Katrina has been employed with Mental Health Carers Australia (MHCA) for six years following a 30-year career in disability service delivery and policy across the government and non-government sectors. Katrina has also worked as a management consultant across the community services sector. 

Katrina led MHCA’s advocacy program that contributed to the Australian Government’s announcement in January 2023 of the establishment of two new lived experience peak bodies, one for consumers, and one for families, carers and kin. Under Katrina’s stewardship MHCA was successfully awarded grant funding in June 2024 to establish the new family, carer and kin peak body. 

In her current role as Chief Executive Officer, Katrina represents MHCA at key policy forums including to ensure the voice of families, carers and kin is heard and embedded in service and policy reforms. Katrina represents the views of families and carers at NDIS and psychosocial forms and is a member of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Service System Working Group. Katrina is also actively developing MHCA’s reputation as a trusted and reputable organisation providing sound policy advice to government.

The critically important role that families, carers and kin play in supporting mental well-being is often over-looked in system design. Katrina’s aim is to ensure the rights of families and carers are upheld in services while also ensuring that their own needs are also addressed through good policy initiatives. Katrina is also working to bring alive MHCA’s vision of family and carer lived experience being embedded into governance structures to facilitate co-production of service system reforms.