Our leadership team

Our leadership team help deliver our vision, values, purpose and goals.

Peter McNamara

CEO 

Peter has more than 20 years of executive and board experience, including as Chief Executive Officer, Good Shepherd Microfinance and as General Manager, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Peter is the President of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), having served on the Board since 2015. He has studied finances and strategy at Harvard Business School, Stanford Business School and Melbourne Business School and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Peter was appointed CEO of SECL in March 2021.

Marlena Kupczyk

Head of Youth, Housing and Employment

Marlena holds a Master’s degree in Counselling and a Master’s degree in Education and Counselling. She joined SECL in 2013 and has been a part of Leadership and Management Team since 2017. Marlena has two decades of extensive experience working in the community sector, is a life member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and a co-author of two educational books published in Poland.

Michelle Rowland

Head of Settlement and Family Violence Prevention

Michelle holds a Bachelor of Business and Human Resource Management and a Masters of Social Work. She has spent two decades working closely with migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities facilitating community development programs and providing settlement support, training, advocacy and management expertise across a wide range of philanthropic and government funded programs.

Desiree Kisnorbo

Head of  Human Resources

Desiree is guiding the growth of people and culture at SECL. With 21 years’ HR industry experience, she holds a Bachelor of Business and has gained experience working for global and domestic business in renewables, manufacturing, IT, and finance industries, as well as establishing her own HR consulting business.  Specialising in workplace relations and leading organisational structural changes, recruiting, managing, and keeping pace with changing work environments, Desiree enables teams to be their best. Desiree is an activist for gender equity, cultural diversity and inclusion implementing business initiatives and practices to help support realising those goals.