EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Jo has been leading the By Five team since 2021. A self-declared Mallee girl, Jo has spent her whole career working in and around the Wimmera and Grampians regions. With a background in population health and business she has worked in women’s health, general practice, project management and more recently as an executive at Rural Northwest Health.

With a true passion for rural health and systems redesign, this role is a perfect fit for a creative mind that thrives on solving complex challenges.

When not leading the amazing By Five team or running after three teenage children, Jo sits on a school, Emerge Early Years and West Wimmera Health Services Boards, along with coordinating the Kalkee Football Netball Club canteen.

PROJECT MANAGER

Cara has been working with By Five since 2021, and has found it the perfect role to express creativity through thinking outside the box, using evidence and community voice to drive innovation, and advocating for rural health equity through a new lens.

Also a Registered Nurse, Cara enjoys the opportunity to work alongside a Paediatric team from the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, to establish partnerships between paediatric specialists, local professionals and families to improve the health and wellbeing of children. Cara also enjoys working in the exciting space of social and cultural change that enables children to grow and thrive within communities.

Having worked and lived across several areas of rural and remote Australia, and a youth spent on Adelaide’s Southern beaches, Cara, her husband and three cricket-obsessed children returned to her Wimmera roots eight years ago, though they do escape to the coast any chance they can get!

PROJECT MANAGER

Emily has been working with By Five since 2022, and absolutely loves the team and the work that they do to improve outcomes for kids in the Wimmera Southern Mallee. Emily is currently focused on antenatal care, and how we can support all women in the Wimmera Southern Mallee to access quality care close to home.

Emily has always had an interest in health and rural communities and has previously worked in Women’s Health and Primary Care Partnerships.

Having grown up on a farm near Murtoa and after some travelling and living in different Victorian towns, Emily is now settled in Dooen with her husband and four children. They love their sport, regular walks along the Wimmera river, and the occasional trip to the beach for a change of scenery!

PROJECT MANAGER

Hannah joined the By Five team in 2023 and is loving being part of such a vibrant and passionate team.

Hannah is currently working on the Paediatric Project, as well as delving into how positive community conditions can naturally support a child in their development and wellbeing through our Thriving Communities work.

With a background in nursing and midwifery, and being a mum to three young children, Hannah has a thorough understanding and appreciation for how important it is to nurture our children in their early years so they can thrive.

Growing up in the Wimmera, Hannah and her family now call Horsham home. They enjoy spending time out in nature and making core memories as a young family.

PROJECT MANAGER

Tracey joined the By Five team in 2023 and primarily works in the Early Childhood Education & Care space.

Tracey has been a primary teacher for over 20 years. In that time, she has worked in both the Catholic & Government Education systems as a teacher and a principal, primarily in the Wimmera. As a teacher, she specialised in both numeracy and literacy intervention and is passionate about ensuring all children reach their full potential.

Tracey grew up in caring, close-knit rural communities in the Western District that embedded the importance of a good start in life and the vital role a community can play in supporting children and families.

“What it’s like to be a parent: It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but in exchange, it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.” ~ Nicholas Sparks