The Board

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa as the youngest of 9 surviving siblings during the apartheid regime, Vanessa is passionate about addressing social injustice and its long-term impact.

With more than 15 years’ experience in executive leadership roles, developing and implementing strategic plans in the NFP sector, Vanessa is committed to serving marginalised and vulnerable communities.

Vanessa has intentionally sought and found appropriate ways to transfer her extensive governance, strategic planning and operational experience to the nonprofit sector.

A Member of IML (Institute of Managers and Leaders), Vanessa’s qualifications include Masters in Business, Diploma in Management, Certificate IV in TAE (Training & Assessment) and Public Relations.

Janice, also known as Dr Kreltszheim, has been in General Practice for 25 years, and she is particularly interested in Women’s Health including Family Planning, Antenatal Care and Menopause management.  She believes that better sexual and reproductive health is essential for communities to thrive all over the world, from modern Melbourne to deepest, darkest Africa!

Official qualifications are MBBS (Hons), FRACGP, DRANZCOG.  Also certificates in Family Planning, Skin Cancer Medicine and Skin Cancer Therapeutics.

Sean has an extensive background in financial services having worked in executive and senior leadership roles in the sector for many years. Sean currently balances his ongoing work in that sector with a part-time role as Business Manager at Father’s House Church in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs. He relishes the opportunity to enhance organisations’ capability in the NFP sector using contemporary business strategies and disciplines.

Sean is also passionate about ensuring all children and families have the opportunity to thrive. As a father/stepfather of 10 children he understands very well the practical challenges of managing and raising large families.

Sean holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Mathematics) and also holds RG146 (superannuation) certification.

Michael has a background in Financial Services having held Executive level positions in banking and superannuation. He commenced as our Treasurer in December 2018.

Michael was introduced to ‘Wise Choice for Life’ by his daughter Emily, who is a midwife. Emily first met Marg Docking (Founder and Executive Director) and her husband, John Docking in Ethiopia in 2015 and has been involved with the Midwifery Study Days and the Kampala Conference in 2017.

Michael spent 3 weeks in Uganda in 2008 and saw first hand the critical need for the life-changing work of ‘Wise Choice for Life’ .

Michael has a Bachelor of Economics with Honours, is a CPA and also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jen has held various administrative roles in private and public hospitals, banking and finance, local government and faith-based organisations. A heart for the people of Uganda, Jen has served there in different ministries at least four times in the early 2000s, witnessing first-hand the poverty around the large families and deaths during childbirth and as a result of AIDs. Seeing people helpless to make a difference in their lives because of the ignorance and defeat they were trapped in was very disturbing.

Then Jen heard about ‘Wise Choice for Life’ and their work in Uganda. Offering her skills in administration to benefit ‘Wise Choice for Life’ and the Ugandan community was a great fit and Jen is eager to be more involved as we gather momentum and expand to serve others with this important work. Jen is passionate about finding a way to end the vicious poverty cycle which she believes ‘Wise Choice for Life’ is so proactive in addressing.

Marg is a Midwife & Vocational Educator with a Certificate in Vocational Training and Comprehensive Family Planning and Sexual Health.

“My passion is to prevent the pregnancy/poverty cycle that seems to never end. As a midwife my first love is to see healthy mothers receive healthy babies, but in Uganda the poor midwifery training combined with the numbers actually giving birth make it impossible to impact – even if I worked the remainder of my life in training 24/7.

The answer is in a shift of thinking amongst men and women from ‘Many babies makes us look strong’ to ‘Children by choice not chance.’

This is slow work, but urgent as this generation begins their reproductive years. We address gender balance, values, pregnancy, abortion, contraception, decision making skills, healthy relationships, assertiveness and anger management amongst many other issues facing vulnerable youth from deep fractured and hurting backgrounds.”