Our Governance
Rural Doctors Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors who are either rural doctors or business people selected for their specific skill set.
The Board are supported by various committees who are guided by our Constitution which sets out our purpose, operation, and decision-making. We make decisions in line with approved policies as defined in our Governance Framework.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and Australian Taxation Office recognises the Foundation as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR). We have held this status since 2015.
Bringing diverse expertise
Not only do we have a committed Board passionate about rural health, we have a diverse bunch of people who give generously of their time to serve on our committees.
Our Committee members bring a wide range of skills and expertise to our decision making and provide significant support to the Board and the executive team.
Innovative thinking excites us yet it is always supported by robust governance. This inspiring group of professionals challenge us to be better than we thought we could be!
Passionate people making a difference
At the heart of Rural Doctors Foundation are a group of people with a love of everything rural and remote.
What drives us is an understanding of the challenges and needs of those living in these communities. And a commitment to make change.
Our Finance, Risk and Investment Committee
The Finance, Risk and Investment Committee review all financial matters and risk issues and provide regular reporting to the Board
Stephen Buchanan
Treasurer and Committee Chair
Sydney
Stephen is a finance specialist that has worked with rural communities for most of his career. Although living in the big smoke of Sydney, his heart lies in rural Australia, where he spent an idyllic childhood.
Glenda Colburn
Director
Gold Coast
Glenda brings an eclectic skills mix to broaden the depth of our Board. This includes corporate strategy, risk management and governance along with skills in fundraising and marketing. Glenda lives on the Gold Coast.
Ross Ole
Committee Member
Toowoomba
Ross Ole is a country boy at heart living in rural Queensland as a young boy and starting his career as a cotton farmer. Today, Ross holds a Commerce Degree and is a qualified Financial Planner. He lives in Toowoomba with his wife and is looking forward to travelling through more of our spectacular rural and remote towns.
Mark Scales
Committee Member
Brisbane
Mark joined the Finance, Risk and Investment Committee in 2023, bringing a wealth of expertise from over 15 years in risk and governance across multiple sectors including Government, Defence, Health, Mining and Natural Resources, and more.
Mark is the co-founder of StartRisk, an innovative AI-enabled application focused on risk management.
Prof Tarun Sen Gupta
Committee Member
Townsville
Tarun has been on the Finance, Risk and Investment Committee since its inception in 2016. He is is the Head of the Clinical School at James Cook University.
He always has a great story to tell and often shares stories of the many rural towns he has visited. Tarun is passionate about the future of rural medicine.
Our Program Committee
Our Program Committee provide governance oversight to major programs including allocation of grants. It will monitor, make recommendations, and advise the Rural Doctors Foundation Board (Board) on matters relating to our key programs. They ensure all programs and grants are delivered in line with our purpose, and fit within our current resourcing and budget.
Dr Sue Harrison, OAM
Committee Chair and Director
Echuca
Sue is the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) in the Emergency Departments in Swan Hill and Echuca. She is also senior lecturer at University of Melbourne.
Dr Tony Brown
Committee Member
Roma
Dr Tony Brown is the Chief Executive of the South West Hospital and Health Service based in Roma. Tony has enjoyed a varied career as a GP in rural Victoria and in Far North Queensland in the Cape. He is an adrenalin junkie and is often found on the highest mountains or cycling through the countryside.
Courtney Coyne
Committee Member
Brisbane
Courtney is a Senior Associate at Minter Ellison in Brisbane. Courtney joined our Program Committee after having spent a year as a Board Observer for Rural Doctors Foundation. Courtney sings with the Queensland Medical Orchestra and is in the final stages of completing a Master of Public Health.
Dr Alex Dunn
Committee Member and Director
Gympie
Alex is a Board member and Past President of Rural Doctors Association of Queensland. Alex is Medical Superintendent at Gympie Hospital.
Dr Sue Masel
Committee Member and Director
Goondiwindi
Dr Sue Masel has lived and worked in Goondiwindi in western Queensland for 25 years. She works as a rural GP and is also a medical educator.
Dr Michael Rice
Committee Member and Director
Beaudesert
Dr Michael Rice is a rural generalist living and working in Beaudesert. He loves the community and was instrumental in restoring maternity health services to the local hospital.
Dr Konrad Kangru
Committee Member
Proserpine
Konrad is in private Rural General Practice in the Whitsundays, and is a GP Supervisor and Medical Educator. He is an advocate for improving the support of rural doctors, and has also undertaken and presented his research on the Self-Care of rural doctors and brings his expertise to our GPs4RuralDocs program.
Leanne Patton
Committee Member
Charleville
Leanne is embedded in the community of Charleville and has worked for Queensland Health for nearly 45 years. Leanne is the Group Director of Nursing Midwifery for South West Hospital and Health Service. As a nurse, she brings a valued perspective to our Program Committee.
Prof Tarun Sen Gupta
Committee Member
Townsville
Tarun is the Head of the Clinical School at James Cook University. He always has a great story to tell and often shares stories of the many rural towns he has visited. He is passionate about the future of rural medicine.
Our Fundraising Committee
Our Fundraising Committee brings their diverse and extensive skills to secure the future of the Foundation by monitoring our fundraising activities. They work collaboratively with our Executive Team to develop innovative approaches to fundraising and ensure that all activities are reflective of our values and policies, and relevant legislation.
Glenda Colburn
Committee Chair and Director
Gold Coast
Glenda brings an eclectic skills mix to broaden the depth of our Board. This includes corporate strategy, risk management and governance along with skills in fundraising and marketing. Glenda lives on the Gold Coast.
Dr Marian Dover
Committee Member and Director
Kununurra
Marian is a GP based in Kununurra where she lives with her husband and two children. She is a prolific on social media and has recently been received her ACRRM fellowship.
Dr Sue Masel
Committee Member and Director
Goondiwindi
Dr Sue Masel has lived and worked in Goondiwindi in western Queensland for 25 years. She works as a rural GP and is also a medical educator.
Rohan McPhee
Committee Member and Secretary
Brisbane
Rohan is a lawyer based in Brisbane. He grew up in a rural medical family and has witnessed first hand the challenges of rural practice, and of raising a family, being a relatively new dad to a beautiful girl. Rohan is an experienced fundraiser having managed a number of significant campaigns in previous roles.
Ross Ole
Committee Member
Toowoomba
Ross Ole is a country boy at heart living in rural Queensland as a young boy and starting his career as a cotton farmer. Today, Ross holds a Commerce Degree and is a qualified Financial Planner. He is passionate about everything rural and we are fortunate that he is tapping into his extensive network to spread the work about our work in rural communities.
Vanessa Thorne
Committee Member
Sydney
Vanessa leads Westpac’s Institutional Bank (WIB) oversight of Global Operations and Treasury. Vanessa was a Board Observer for Rural Doctors Foundation and we are excited she chose to focus her risk and grant review skills to the benefit of our Fundraising Committee.
Interested to join our Board or a Committee?
We are very grateful for the support of like-minded advocates working with us to achieve fairer health outcomes for those living in rural and remote communities.