Our People

At Allowah, we’re more than a service provider.

We’re a community of passionate, skilled, and compassionate people working together to support children and young adults with disabilities and healthcare needs. Every team member plays a vital role in creating a safe, fun, and supportive environment for the children and families we serve.

From our executive leadership to our nurses, support workers, educators, therapists, administrators, and volunteers, meet the people who make Allowah a truly special place.

Executive Leadership Team

Our Executive Team leads with purpose and compassion, ensuring that Allowah continues to deliver exceptional care and support across all areas of service.

Elizabeth McClean

Chief Executive Officer

Liz has been CEO of Allowah for more than a decade. During that time she has seen many changes, including the increase in the ages of children and young people we can support. Liz's passion is supporting the teams at Allowah to deliver home, living and healthcare services for children and young adults with complex disabilities and healthcare needs because she knows that finding the right supports for your child can be so hard. Allowah is unique, and we strive to keep it unique, so that it can support these unique young people.

Jonathan Flick

Director of Finance & Operations

Jonathan has served as Allowah’s Director of Finance and Operations since 2019. Prior to joining Allowah, he worked at Ernst & Young and Deloitte in their Financial Accounting Advisory and Audit teams. In his operations role, Jonathan oversees the Facility, Administration, Therapy, Kitchen, Laundry, and Cleaning teams—working closely with staff to ensure a high standard of care and support across the organisation. On the finance side, he leads a dedicated team responsible for payroll and accounts, with a strong focus on financial compliance and best practice. Jonathan is passionate about delivering the best for Allowah’s clients. He is committed to removing barriers for staff, families, and stakeholders, while fostering a culture of transparency, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Nadine Mari-Zafra

Director of Clinical Governance & Clinical Lead

Nadine has worked as a Registered Nurse for 24 years with a background in the Emergency Department at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. Nadine is passionate about clinical excellence and has been the Director of Clinical Governance at Allowah since 2023. In her role as Allowah's Clinical Lead, Nadine is committed to ensuring that Allowah, as an NDIS provider with a critical focus on healthcare needs of clients, is well equipped to do this. Nadine heads up the Nursing Team at Allowah.

Maura Hanney

Director of Support Services Provision

Maura has worked with children and young adults with complex disabilities and medical needs for over 30 years. She is a physiotherapist with a passion for Early Intervention, who started work at Allowah 14 years ago. She has been a Director at Allowah for 7 years and leads the Support Services Team. She loves seeing Support Workers engaging with clients and creating an environment where they can achieve goals, enjoy life, make friends and thrive.

Bernadette Dela Torre

Nurse Manager

With over 23 years of experience in paediatric nursing, Bernadette leads Allowah’s nursing team with a strong foundation in Paediatric Critical Care, emergency nursing, education, and leadership. She has worked across public and private hospitals and held both educator and managerial roles. Her passion for caring for children with complex disabilities began during a previous role at Allowah 12 years ago and has since taken her around the world through volunteering and medical missions. As Nurse Manager, Bernadette is dedicated to supporting our team, strengthening our services, and ensuring every child receives safe, high-quality care.

Gillian Gilchrist

Director of Training & Systems

Gillian has worked with the Allowah team for more than a decade and has extensive experience in driving our compliance with NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Standards, our electronic medical record system, our internal communication and systems support. Without Gillian lots of things would stop working! Gill leads our Systems, Internal Communication and Training Team Gill is passionate about using her gifts in systems, organisation and processes to help our teams make a difference in the lives of the children and young adults we see at Allowah.

Support Services Team

Our Support Workers are at the heart of daily life at Allowah, helping our clients thrive, grow, and enjoy life in ways that matter to them.

Maura leads our Support Services Team with Mairi, Azita and Mona. Allowah’s support workers play a crucial role in helping clients thrive, enjoy life, achieve goals and make friends. They provide a wide range of support tailored to the unique needs of each client, including assistance with daily activities, recreation, companionship and emotional support. Allowah’s support workers also help clients achieve their goals by facilitating access to community activities, education and therapeutic services. Their dedication and compassion make a significant difference in the lives of children and young adults at Allowah.

Mona Bolt

House Manager

Mona is committed to ensuring that children and young people at Allowah receive excellent, person-centred care. As House Manager, she oversees daily operations, supervises Support Workers (excluding the Social Engagement and Program Coordinators), and ensures compliance with policies and procedures. Mona also manages staff onboarding, rostering, payroll sign-off, and training compliance, and acts as a central point of contact for internal and external stakeholders. She works to maintain a seamless support experience within a warm, home-like environment.

Mairi Armour

Programme Coordinator

As Programme Coordinator, Mairi is responsible for the development, maintenance, and delivery of programs for clients. She provides guidance and support to Support Workers in the implementation of these programs and may also act as a Key Worker for specific clients. Mairi plays a key role in ensuring day-to-day compliance and refers any staff or client complaints to the House Manager. Her focus is on creating meaningful, well-supported experiences for every individual in her care.

Azita Shahidi

Social Engagement Coordinator

Azita leads the development and delivery of social engagement at Allowah, coordinating activities such as incursions, excursions, and community outings. She supports clients to attend events, appointments, and school, and works closely with volunteers involved in client-facing roles. Azita also organises celebrations and milestone events, helping clients feel connected and valued. She provides day-to-day oversight of compliance and refers any staff or client complaints to the House Manager.

Nursing Team

Nadine leads our Nursing Team. Allowah has a strong Nursing team and which makes up more than half of our staff. This level of nursing support, delivered by Assistants in Nursing, Enrolled Nurses and Registered Nurses, is essential to ensure the clinical support of clients with high levels of medical needs.

At Allowah, we make our clients the centre of our attention, addressing the medical, emotional, and developmental needs of each individual. Leading the way are our three Senior Registered Nurses in Charge:

Maricris Luong

Senior Registered Nurse in Charge

With 25 years of experience at Allowah, Maricris (Crissy) has had the honour of working closely with individuals with complex needs, providing personalised care that makes a meaningful difference in their lives. Over the years, Crissy has built strong connections with families and witnessed the growth and changes in how we support and care for those with unique needs. Her passion lies in continuing to deliver exceptional care, leading a dedicated team, and ensuring that every individual receives the support they deserve to thrive.

Anuja Khatiwada

Senior Registered Nurse in Charge

Anuja is a dedicated Registered Nurse with a strong background in neurocritical care, aged care, and neurosurgical nursing. Since starting her career in 2014, she has gained experience in high-pressure environments like the Neuro ICU and the neurosurgical ward at Westmead. She also holds a Master’s degree in Professional Nursing, reflecting her commitment to ongoing growth. Since joining Allowah in 2023, Anuja has brought her passion for family-centred care, mentoring junior staff, and delivering high-quality, evidence-based support to children and young adults with complex needs.

Ian Velasco

Senior Registered Nurse in Charge

With a wealth of experience in nursing and leadership, Ian plays a pivotal role at Allowah as Senior Registered Nurse. His dedication to providing compassionate care and overseeing the health and well-being of the individuals we serve is truly inspiring. Ian leads our nursing team with expertise, ensuring that every child, teen, and young adult receives the highest standard of care. His commitment to fostering a supportive environment for both our clients and staff makes him an invaluable member of the Allowah team.

Therapy Team

Charity leads our Therapy Team. Allowah’s Therapy Team is growing and brings together a range of allied health professionals to support children, teens, and young adults with disabilities from birth to 30. Charity is our Therapy Manager and a Senior Dietitian, leading a team that currently includes three Dietitians and a Senior Physiotherapist.

Therapy at Allowah is all about supporting the whole person—helping young people grow, develop, and thrive. Services are delivered at Allowah, through telehealth in some cases, and via home visits across Sydney. Soon, our Therapy Team will expand to include Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists, further strengthening the range of support we offer.

Charity Spalding

Therapy Manager & Senior Dietitian

Charity leads the Therapy Team at Allowah and brings a wealth of experience as a Senior Dietitian, supporting kids, teens and young adults with disabilities.

Ruby Wong

Senior Physiotherapist

Ruby supports mobility, strength, and physical development through tailored physiotherapy for kids, teens and young adults with disabilities.

Sheridan Collins

Dietitian

Sheridan works closely with kids, teens and young adults with disabilities to support their nutritional health and wellbeing.

Vidalia Perez Palacios

Dietitian

Vidalia brings compassion and clinical knowledge to her role, helping meet the dietary needs of kids, teens and young adults with disabilities.

Training & Education Team

Gillian leads our Training & Education Team. Our Clinical Nurse Education Team is responsible for training and educating our Nursing and Support Worker staff, ensuring they are up-to-date with best practices and clinical standards.

At Allowah, we are committed to sharing our expertise in nursing children and young adults with complex disabilities and medical needs. We are engaged with three universities for clinical placements for students completing a Bachelor of Nursing. We love the opportunity to educate nurses in our particular type of clinical care and pass on our knowledge and expertise. Some of our wonderful nurses at Allowah first started their journey with us as students on placement!

Allowah’s fantastic Clinical Nursing Educators are known in the community for their trusted expertise in particular techniques and clinical competencies required in the care of children with complex disabilities or medical conditions. Allowah is able to share this knowledge by offering education services to various places in the wider community, including staff at Schools for Specific Purposes and the Assisted School Travel Program. By training these staff and transport officers to safely manage students’ medication needs, Allowah helps to ensure that children with complex needs are able to go to school.

Janet Howland

Clinical Nurse Facilitator & Registered Nurse

Janet is one of Allowah’s Clinical Nurse Facilitators and a Registered Nurse with a deep commitment to supporting young people with complex disabilities and their families. Janet began her nursing journey at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children and went on to gain experience in Emergency, PICU, and NICU. She completed her Midwifery training at Manly Hospital and further specialised in Neonatal Intensive Care in London. Over the years, Janet has worked across England and Saudi Arabia as a Paediatric RN, and as a Clinical Nurse Consultant for Spinal Injuries and Spina Bifida for children and young adults. Janet’s career has included a wide range of roles—from paediatric telephone triage to travelling internationally as the nurse for the Australian Junior Wheelchair Sports Team. With nearly 18 years at Allowah, Janet has had the privilege of watching many of our children grow and continue to return for respite care. Janet completed her Certificate IV in Training and Assessment to support her role in staff education and continues to bring compassion, experience, and dedication to everything she does at Allowah.

Susanne Silveira

Acting Clinical Nurse Educator & Registered Nurse

Susanne is one of Allowah’s Clinical Nurse Educators who has a passion for educating the people who care for our clients, this includes our nursing and support staff, parents, carers and our clients. Susanne has 13 years of experience in acute medical and surgical nursing, neuroscience nursing and educator as well as coordinating epilepsy clinical trials. Susanne has started her career as an AIN and has returned to Allowah on multiple occasions throughout the years due to her passion in caring for children and young adults with complex disabilities and their families.

Gail Williams

Clinical Nurse Facilitator & Registered Nurse

Gail is one of Allowah’s passionate and experienced Clinical Nurse Educators. With 16 years of nursing experience and 5 years in education, she brings a wealth of knowledge from both acute and non-acute settings. Gail is deeply committed to empowering individuals living with disability and plays a vital role in supporting Allowah’s nursing team to deliver the highest standard of care. She works closely with staff to ensure their skills and knowledge remain current, practical, and aligned with best practice. Gail’s passion for teaching and her heart for person-centred care help create an environment where both staff and clients can thrive.

Partnership & Marketing Team

Jon leads the Partnership & Marketing Team as Director through Jericho Road, with a focus on volunteering when it comes to Allowah. Alongside Jon are Elissa and Bianca, who oversee the partnerships and marketing aspects of Allowah, including fundraising, support raising and promoting the different services that Allowah provides.

Jon Flood

Director of Partnerships | Volunteering

Jon has worked at Jericho Road for over 10 years through various roles. Allowah is a ministry of Jericho Road. Jericho Road ministries use a partnership model. We partner with Presbyterian and other churches, individuals, corporate and community groups, in delivering vital services such as Allowah to the people that most need it. Jon’s role at Allowah is to support his team and to liaise with potential volunteers. Volunteers are an important part of Allowah. There are a number of roles, some with direct contact with the children and others without, that volunteers can hold. Some of the kinds of volunteers we may accept include Duke of Ed students, church & community groups, workplaces and individual adults who wish to donate their time throughout the week.

Elissa Donnellan

Partnership & Engagement Lead

Elissa is passionate about building meaningful connections that support Allowah’s mission. With a background in communications and a heart for children with complex disabilities, she leads our engagement efforts with warmth, creativity, and care. Whether she’s crafting stories, managing campaigns, or connecting with supporters, Elissa is all about making sure every voice is heard and every partnership counts.

Bianca Cabael

Marketing & Strategy Lead

Bianca combines strategic thinking with a deep sense of purpose to lead Allowah’s marketing and communications. With a strategic mind and a heart for using her skills to help others, she supports the team to reach the right people with the right message.

Want to Join the Team?

Passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young adults with complex disabilities? We’re always on the lookout for caring, skilled, and dedicated people to join the Allowah team.

Whether you’re a nurse, support worker, therapist, educator, admin superstar, or looking for a student placement — we’d love to hear from you!