Our CEO & Board

Peter founded GWM in March 2004 following a trip to Myanmar that brought him face-to-face with the daily challenges individuals and communities face. Having maintained a presence in Myanmar during a tumultuous session, he has become a recognised expert in grassroots development in the country. Peter has more than 35 years in business and community leadership roles, is a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, and has served on the board of Teen Challenge Victoria and as Chairman of Youth for Christ Victoria. Peter is also a former winner of the Collie Trust Foundation scholarship and holds a Master of International and Community Development (ICD).

Ronnie has worked in the private and public sectors, as a small business owner, and in public housing for more than twenty years. She was Director of the South Australian Government’s State Recovery Office from 2005 until her retirement in 2019. Her focus was supporting communities following a disaster and increasing the State’s disaster recovery capacity and community resilience. In 2011, Ronnie was included in the South Australian Women’s Honour Roll for her work in emergency management. In 2017, she received the Local Government Association – Jim Hullick Award for outstanding collaboration with local government in the area of recovery. Ronnie was most recently the Fund Administrator for the South Australian State Emergency Relief Fund to April 2022.

David is a CPA qualified accountant with more than 30 years’ experience in all aspects of business including small-to-medium enterprises, corporate organisations and government. He strongly aligns his work with his Christian values and aims to be a positive influence on all who pass his way. In addition to providing taxation services, David assists individuals and business owners in reaching their full potential, offering has expertise in areas such as strategic business planning, marketing, training and management.

Theresa offers 19 years’ experience as classroom teacher, working across various educational settings and year levels, including more than a decade at Title One schools in the United States. She offers a wealth of knowledge in supporting students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, such as students battling poverty, homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse and neglect. Most of these students have been English language learners. After fulfilling an Australian teaching exchange in 2013, Theresa decided to make Australia her permanent home. Building on her passion for helping those in need, she has completed a Master of Education, focused on teaching English to speakers of other languages, alongside postgraduate studies in Christian worldviews. 

Elizabeth is a business and marketing strategy consultant with 20 years’ experience. Her clients have ranged from small-to-medium enterprises through to ASX-listed companies in diverse industries. Her relationship with GWM dates back to 2011 and includes facilitating the 2012 strategy that supported the first major transition into a community development organisation. She was part of GWM’s first community development education training team in 2012 and 2013, and supported local partner capacity building in Myanmar. She holds a Master of ICD, Bachelor of Business (Communications) and Bachelor of Creative Industries (Media Studies) and is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) and a Certified Practising Marketer.

Zoe is a skilled evaluator, project manager, community worker, and governance, risk and compliance professional. She has worked in executive administration and project roles in several not-for-profit organisations. This includes working with GWM partners and staff in the field in Myanmar. Zoe has extensive experience navigating complex situations with multiple stakeholders, including management experience in small and large organisations. Zoe also has significant research experience and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology) and Master of ICD, which culminated in a minor thesis focused on cultural competence and gender in international development evaluations. She has also undertaken postgraduate studies in management.