APNA Leadership Team

 

Ken Griffin

Chief Executive Officer

Ken has more than 20 years marketing, communications and government affairs experience in the healthcare, not-for-profit, pharmaceutical, beverage and logistics sectors. He has held multiple leadership roles and directed high-profile campaigns for large companies, patient groups and industry organisations.

Ken brings significant strategic capability to APNA and is a determined and passionate supporter of primary health care nursing.
 

 

Mitch Wall

General Manager

Mitch brings to APNA his significant experience in the media, marketing and logistics industries. Having worked in the aftermath of natural disasters and terrorist attacks, Mitch is acutely aware of the important role nurses play in the recovery and maintenance of a healthy society.

Supported by a team of communications, production and marketing professionals, Mitch leads the Membership, Engagement, Education and Placements Team. Mitch and the team are adapting APNA’s membership and education offering to the changing needs of Australia’s primary health care nurses both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Sam Moses

Founder, Nurse Ambassador 

Sam Moses is a highly experienced registered nurse specialising in primary health care.  She is APNA’s Founder, was APNA’s Inaugural President and works as APNA’s Nurse Ambassador. 

Sam has worked in five Australian states throughout her career, in a multitude of settings, both rural and metropolitan.  She has been the director of a primary health care consulting company and the recipient of several primary health care nursing awards.

In 2001, Sam established APNA to address the need for nurses working in general practice to have a dedicated support network for, what was then, a unique area of primary health care nursing. She has played a crucial role in APNA’s development over the years into the amazing primary health care organisation it is today and remains committed to APNA and its very valued members, across all primary health care settings.  

 

Dinusha Nanayakkara

General Manager Finance

Dinusha Nanayakkara is responsible for overall financial management of the Association, its financial reporting to external stakeholders as well as executive team and board of directors, monitoring of cash flow, fund management and preparation of annual budgets and projects budgets, and oversees human resources and office administration. Dinusha joined APNA in 2008 and is the organisation’s longest serving employee. 

Dinusha completed her undergraduate degree in Mathematics in Sri Lanka and worked as a management accountant for a leading vehicle distributing company before emigrating to Australia in 2005, when she completed a Master of Practice Accounting at Monash University. Dinusha has more than 12 years’ experience in the accounting field and is a member of CPA Australia and CIMA UK. 

 

Lisa Collison

General Manager Research and Innovation

Lisa is an experienced Registered Nurse, with a broad understanding of multiple primary health care settings, having worked in a variety of management, clinical, leadership, and program roles in both rural and urban locations in several culturally diverse demographic practice settings. All of these have influenced her career and have contributed to a strong commitment to raising the profile of nurses working in primary health care.

Lisa is a member of the APNA Executive, actively building the research focus across our high performing professional teams to advance the field of primary health care nursing. From increasing the presence of PHC nursing in clinical literature to enhancing nurse influence in health research, managing APNA's engagement with research partners, leading efforts to publish and promote nurse research, and supporting APNA in integrating the latest research into its education and policy endeavours.

 

Mia Dhillon

General Manager Health Care Solutions

Mia brings over two decades of experience in the health industries of Australia, UK and Canada, with a strong emphasis on the primary health care sector. She has held senior and executive level positions in not-for-profit organisations, centred on data-driven health systems transformation. Mia’s experience is underpinned by academic qualifications in clinical, business and management studies.

Mia leads a highly accomplished and geographically diverse team to execute APNA’s workforce programs, and drive innovation and reform in Australian primary health care. She is passionate about cultivating collaborative relationships with stakeholders, offering an engagement and leadership style that is grounded in empathy. 

 

Donna Gleisner

General Manager Career Pathways

Donna comes to APNA after many decades of experience in the health care sector. Trained as an enrolled nurse, she spent time working in the dynamic environments of residential aged care and general practice before moving into pathology.

Donna transitioned into leadership and management roles within the private pathology sector, where she contributed to the implementation of efficient patient-centric services, managed large geographically and culturally diverse teams, and led multiple change management projects. 

Donna recently spent time in the not-for-profit sector, working towards empowering First Nations people and exploring her own heritage and cultural background.

Donna leads a dedicated team, passionate about creating inclusive career pathways that guide nurses into the heart of primary health care settings. She looks forward to raising the profile of this vibrant and vital area of health care in her work at APNA.