Our Team
Shelter WA’s people share a passion for facilitating an effective housing system for everybody living in Western Australia.
Our multi-skilled team have a wide range of experience in housing and homelessness research, policy and advocacy, service delivery, marketing, media and events. Learn more about who’s who at Shelter WA.
Kath Snell – CEO
Kath’s career history is varied through Sports Tourism Management, Commercial Radio and Marketing in the UK, where she is from.
But it was here in Perth, she found her true career purpose in the Not-for-Profit sector in 2006.
Kath is passionate about opportunity for all, equity, connectedness, empowerment, and support for everyone to live the best life they possibly can.
Kath spent eleven years working in community aged care and has a soft spot for the volunteer sector, and for social engagement opportunities for all. She spent four years as CEO of Volunteer Task Force, and helped drive the merger to become Chorus. Kath moved to CEO of United Way WA in 2017, and developed social engagement programs for those living in disadvantage as part of United Way WA’s offering. She is passionate about positive workplace culture where people are empowered to thrive.
Kath is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, has sat on four boards during her time in Perth, as well as various committees. Kath is the 2021 winner of the Individual Championing Diversity on Boards Award, presented by Engaging Young Leaders.
Kath is also a qualified marriage and funeral celebrant, plus in 2022 completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Psychology of Business and Management. She loves being involved in community and social engagement, she believes in physical and mental fitness and having a life that is balanced and full of variety.
Yvonne Atkinson – Business Manager
A vibrant and results driven business manager, Yvonne is committed to bringing a commercial focus to a ‘for purpose’ organisation.
Yvonne brings a broad range of business skills and experience to Shelter WA with more than 20 years experience operating and managing both small and medium enterprises as well as a desire to affect positive change in the community.
She is a dedicated individual who approaches her role with a generous curiosity to create understanding, whilst supporting others to grow and become their best selves.
Yvonne is inspired by combining this entrepreneurial focus and compassion for others to ensure Shelter WA can continue championing an effective housing system.
Yvonne recently completed her MBA at Edith Cowan University and is thrilled to be a member of the Shelter WA team.
Bianca Marson Whait – Policy and Advocacy Manager
Bianca has spent her career working across education, community development, legal assistance and the not-for-profit sector, always driven by a strong desire to help people realise their full potential through building capacity, providing support to overcome barriers to participation, and fostering a sense of belonging. Before joining Shelter WA, Bianca was the WA Seniors Peak Body Manager, championing the rights of older people to ensure they are visible and valued in policy and decision making.
As the new Policy and Advocacy Manager at Shelter WA, she brings experience working between government and community services, with a strong focus on stakeholder engagement and translating complex issues into practical solutions. Collaborative by nature, Bianca leads with curiosity and empathy, and is committed to building the kind of trusted relationships that drive meaningful change. She joined Shelter WA because she believes a safe, stable home isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation from which people can participate, connect and contribute to their communities, and she’s committed to helping make that a reality for all Western Australians.
Laura Simes – Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor
Laura has extensive experience working in policy analysis, development and engagement.
She has worked in a range of roles including regulatory and in-house lawyer positions with federal and state government, and advice and advocacy for non-government organisations and the Local Government peak body Western Australian Local Government Association.
Prior to joining Shelter WA, her focus across these roles has been climate and energy policy, with a passion for analysing and understanding government priorities, and identifying and leveraging opportunities for positive change. In her last position at Climateworks Centre, Laura led work on industry decarbonisation policy across Australia, tracking, analysing and understanding State and Federal government priorities, and working to promote policy recommendations and opportunities for emissions reductions.
At Shelter WA she is now applying her policy and government experience in a new context, working for a housing and support system that enables all to thrive.
She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University and Graduate Certificate in Energy and Carbon Studies from Murdoch University.
Lucia Savini – Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor
Lucia has a legal background with several years’ experience working in advocacy, policy and research roles with a focus on human rights.
After working overseas with intergovernmental organisations including the United Nations and the European Union, Lucia has spent the last few years working as a lawyer and advocate for community organisations in Perth.
As a former case-based advocate in the housing and homelessness sector, Lucia has firsthand experience working with families and individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. She is particularly interested in addressing intersecting inequalities within the sector and believes in a bottom-up and rights-based approach to systemic change.
Lucia holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts, Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.
Chantal Caruso – Media and Campaigns Manager
With experience across government, academic, non-profit and startup sectors, Chantal has been a passionate advocate in the housing and sustainable planning space for over a decade.
Chantal spent eight years between Perth and Canberra working for a federal Senator with responsibility for the Housing and Sustainable Cities portfolios, and over this time established a senate inquiry into housing affordability and homeless, in which people with lived experience contributed to for the first time.
Most recently, Chantal was the Director of Policy and Research at Clean State and as lead author of the Clean State Jobs Plan ’26 Big Ideas for 200,000 Jobs’, solutions to housing and homelessness were at the forefront.
Chantal is a self-confessed urban design nerd and has completed a Masters of Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning at Murdoch University, writing her thesis on measuring housing need in the inner city, and more recently completed an urban design and planning immersive at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Chantal is a published researcher in the area of green buildings, and a volunteer for the Beaufort Street Network.
Chantal very much would like Shelter WA to have an office dog.
Henrietta Podgorska – Capacity Building Program (Project Manager)
Henrietta brings over two years of executive-level leadership experience and more than eight years’ experience in project management across the not-for-profit and community services sectors, where she worked closely with boards and government funders in highly regulated environments and led organisations through periods of change and reform.
Her professional background includes project delivery, grant writing, events, and marketing and communications, with a strong focus on strengthening not-for-profit governance, financial sustainability, and organisational capability. She is particularly interested in how leadership and systems can support organisations to deliver on their mission while adapting to changing policy, funding, and community expectations.
Henrietta is an active volunteer and experienced board member. She has served as President of the Hungarian Association, Chair of Multilingual Australia, and is currently a Board Director at Sexual Health Quarters. These roles reflect her commitment to inclusive governance and community leadership.
She holds a Bachelor Degree in Social Science, is currently working towards her MBA, and is a Signature Leadership WA alumna. While housing is a new sector focus, Henrietta brings a practical, respectful approach and is committed to meeting community housing providers where they are at to support strong, accountable, and sustainable housing outcomes across Western Australia.
Grace Rosales – Capacity Building Program (Project Officer)
Grace is a project professional with qualifications in Marketing and Public Relations. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Management & Marketing) from the UWS and a Grad. Dip in Public Relations from UTS.
Grace began her career in Sydney, where she worked in local government and school system as a marketing officer before transitioning into the social services sector, where she has applied her skills in stakeholder engagement, communications, and project coordination across the multicultural, disability and now housing sector.
Moving to Peth just over a decade ago, she was able to continue growing in the social services space with her work including leading accessible events and consultations, synthesising lived experience feedback, and contributing to evidence-based reporting that inform government and sector reform.
Grace would love to live on holidays! But since she can’t, she is particularly interested in opportunities to support systemic change and improve outcomes for vulnerable communities.
In her spare time, Grace enjoys spending time with her grandchild and in nature.
Carrie Swatten – Capacity Building Program (Project Support)
Carrie brings over two decades of experience in the UK technology sector, where she worked across government, start ups, and media organisations to build digital products and services. Her work has spanned product and service design, stakeholder engagement, and project delivery, with a strong focus on improving user experience and driving practical outcomes.
After moving to Perth three years ago with her family, Carrie has worked as a freelancer supporting local organisations to enhance their online services and deliver programs of work centred on human centred design and effective project management.
Carrie originally studied Sociology and Psychology, which sparked her long term interest in social systems and community wellbeing. She plans to further her studies in social impact.
She has a strong personal commitment to social justice, particularly initiatives that support women and children. Over the past year, she has contributed this passion through her board role with Sister Project, an organisation supporting migrant women in the community.
Carrie and her sons have been learning Noongar language, which she has thoroughly enjoyed as it has helped her feel more connected to her new home. In her spare time, she loves yoga, camping, spending time with her family, and getting out to music gigs as much as possible.
Shannon Dunn – Senior Marketing Advisor
Shannon Dunn is a dynamic marketing and business professional with an enthusiastic entrepreneurial style and love of strategy, who brings a wealth of expertise to the lead marketing role at Shelter WA.
Shannon’s approach to business growth and marketing focuses on making things easier and a part of “how we do business” organisation wide instead of something relegated to the marketing team. Her unique approach leans into marketing and messaging psychology to create intelligent, easy to implement and manage strategies that ripple throughout the businesses and organisations she works with.
When not guiding all things comms and marketing at Shelter WA, Shannon has been self-employed for over 20 years and has supported, consulted, taught and coached individuals and organisations globally in a diverse range of specialities and sectors including finance, education, health, professional services, aged care, trades and not for profit.
Shannon has additional expertise in quality management systems, organisational operations and development, leadership and team dynamics. She has an abundance of qualifications that support her unique way of working.
Shannon spends as much of her spare time as possible at her favourite kind of board meeting, a session on her stand-up paddleboard!
Sabrina McCarthy – Events & Marketing Coordinator
Sabrina brings a strong foundation in sales, marketing, and events, with experience spanning industries such as pathology, small business, and AV. Her expertise encompasses event coordination, strategic marketing, and stakeholder engagement, all underpinned by a commitment to creating meaningful connections and memorable experiences.
Currently working in the not-for-profit sector, she thrives in roles that blend creativity with collaboration, whether planning impactful events, driving marketing campaigns, or fostering strong relationships with stakeholders. Her passion for continuous learning and adaptability ensures she is always finding innovative solutions to challenges.
Outside of work, Sabrina enjoys exploring Perth’s vibrant food scene and spending quality time with family and friends. She is also an avid reader and loves relaxing with a good movie or TV show.
Driven by values of integrity, adaptability, and collaboration, she is dedicated to making a positive impact through her work and beyond.
Lyn Lord – Finance and Human Resource Advisor
Lyn Lord specialises in Administration and Business Support encompassing everything from HR, Finance and Administration.
She brings dreams to fruition through enabling and supporting the Shelter WA team and enjoys her role to enable change to take place.
Working in the not-for-profit sector for over 20 years she has provided support across the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program and managed specialist medical services in rural and remote areas for Rural Health West.
True to her nature, at Friday lunchtime, you can catch Lyn at St Brendan’s Homeless Respite running their emergency relief program.
Lyn’s life experiences include taking students to work in at Mother Theresa’s Homes in Kolkata (at her invitation to bring the young people to Australia to Kolkata) and working closely with the sisters to help young people value the poor. Lyn can tell you about the time she sat in the mud at a rubbish dump in Manila and played rugby with children from St Christopher’s Orphanage in Fiji.
Maddy Farooq – Finance Officer
Maddy is a finance and administration professional with qualifications in Accounting and Business Administration. He holds a Master of Commerce (Professional Accounting) from Federation University Australia and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from COMSATS University Pakistan.
Maddy began his professional career in Darwin, where he worked within the hospitality sector as an Accounts and Administration Assistant, developing strong foundations in financial administration, reconciliations, payroll support, and office operations. He later transitioned into the trade services sector, where he further strengthened his expertise in financial management, operational coordination, contractor administration, and business support within fast-paced commercial environments.
With experience across hospitality, trade services, and business operations, Maddy has built a strong professional background in accounts payable and receivable, payroll administration, financial reporting, compliance processes, and day-to-day operational support. He is recognised for his organised, detail-oriented, and solutions-focused approach, along with his ability to support efficient business operations and collaborative workplace environments
Maddy relocated to Perth in search of broader professional opportunities and to continue developing his career within one of Australia’s growing cities. He is passionate about continuous learning, professional development, and contributing positively to organisations that create meaningful outcomes for the community.
Currently working as Finance Officer at Shelter WA, Maddy supports the organisation’s financial operations with a focus on accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency, while contributing to Shelter WA’s mission of advocating for improved housing outcomes across Western Australia.
