President

Tara Diversi

Experience

Tara Diversi is the 17th President of Dietitians Australia.

Tara is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) who has worked in almost all fields of dietetics. She has worked extensively in nutrition and dietetics within the private sector, as a teaching-focussed academic, policy consultancy, communications, and in her current role as CEO of Sophus Nutrition, a digital health company.

Tara holds a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics along with an MBA, PGradDipPsyc, PGradCertPsyc, GradCertEducation and is a Graduate of AICD. As a member of Dietitians Australia since 2003, Tara was awarded the Young Achievers Award (in memory of Joan Mary Woodhill) in 2009, and has previously served as a Dietitians Australia media spokesperson and as the convenor of the Dietitians in Private Sector Interest Group (DIPSIG).

She is the National Dietetic Adviser to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Tara regularly presents workshops, webinars and lectures for Dietitians Australia, the health sector and corporations and is the author of 3 books on communication for health professionals. She is the co-author of The Good Enough Diet and co-author of the text, Totora’s Anatomy and Physiology.

Qualifications

MNutr&Diet, MBA, GradDipPsyc, PostGrapDipPsyc, BHSc, GradCertEdStudies(Higher Ed), APD

Vice-President 

Dr Fiona Willer

Experience

Dr Fiona Willer is an Australian dietitian, academic, educator, non-executive board director and health advocate with a career straddling higher education and the non-profit and private sectors.

She is a long-standing lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Queensland University of Technology and is affiliated for research activities with the Healthy Primary Care team at Griffith University's Menzies Health Institute.

Fiona's areas of expertise include the relationships between weight stigma, health consciousness, body appreciation and dietary quality, and the integration of inclusive weight-neutral lifestyle approaches (including Health at Every Size®) into healthcare practice and policy.

Her business, Health, Not Diets, provides organisational consultancy and professional development resources for inclusive, weight-neutral healthcare practice and will be celebrating 10 years of advocacy in 2023. She is also proud to be the creator of the innovative Unpacking Weight Science professional development podcast.

Fiona currently serves on the board of Dietitians Australia and has previously served on the boards of HAES Australia and the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) in the USA.

Qualifications

B.A. (English & Anthropology), B.HlthSc (Nutrition & Dietetics)(hons), PhD, AdvAPD, FHEA, GAICD

Director

Chair of the Governance Audit, Finance and Risk Committee

Scott Dorries

Experience

Scott joined the Board of Beaucare in 2017 as Treasurer and the Board of Tallebudgera Surf Life Saving Club in 2018 as Treasurer and the Board of TransitCare in 2019 as Deputy Chair. Scott is a finance executive with over 29 years of work experience in roles from Chief Financial Officer to Executive Manager Finance and General Manager Finance and Operations. 

Scott has multiple industry sector experience ranging from Banking and Finance (including Mutuals and Member Based), Transport and Logistics, Early Childhood Education, Community Housing and Member and Community Services in the Not For Profit, Public (State and Local Government) and Private organisations. Scott derives immense satisfaction out of creating community support benefits and making a real difference for the Logan, Scenic Rim, Townsville and Cairns, Redland, Brisbane and Gold Coast councils and communities.

 A Fellow CPA, Fellow GIA, and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, he has experience and a strong focus in strategic planning, commercial management, corporate governances, mergers, demergers, acquisitions, new entity formations, risk and HR management. Scott has extensive customer and community service knowledge and leadership experience to produce innovative insights and make sustainable, strategic, collective, ethical, and individual decisions.

Qualifications

FCPA, GAICD, FGIA, Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) 

Director

Chair of the Communication Committee

Simone Austin

Experience

Simone Austin is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Advanced Sports Dietitian and published author of Eat Like An Athlete. She brings over 25 years of experience to the Dietitians Australia Board.

Simone was the Senior Dietetic Advisor at Dietitians Australia managing the Advocacy and Policy team and has been a Dietitians Australia media spokesperson for many years. Simone is passionate about raising the profile of the dietetic profession and used her strong leadership skills to do this during her 5 years as president of Sports Dietitians Australia.

She is currently the Chief Health Officer at Healthy Life, chairing the Health Advisory Board, a nutrition ambassador within the food industry and a frequent media presenter. Simone is renowned for her strong verbal skills to translate science into everyday language and her ability to engage people on the journey.

Simone has a track record of success as a sports dietitian working with many of Australia’s elite sporting teams in AFL, cricket and rugby league. Her work has crossed many areas of dietetics with industry, aged care, media, community health, sports, private practice and government advocacy and policy.

Simone works to establish positive relationships that create opportunities for the profession.

Qualifications

APD, Advanced Sports Dietitian

Director

Professor Lauren Ball

Experience

Associate Professor Lauren Ball is one of Australia’s leading primary care researchers. Lauren works with community members, health professionals, education providers, and professional bodies to reach her goal of reorienting primary health care to focus on prevention, rather than cure, so that all people can reach their full potential.

Lauren has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in highly targeted journals and has attracted over $14 million from government bodies, non-government organisations and philanthropic foundations. She is Lead of the Healthy Primary Care research team at Griffith University, as well as a member of the research committee for the School of Health Sciences and Social Work. She is also Co-Lead of the Healthy Lifestyles Group at Menzies Health Institute Queensland.

Lauren is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator and the Global Strategy Lead at the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health in Cambridge, UK. She sits on the Griffith University Council, as well as on the Strategic Advisory Committee for the Australian Journal of General Practice. She is also an Associate Editor for Family Practice and the Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics.

Lauren is a passionate supervisor and mentor, supervising 11 researchers to successful PhD completion, and currently supervising seven more PhD candidates. Within her team, institution and research community, Lauren is an advocate for knowledge translation and impact.

Qualifications

AdvAPD, BAppSc, MNutrDiet, Grad Cert Higher Ed, Grad Dip Health Economics & Health Policy, PhD

Director

Chair of the Membership and Professional Development Committee

Mark Booth

Experience

Mark is currently a Principal with Nous Group where Mark specialises in delivering strategic policy advice to clients in the health and aged cares sectors.  Prior to joining Nous Mark was as the CEO of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) which is the key standard setter that sits at the centre of the food regulatory system across Australia and New Zealand.  This role gave Mark great experience in all aspects of the food system across Australia and New Zealand and internationally.

Mark has worked for over 35 years in public policy and has worked at the highest levels of government in four different countries. He has worked in the public, private and academic sectors, and has led national level health transformation projects. He is expert in delivering practical solutions to complex issues; dealing with complex stakeholder environments; regulatory policy and practice; and in leading organisational and cultural change.  

Prior to his role at FSANZ, Mark spent over a decade within the federal health portfolio in a variety of strategic policy roles that has given him great experience and understanding of the Australian health and aged care system. 

Qualifications

Master of Arts (Economics), Executive Masters in Public Administration, Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Economics, Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Director

Suzanne Kennewell

Experience

Suzanne is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) with over 30 years’ experience in healthcare. Suzanne has worked in clinical and corporate roles; in rural, regional and metropolitan areas; and is currently Director of Nutrition and Dietetics for Sydney Local Health District. Suzanne is also co-chair for the Agency for Clinical Invocations’ Nutrition in Hospitals Committee. 

Suzanne has made significant contribution to a number of government and professional policy documents. She has represented the Dietetic profession at both a National and State level. Suzanne has a strong interest in the development of nutrition standards and policy relating to institutional food services. She has undertaken and supported research in clinical food services and its impact on patient nutritional care. 

As part of a Masters in Business Administration Suzanne has undertaken research in the area of support systems within healthcare, exploring the interface between clinical and corporate support systems. She has presented at national and international conferences, and lectures to students within the Nutrition and Dietetics course at Sydney University. 

Suzanne was awarded the Dietitians Australia Branch Award of Merit for advocacy for better nutrition through work undertaken in NSW Health in 2013 and 2022. 

Qualifications

Masters Nutrition and Dietetics, Masters Business Administration (Health), APD

Director

Chair of the People and Culture Committee

Dr Nadine White

Experience

Nadine is an experienced Company Director, bringing a strong, vested interest in social inclusion, impact, and working to improve outcomes for individuals and communities. 

An accomplished Company Director, Nadine has an extensive background in the public and private sectors in aged care, health, disability, Indigenous affairs, and financial services. Nadine is a Director with Care Connect Ltd, Scope Australia Ltd and Community Services #1. She has formerly held appointments with the ACT Reconciliation Council and been Deputy Chair of both Raising Hope Education Foundation and the ACT Work Health & Safety Council.

Nadine has spent much of her executive career in human resources and workplace relations. She was Chief People Officer at the Australian National University and holds a PhD in organisational change and industrial relations within the health sector. She is a Graduate of the AICD and holds tertiary qualifications in business and law.

Nadine is a passionate advocate for gender equity and Indigenous employment. Legally trained, she also counts sustainable workforce outcomes and parental leave improvements such as superannuation on unpaid parental leave as some of the key successes of her career.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Law & Administration, Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate, Australian institute of Company Directors and Silver Badge, Governing for Reform in Aged Care.

Get in touch

Contact us at companysecretary@dietitiansaustralia.org.au