KCCC is a parent-managed centre whose parents are members. The members appoint the Board of Directors of the co-operative. The board has a governance role and sets the mission, vision and strategic plan for the centre. The board also appoints the General Manager, who is responsible for the management of the centre.
KCCC is a member-based not-for-profit co-operative and its financial accounts are independently audited and filed annually with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission (ACNC).
Executive Committee
- Consists of the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer
- Holds some special decision making powers
- Has specific responsibilities to the Department of Consumer Affairs (regulator of the Co-Operatives Act)
- Elected to manage the governance of the board
Board
- Elected by co-operative members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
- Responsible for the appointment and management of the General Manager.
- Each of the non-executive board members may sit on a sub-committee, working group and/or may be responsible and accountable for one of the boards guiding documents
- The quorum for a board meeting is five of the nine board members.
Sam Buckley
Director
Sam has been a Kensington local since 2019 and a KCCC board member since 2022.
Sam’s oldest daughter Matilda commenced with KCCC in the Banksia room is early 2021 and his youngest Isabelle started in 2022 in Yarragum.
Since day one, Sam’s daughters have loved every minute of being part of the KCCC community and his desire to join the board was driven by a sense of wanting to give back to the community and help drive the centre forward to best suit the needs of the Kensington community.
Professionally, Sam works for the Australian Football League (AFL) in the Commercial and Stadium areas and he has worked across various roles in Entertainment, Sport, Venues and Technology over the last 15 years.
On the weekend, you’ll find Sam and the kids likely running and scooting around the local parks, enjoying everything that our lovely community has to offer.
Steph Martin Bruce
Treasurer
Stephanie became a member of KCCC in 2024, when her daughter Madeleine joined the Yarragum room. Stephanie and her family live in Kensington and they love being part of the KCCC community. They are so grateful for the wonderful support and commitment of the KCCC staff and Stephanie hopes to give back to the community through her role on the Board.
Stephanie is a senior professional in mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy and capital markets, as well as being a qualified Chartered Accountant. She has worked for some of Australia’s leading technology companies including ASX-listed REA Group (realestate.com.au) and TEG Group (Ticketek), and has experience across a diverse range of industries and organisations, including real estate, technology, financial services, live entertainment and health care. Her experience includes leading M&A transactions, strategic partnerships, financial modelling and budget development, management and board reporting, investor presentations, business and strategy planning, and product development. She is passionate about creating value for organisations and developing and executing on growth initiatives.
Outside of work, Stephanie loves spending time with her daughter, husband and dog Rocky. Their favourite thing to do is walk around the Maribyrnong River or head to the beach on the Mornington Peninsula.
Rebecca Zimet
Secretary
Rebecca Zimet moved to Kensington in 2016 and joined the KCCC community in 2021 when her daughter Ruby started in Gumnut. Now in Appletree in 3 year old kinder, Ruby is joined by her 2 year old brother Harry in Acacia. Bec became a KCCC board member in 2023 to give back to the community that has given so much to her family.
Bec loves the caring and supportive staff at KCCC, and values how genuinely invested they are in the children’s wellbeing. She is especially grateful for the way the educators and staff take the time to get to know each child’s personality and little quirks, and how they make every kid feel special.
Bec is Senior Corporate Counsel at Thryv Australia, providing advice to the senior leadership team and other key stakeholders on a range of relevant laws including privacy and data management, intellectual property, defamation, consumer law and general commercial law.
On weekends you can find Bec with Roo and Harry at the playground, throwing a ball for their dog Enzo, catching up with friends and family, trawling a farmers’ market, or wandering through a bookshop. Bec and her family recently moved to Flemington where they are learning how to care for their new pet chickens, Hei Hei and Uncle Phil.
Jordan Lloyd
Assistant Treasurer
Jordan joined the KCCC community in 2022 when his eldest daughter started attending the centre. Now he has 2 daughters attending KCCC and loved the way that the staff and families of KCCC have created an environment where the girls look forward to going to “kindy” each day. As a result, he wanted to get involved in the Co-Op and give back to the Kensington community of which he has been a part for 15 years. He is passionate about helping maintain and improve all of the things that make KCCC so special to many of us.
Professionally, Jordan is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Partner at Deloitte. His expertise is in providing risk and governance advice to Australia’s largest corporates. More recently Jordan’s work has focused on helping employers ensure they are meeting their compliance requirements with regard to accurate payment of payroll obligations and helping remediate where breaches have occurred.
Outside of work, Jordan can be seen trying to keep up with his two girls and maintain some level of basic fitness! He is also a passionate Western Bulldogs supporter who managed to fly back to Melbourne from the US to watch their famous grand Final win in 2016.
Gary Beck
Director
Gary joined the KCCC community in 2021, with his son Eli starting in Yarragum room. The following years have been great for Eli, with the connections he has made with his friends and educators becoming an incredibly important part of his life. Without an extended family presence in Melbourne, KCCC has become an essential support and it felt like a natural extension for Gary to offer his services to the board.
Gary is an architect who has focussed the majority of his career on the education sector. He has spent the last decade designing and delivering new buildings and refurbishments for primary and secondary schools, universities, colleges, and other more niche education providers. Gary emphasises the relationship between spatial and environmental features and the recognition of place and community. These things together are essential to enhance educational outcomes and the enrichment of children. Gary sees this sensibility reflected in the values of the KCCC community and is keen to ensure this focus continues. His work has also left him quite familiar with the needs of students, staff, parents and leaders within educational organisations. Gary is now keen to put those insights to use for KCCC.
When not chasing Eli through the parks and playgrounds of Kensington, Gary can be found tinkering around the home or exploring a new book.
Larissa Taylor
Director
Larissa Taylor has been part of the KCCC community since 2021 when her eldest son joined the centre. She now has two children at KCCC and is proud to be part of such a strong, close-knit and connected community.
In addition to KCCC’s incredible play spaces, Larissa is reminded every day of how special KCCC is and how remarkable the hard-working educators and staff are when she’s met with two beaming faces at pick up.
Being a Board Director is an immense privilege and Larissa is looking forward to contributing her skills in management, strategy and governance to an organisation that is very close to her family and heart.
Professionally, Larissa started her career as a clinical psychologist, working in child development before moving into leadership and management roles within the allied health sector. She spent a year volunteering in Kenya working closely with grass-roots organisations to increase the school attendance of children with disabilities in low income areas of Nairobi. As the Deputy CEO of Mental Health Victoria, Larissa was part of the leadership team driving organisational strategy, management and operations for a number of years before moving into the Victorian Public Service. Larissa is currently a Manager at the Department of Health leading a team working on Victoria’s mental health reform.
Larissa is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors course.
In her (very limited!) spare time, Larissa enjoys spending time in nature and enjoying a strong skinny latte at any number of Kensignton’s great cafes.
Jane Fan
Director
Jane joined the Board of KCCC in 2024 with a mission to give back to the community and the center that has provided exceptional care and early education to her eldest daughter. Under the guidance of warm and patient educators, her daughter has truly thrived. She hopes to enrol her youngest daughter (who loves visiting big sister at daycare) soon.
Jane’s long-term vision is to ensure that KCCC continues to be a cherished and integral part of the community, maintaining its excellence and sustainability for years to come.
When she’s not navigating the adventures of motherhood with her two (very active) daughters, Jane works as a Senior Manager at a corporate regulator and as a litigation lawyer. She leads teams of multidisciplinary investigators and lawyers, championing a collaborative, supportive, and high-performing team culture. Jane brings to the Board of KCCC deep governance expertise and expertise on regulatory risk management.
Outside of work, Jane dreams of more time for surfing, beach holidays, and weight-lifting. While her two young kids keep her busy, she remains optimistic about finding that elusive balance. After all, one can always dream!
Emily Mischlewski
Director
Emily is a qualified early childhood teacher and has experience in early childhood teaching, educational leadership, early childhood intervention, research, and early childhood policy and projects.
Emily has worked across sessional and long day care services, both large and small. She also has experience with family outreach – conducting home visits, running playgroups, and helping families navigate the NDIS and connect with local community services. Emily is particularly passionate about supporting children who have experienced complex trauma, and became an accredited foster carer in 2021.
Emily and her husband Will welcomed baby Clara in February of 2024. Emily is often in Kensington to visit family and friends, and she is excited to be given the opportunity to contribute to the KCCC community.
Lily Laskaris
Director
Enrol to be a member of the board
Contributing to the KCCC board is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in your child’s service.
The Board is responsible for directing, influencing and monitoring the organisation’s business. The board is ultimately responsible and legally accountable for determining the purpose (or mission) of the organisation the continuity of the organisation setting the organisation’s rate of progress in reaching its mission establishing the identity of the organisation by securing community support and appreciation for the organisation’s purpose and long- term direction.
Being part of the KCCC is very rewarding in many ways. What are the benefits of being a not-for-profit board member?
- Better health and greater wellbeing
- Financial literacy
- The satisfaction of achievement
- A warm inner glow
- Social contact with a great group of people
- A world that’s the better for your involvement
- New networks experience that can benefit employment
A comment from an ex KCCC board member, “I have now moved out of Kensington. Some of my closest friends I made are the ones I met as part of the KCCC board. When I come back to Kensington, these are the people I see and am connected with”. Malene Platt, 2017. (Board member, 2014-2015)
If you are interested in joining the board, please contact the General Manager or update/complete the skills register if you have not already done so to express your interest.