Lindy is a Chief Medical Officer and Emergency Physician with over 25 years of health management and executive governance experience. Lindy was a Director on the Noweyung Board for three years prior to the merger with Distinctive Options.
Tanya is an independent Director with extensive legal and leadership experience in private, public, and for-purpose organisations with domestic and international operations.
With strong expertise in governance, strategy, business management and operations, law, board reporting and liaison, stakeholder relationship development, program/service design and delivery, advocacy, compliance, and risk management, Tanya brings proven Director experience.
Areeb is an independent Director with lived experience of a physical disability. He is a chartered accountant who has extensive expertise in financial services, plus developed skills in diversity and inclusion. Areeb is passionate about integrating people into the workforce and to participate fully in society. He also brings other experience gained from being a Treasurer for a national not-for-profit charity.
Rebecca is an independent Director who brings a wealth of experience and skills as a strategic senior finance leader with a passion for transformation.
Rebecca has over 20 years in rewarding and challenging senior roles, including driving best practice financial oversight and governance across organisations.
Executive Leadership Team
Shweta brings deep expertise across finance, operational leadership and systems improvement. She has extensive experience in navigating complex service environments and driving financial sustainability, while ensuring quality and compliance remain front and centre.
Elena joined Distinctive Options in 2009 as a Support Worker. Since then, she has held a range of roles and helped develop new activities and programs, with a particular focus on sport, health and nutrition to support participants to build skills, confidence, resilience and wellbeing.
Appointed as Regional Support Manager, South Central in 2026, Elena leads the delivery of services across our South-Central region, which extends from metropolitan Melbourne through Sunbury and the surrounding communities towards central Victoria. She works closely with participants, families and staff to ensure supports are person-centred, high quality and responsive to individual goals and needs.
Deborah Ford
Quality, Safeguarding & Service Development Manager (South Central Region)
Deborah (Deb) Ford has been part of Distinctive Options since late 2021, bringing experience from direct support, outreach, and case management roles within the disability and community services sector.
Deb started with Distinctive Options as a Communications and Relationship Officer within Independent Living Supports before progressing into the role of ILS and Residential Coordinator, where she spent almost four years leading teams, implementing new services and overseeing Independent Living and Residential service delivery. During this time, she also completed her Diploma of Leadership in Disability.
As part of Distinctive Options' new strategic direction, Deb commenced as Quality, Safeguarding and Service Development Manager in September 2026. She leads quality, safeguarding, incident management, and continuous improvement initiatives while supporting the growth of residential and accommodation services across the South Central Region. Passionate about participant rights and service excellence, Deb is committed to delivering safe, high-quality, person-centred supports that promote choice, control, dignity, and continuous improvement.
Jenny joined Noweyung in 2019 as a Support Worker before moving into NDIS Administration later that year. In this role, she helped implement systems for participant Service Agreements and supported participants to understand and make the most of their NDIS plans to achieve their goals. She transitioned to Distinctive Options in 2023 following the merger with Noweyung, bringing with her strong local knowledge and established relationships with participants, families, staff and the broader East Gippsland community.
Appointed as Regional Support Manager, East in 2026, Jenny leads the delivery of services across our East region, covering Bairnsdale and surrounding communities across East Gippsland and eastern Victoria. She works closely with participants, families and staff to develop high-quality, person-centred supports, strengthen community connections and create opportunities for greater inclusion and individual achievement.
Gail Makone
Senior Financial Accountant
Gail joined Distinctive Options in December 2025 and is a Chartered Accountant with over nine years of external audit experience across a diverse range of complex organisations in health, education, government, commercial and not-for-profit sectors. She brings strong financial expertise, commercial acumen and a strategic approach to the NDIS sector.
In her role, she works closely with executive leadership and operational teams to strengthen financial performance, governance and processes, while providing clear financial insights to support sound decision-making and sustainable growth. With a collaborative and solutions-focused approach, she is passionate about creating a strong and sustainable financial environment that enables Distinctive Options to continue delivering on its purpose.
What motivates Gail is knowing that her work contributes to something bigger - building the financial foundations that enable people to participate meaningfully in their lives and communities and supporting Distinctive Options’ belief of a future where everyone thrives, belongs and participates meaningfully in their community.
Melanie Mays
Participant Access & Funding Manager
Melanie began her career at Distinctive Options as a Support Worker, with a particular focus on communication strategies and behaviour support. She later moved into coordinating group services in Sunbury, building her experience in service delivery, participant support and team leadership. In 2022, Melanie was appointed NDIS Coordinator, supporting participants and families with service agreements, funding and navigating the NDIS.
Appointed as Participant Access & Funding Manager in 2026, Melanie leads participant access, intake and funding coordination across Distinctive Options. She works closely with participants, families and teams to help people understand their funding, access the right supports and make the most of their NDIS plans.
Beau started his career in the health field by first completing his Cert III in Individualized Support, starting work at Bendigo Health. He joined Distinctive Options in August 2021 as a support worker to assist people to live life to their fullest.
Beau was appointed IS Supervisor in January 2022. Beau was an integral part of the Bendigo restructure and was appointed as the Coordinator in 2025.
Roxanne joined Distinctive Options in 2023 as a Human Resources Business Partner, working closely with leaders and managers to provide strategic and operational HR support while overseeing all aspects of the employee lifecycle.
In 2024, Roxanne assumed responsibility for the management of the Payroll function, further broadening their contribution to the organisation.
Appointed People and Culture Manager in 2026, Roxanne leads the organisation's people strategy and functions, driving initiatives that support employee engagement, organisational capability and compliance, culture, workforce planning, and operational excellence.
Colleen Moffat
NDIS Revenue & Strategic Projects Manager
Colleen joined Distinctive Options in 2021 as NDIS Finance and Claims Officer. In this role, she helped the organisation build a deeper understanding of the NDIS claiming process, introducing more efficient and process-driven ways of working to strengthen this key business function.
In 2025, Colleen was appointed NDIS Revenue Manager, further broadening her contribution across the organisation. During this time, she also supported the plan management function and played a key role in its decommissioning. Appointed NDIS Revenue & Strategic Projects Manager in 2026, Colleen works closely with the Executive Leadership Team to lead business improvement projects that build a more sustainable and process-driven service. Her focus is on enabling operations to run effectively, while keeping participants at the heart of every decision.
Gurbax Sidhu
ICT & Systems Manager
Gurbax joined Distinctive Options in July 2026 and is passionate about using technology to make a positive difference for both staff and the people we support. Having worked across India, New Zealand and Australia since 2003, he brings extensive experience across the not-for-profit, healthcare and corporate sectors.
He enjoys finding practical, secure and reliable ways to improve systems and make everyday work easier. Gurbax believes technology should empower people, not complicate things, and is committed to helping Distinctive Options use innovation to better support our teams and the communities we serve.
Catherine joined Distinctive Options in 2011 as a Support Worker, facilitating creative programs including Drama and Filmmaking and supporting participants to showcase their work at events such as The Other Film Festival and the VALID Conference.
In 2016, following the establishment of Distinctive Options’ Bendigo services, Catherine became Bendigo Services Coordinator. She later took on the role of Content Creation Coordinator, supporting content development across the organisation.
In 2026, Catherine was appointed Marketing, Communications and Engagement Manager. In this newly established role, she leads the organisation’s marketing and communications activities, overseeing digital and print communications while building strong relationships with community members, stakeholders and partners.
Vacant
Social Enterprises & Employment Manager