017 she completed a Graduate Certificate in Public Health through Flinders University.
Jo enjoys all aspects of comprehensive optometric care and strives to help her patients better understand their own eye health. Having joined the Sight For All team in 2020 in a new role as Eye Health Educator, Jo is dedicated to sharing information with the community about caring for your eyes and vision.
Mr Sith Sam Ath
Country Officer, Cambodia
Mr. Sith Sam Ath (Sam Ath) holds a Bachelor in Anthropology, Khmer Arts Literature with post-graduate training in public health and Certification of Leadership Development. He has over 25 years’ experience in development programming, strategy and research, management and leadership, and social research methodology training; primarily in Cambodia and Lao PDR. Sam Ath joined Sight For All in November 2018 as the first Country Officer for Cambodia. Prior to this, Sam Ath held positions including Senior Program Coordinator on eye health in Lao PDR and Country Manager for the Fred Hollows Foundation in Cambodia, a role he held for 16 years. In recognition of his work, Sam Ath has received a Development Medal from the Prime Minister and King of the Royal Government of Cambodia.
Non-medical volunteers play a vital role in supporting Sight For All
Whether it is valued membership of a committee, or time spent in the office, non-medical volunteers make a significant contribution.
Sight For All Volunteers provide assistance with activities including:
– Coordinating major events
– IT support
– Office assistance
– Design of promotional material
If you are interested in volunteering with Sight For All, please contact us! We would love to hear from you.
Committees
Thank you to all of our Committee members- your valued time and energy to help Sight For All teach the world to see is wonderful!
Events Committee
The Sight For All Events Committee is a small specialist team that works to deliver unique, high quality events. The committee aims to raise funds for specific projects whilst also increasing awareness of blindness.
- Mrs Mena Muecke (Chair)
- Ms Judy Hatswell
- Mrs Lisa Daw (Secretary)
- Ms Sarah Hyde
- Mrs Felicity Keeves
- Mrs Jane McMahon
- Mrs Karen Rogers
- Ms Joanne Rosa
- Ms Neeta Bhise
Finance, Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee
The Sight For All Finance Committee assists the Sight For All Board of Directors in overseeing the organisation’s financial performance, financial policies and capital structure and expenditure.
- Mr Phil Jaquillard (Chair)
- Mrs Judy Hatswell (Secretary)
- Mr David Paterson (Board Representative)
- Ms Lee-Anne Beswick
Marketing Committee
The Sight For All Marketing Committee is a small group of committed professionals, who develop and implement marketing plans to raise awareness and funds for Sight For All.
- Mrs Melissa Emmett (Chair)
- Ms Neeta Bhise (Secretary)
- Mrs Judy Hatswell
- Dr James Muecke
- Mrs Mena Muecke
Program Management Committee
The Sight For All Program Management Committee develops and implements program management plans; methods for collecting and recording data; develops strategies for monitoring and evaluation and reviews program needs assessments, final reports and recommendations that have been made.
- Mrs Judy Hatswell (Chair)
- Dr Cesar Carrillo (Secretary)
- Dr Ye Win
- Mr Sith Sam Ath
Operations Committee
The Sight For All Operations Committee oversees all programs and activities related to our core organisational strategies.
- Dr James Muecke (Chair)
- Mrs Judy Hatswell
- Dr Cesar Carrillo (Secretary)
- Ms Joanna Croft
- Dr Luke Chehade (Board Representative)