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

Jemma O'Hanlon

Experience

Jemma O'Hanlon is a trusted nutrition expert and APD with over 17 years’ experience across the food production, foodservice, food manufacturing and public health sectors.

A strategic thinker with a strong business acumen, Jemma has led teams of dietitians in both commercial and not-for-profit organisations. Currently the Senior Food & Nutrition Advisor at the Heart Foundation, Jemma is responsible for driving programs that impact the community and identifying strategic opportunities to raise awareness of the Heart Foundation’s Heart Healthy Eating Patterns, position statements and evidence reviews.

Jemma is the Director responsible for the Marketing, Media and Communications Committee and is renowned for her exemplary written and verbal communication skills, her solution and people-focused approach and strong emotional intelligence.

Jemma is deeply passionate about the value dietitians can bring in the community and the role dietitians play as the leading voice in nutrition.

With extensive experience across all media platforms, Jemma has a natural ability to translate complex science into simple and engaging messages that drive behaviour change. Jemma has featured on a range of national broadcast platforms, championing culinary nutrition and demonstrating how food can be both nutritious and delicious.

In her spare time you’ll find Jemma amongst nature, out for a run in the sunshine or whipping up delicious meals in the kitchen.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics), APD

Director responsible for finance

Margot Richardson

Experience

Margot has been a member of the Dietitians Australia Finance, Risk and Compliance Committee for the past 2 years and was delighted to take up the opportunity to become an independent member of the board in December 2020. Margot is a highly qualified and extremely motivated professional whose dedication to quality outcomes allows her to use her expertise of more than 32 years business and industry experience to support and strengthen companies and organisations. Margot is the Managing Director of Business Mapping Solutions Pty Ltd.

Having gained experience in the industry as a CPA Public Accountant and Chief Financial Officer, Margot expanded her skillset into governance, directorships, and organisational leadership. She now works with businesses and organisations to support governance development, as well as providing financial management and consultation. A key aspect of her business is the provision of tailored strategic and risk advice to NFP Boards and SMEs.

Margot has built a reputation as a director and mentor that can provide expert strategic advice and sound financial guidance. Her ability to connect personally with her clientele has contributed in no small part to her success with Indigenous organisations, and she conducts herself with scrupulous governance and meticulous attention to detail in all her roles.

She is a Graduate of the Company Directors Course, facilitator of AICD courses and has completed the AICD Mastering the Boardroom program.

Qualifications

FCPA, GAICD, FGIA, B.Ec/Asian Studies, Grad Dip Financial Management

Director

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

Dr Katrina Campbell

Experience

Katrina is an Advanced APD with a unique combination of expertise in research, clinical dietetics, academia, management and consultancy.

She is currently the Director of Healthcare Excellence and Innovation in Metro North Hospital and Health Service, the largest health care provider in Australia. She leads pragmatic clinical trials and implementation trials measuring patient, health service and economic outcomes. She also has an international profile in renal nutrition and published more than 100 papers in this area.

Katrina is passionate about building the dietetic profession to challenge the status quo, evaluate outcomes and harness opportunities to improve the health of all Australians.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics), PhD, AdvAPD, GradCertHealthEcon

Director

Tracy Hardy

Experience

Tracy Hardy is an APD who combines community-based nutrition and public speaking with creating culturally centred nutrition workshops, programs, resources and recipe development, as well as culturally informed trauma integrated training and practice workshops for community based, not-for-profit and corporate organisations and training for health professionals through her business, Wattleseed Nutrition, Health and Wellbeing.

Her research experience focuses on cultural safety of community-based nutrition interventions, traditional food systems and Indigenous food sovereignty. Tracy has held leadership positions on several local and national advisory committees and served on the board of Indigenous Allied Health Australia, a national, member-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander allied health organisation and now Dietitians Australia.

Tracy has a great interest in the health and wellbeing of First Nations Peoples of Australia, ensuring and supporting the provision of anti-racist, trauma informed, culturally safe and responsive nutrition and dietetic care and research and strengths-based, community led and community driven nutrition interventions, as well as the Ceremony of Indigenous Facilitation Practices and the Culturally Informed Trauma Integrated Healing Approach Model of care.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Nutrition/Dietetics (Hons), APD, Grad Cert Indigenous Trauma and Recovery Practice Graduate Certificate (complete in October 2022)

Director

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

Get in touch

Contact us at info@dietitiansaustralia.org.au or call 02 6189 1200.