We are pleased to announce Kate Yesberg as our new Chair (previously Deputy Chair). We would like to extend a big thankyou to our outgoing Chairman Dick Brown. Dick has been involved with Supporting Families for 21 years; serving as president of our Nelson committee for 16 years and as a part of our National Council for a total of 3 years.
”My years of involvement with Supporting Families in Mental Illness have been very rewarding. The experience of seeing the benefits of our services to families and particularly the merging of individual societies into a new dynamic national organisation are the reasons for this. I am pleased that Kate has agreed to accept the Chair’s role as she has been a key member of the board in progressing the development of the organisation we now call, Yellow Brick Road and will be a very effective Chair. I intend to stay on the board concentrating on assisting to develop effective Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) to ensure that the organisation remains in direct contact with the family and communities at the grass roots and assist to identify future family members for the Board.” says Dick Brown.
Thankyou Dick for your commitment to the organisation over the last two decades. Your work ethic, integrity and people skills have been integral to the smooth running of this organisation. Dick will remain on the Board, his contribution and experience are a valuable asset for Yellow Brick Road as we look to the future.
To our new Chair Kate, nau mai haere mai. Kate joined the Board in 2014 and led the process of establishing Supporting Families as a national organisation. A Fullbright Scholar, Kate completed a Master of Law degree at New York University and practised as a public lawyer. She now works in international policy at the Treasury and is a practising artist.
“I am continually inspired by the Yellow Brick Road team and the work we do on behalf of family and whānau across New Zealand. I’m excited to help lead the organisation into the next phase of its development, at a time when our services have never been more critical, and with the support of an experienced and committed Board and executive team.” says Kate Yesberg.
We would also like to welcome Jacinda Cole from the Wairarapa who has now joined our National Board. Jacinda joined the Supporting Families Wairarapa Board in 2018. Jacinda completed a Bachelor of Law and Science at the University of Canterbury and followed a career in structured finance and private banking in Sydney and London. She is now based in Martinborough with her young family and is studying Psychology at Victoria University.
“I am delighted and honoured to be appointed to the Board of Yellow Brick Road. In Wairarapa, I have witnessed the positive impact the team have on those suffering from mental illness and their whānau, and look forward to seeing this continue at a National level. I am very grateful for this opportunity to contribute to such a worthy cause at a time where the need for mental health support is so great.” says Jacinda Cole.