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Board & leadership

Our organisation is proudly governed by a dedicated Board of representatives respected for their work across community, aged care, health and human services.

The Board, led by our Chair and supported by the leadership team, provides strategic direction, financial oversight, and ensures legal and regulatory compliance.

As an Aboriginal community-controlled aged care provider, our governance is guided by four key pillars:

Aboriginal Community Services | home care | in home care

Community

We are led by and for our community, ensuring that Elders remain at the heart of every decision we make.

Culture

We honour and embed Aboriginal cultural knowledge, values, and practices in all aspects of our care.

Corporate

We operate with transparency and accountability to uphold the trust placed in us by Elders, their loved ones and our community.

Capability

We invest in our people, systems, and services to grow a strong and sustainable future for our Elders.

Community

We are led by and for our community, ensuring that Elders remain at the heart of every decision we make.

Culture

We honour and embed Aboriginal cultural knowledge, values, and practices in all aspects of our care.

Corporate

We operate with transparency and accountability to uphold the trust placed in us by Elders, their loved ones and our community.

Capability

We invest in our people, systems, and services to grow a strong and sustainable future for our Elders.

Our Board

Chairperson

Judith Lovegrove

Judith is a proud Ngarrindjeri woman who is passionately driven to create lasting and meaningful change for Aboriginal people.

With years of extensive work with community in various capacities, including senior leadership roles across government and non-government sectors, she balances multiple commitments including membership to several high-level state and national committees.

A true advocate for necessary reform and transformation, Judith has been a pioneer in initiating strategies, policies and programs, and was inducted into the SA Women’s Honor Roll in 2023 for her contributions to community.

Secretary

Catherine McGee

Catherine has dedicated her professional life to older people and those with disabilities, especially the most vulnerable and least well supported.

She initially worked as a psychologist with people with intellectual disabilities. The lack of what people needed and wanted led her to shift focus to improving community-based services for people to have more choices in living with dignity and independence in their own homes.

Catherine has extensive senior management experience in ageing and disability policy and planning at Commonwealth, State and non-government levels. She managed the Home and Community Care program in South Australia for many years and was the South Australian Government representative on numerous national Ministerial Advisory Committees as ageing policy changed and developed. Her particular focus on Aboriginal interests is well known and respected. Catherine has been on the Board of ACS since her career retirement in 2014.

Treasurer

Zi Lic Low (Daniel Low)

Daniel has a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) with over 14 years of experience across aged care, disability and community services.

He brings deep expertise in financial governance, strategic planning and operational budgeting, with a strong focus on aligning financial sustainability with person-centred outcomes.

Daniel currently serves as a Finance Business Partner at Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & VIC) Inc, where he plays a key role in providing financial leadership within a complex and evolving aged care environment. Known for his hands-on approach and analytical depth, Daniel has a proven track record of supporting executive teams and boards through periods of reform, funding transitions and organisational transformation.

Board Member

Natasha Chisholm

Natasha Chisholm is a proud Narungga women, raised on Erawirung country (Riverland) and has lived and worked on Kaurna Country for more than 20 years.

Natasha brings more than two decades’ experience in education, program development, and strategic leadership across government sectors. She led the establishment of The Workabout Centre, supporting First Nations youth in school-to-work transitions. Currently HR Business Partner Aboriginal Workforce at the Department for Education, she focuses on recruitment, retention and career development for First Nations staff. A dedicated community advocate, Natasha has volunteered for events like the SA Nunga Netball Carnival and NAIDOC activities. Her lived experience as a carer for her mother informs her advocacy for aged care rights.

Natasha is a recipient of the Churchill Fellowship and SA Public Education Award for her dedication to improving outcomes for Elders and the broader community.

Board Member (Clinical)

Marie Gould

Marie is a specialist anaesthetist in South Australia with more than 30 years of clinical experience across public and private healthcare.

Marie is a senior consultant anaesthetist with the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network and an associate of Advanced Anaesthetics Adelaide. She has a broad experience in clinical quality monitoring and health system improvement. Marie co-chairs a SAHLN divisional committee which monitors the implementation of the six specific actions from the Australian Commission on Safely and Quality in Health Care to improve the safely, quality and experience of care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Board Member

Daniel Motlop

Daniel is a proud Larrakia and Torres Strait Islander man and an AFL veteran turned entrepreneur.

After 130 AFL games with North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, Daniel co-founded Something Wild, a native foods business in the Barossa Valley. The company supplies Indigenous ingredients nationwide while providing jobs and training for First Nations people and supporting First Nations communities. A former Chief Administrator’s Advisor for the Northen Territory, Daniel is a mentor and qualified trainer, focused on empowering Aboriginal communities. He also launched Indigenous Home Services, delivering fresh, culturally relevant food to aged care clients and created Green Ant Gin and Seven Seasons Spirits, drawing on seasonal Indigenous knowledge.

Recognised with the 2023 NAIDOC Innovation Award, Daniel’s work champions culture, sustainability and economic opportunity.

Board Member

Hayley Newchurch

Hayley is a proud Narungga woman from Point Pearce, South Australia, with strong connections to Barngarla Country (Port Augusta).

Hayley is a passionate advocate for breaking intergenerational cycles and creating brighter futures. Raised by her grandmother in Port Augusta, Hayley’s deep cultural roots shape her work and family life as a mother, grandmother and kinship carer. She is an Aboriginal Cultural Consultant with the Department of Human Services, advising 220 Intensive Family Services staff to ensure culturally safe support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander loved ones.

Hayley has held roles across government and non-government sectors, including the Department for Education, Child Protection, Yarrow Place, and Uniting Country SA, supporting communities across Barngarla and Kaurna Country.

Board Member

Marissa Williams

Marissa Williams has lived on Kaurna country most her life, working across various government roles in juvenile justices and human services and as a board member of Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations.

Marissa is a proud mother of three children and her cultural connection to Nyoongar Yamitji from Western Australia. She is the Principal Aboriginal Consultant at DCP, bringing a strong background in case management and a deep commitment to empowering Aboriginal communities.

Her approach is grounded in culturally sensitive communication, developed through extensive collaboration with First Nations stakeholders. Marissa has led the development of strategies that respect cultural values, ensuring clients feel heard and supported. She has partnered with First Nations organisations to design programs that address community-specific needs, improve service access and strengthen support networks.

A dedicated advocate, Marissa works to ensure equitable access to resources, championing holistic, community-driven solutions for lasting impact.

Public Officer

Graham Aitken

Graham is a Yankunytjatjara man dedicated to ensuring Elders have access to consistent, culturally safe aged care.

Graham is Chief Executive Officer of Aboriginal Community Services, the largest aged care provider for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia. He also sits on the board of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council, which promotes care that is culturally safe, trauma-aware, healing-informed and grounded in connections to community and Country.

Graham has more than 15 years’ experience working across Federal and State Government programs designed to support Aboriginal communities. A mature-aged student, he earned a Bachelor of Commerce from Flinders University, majoring in International Business and Human Resource Management, with a minor in Business Economics.

Member

Segaran Murugeson

Segaran has more than 30 years’ experience working in finance across government and non-government organisations in the aged care, health and community sectors.

Currently the General Manager of Finance and Corporate Services for Aboriginal Community Services, Segaran’s role includes ensuring financial stability, regulatory compliance, operational efficiency and strategic alignment across ACS.

A strategic leader, he oversees corporate services, human resources and IT services. Segaran has worked in senior leadership roles across finance for Helping Hand Aged Acre, YMCA of SA and Australian Red Cross.

He holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Accounting Degree from Flinders University and is a member of CPA Australia and the Australian Institute of Management.

Board Governance Secretary

Marie Maiolo

Marie has over 30 years of experience in legal, governance and compliance.

Marie has worked across private, public and not-for-profit sectors, particularly in health and community services. Starting as a law clerk, she advanced to senior roles and now uses her legal and business administration skills and education foundation to support the Board and Senior Management.

Marie is described as a driven, collaborative, and passionate generalist.

Our Leadership

Chief Executive Officer

Graham Aitken

General Manager – Finance and Corporate Services

Segaran Murugeson

General Manager – Service Development 

Lauren Aitken

General Manager – Client Services

Joni McArthur

Site Manager – Aboriginal Elders Village

Ingrid Coad

Clinical Lead – Aboriginal Elders Village

Priya

Community Clinical Services Lead 

Maggie Njoroge

Quality and Risk Advisor

Maggie Balodis

HR Advisor

Anuj Taneja

Policy and Standards Advisor

Marilena Tripodi