Elizabeth Brande - Director, Chair

Elizabeth has been involved in Calisthenics for most of her life; first as a competitor, and then as a parent of two calisthenic performers for the past 25 years. Liz has held several club committee positions, holds a Life Membership at Boronia Calisthenics College, and enjoys volunteering as a timer for State Championships and local competitions. Professionally, Liz is a Senior Executive with the State Government specialising in Corporate Services and Business Transformation. Her corporate experience extends across several areas including human and industrial relations, governance, risk & assurance, policy creation, service delivery improvement, operating model redesign, change management and strategic planning. Liz has extensive experience in working with Boards, sitting on steering committees for Government major projects. Liz is delighted to be appointed to the Calisthenics Victoria Board.

Linda Goldsmith - Director, Deputy Chair

Linda has a long association with calisthenics, having performed initially with a non-competitive club in Bentleigh before competing for over 20 years at Bentleigh Calisthenics College then in her late 20s at Emmanuel Calisthenics. Linda competed in both Solo and Graceful Girl, coached Solo and gave specialist individual coaching. Linda was delighted to join the Calisthenics Victoria Board in 2021. Professionally Linda is an experienced and accomplished senior lawyer, having spent more than 25 years in private practice before accepting an inhouse generalist commercial lawyer role at a prominent Melbourne tertiary institution. Linda has significant experience as an elected executive director, board member and Chair in the not-for-profit sector with strong business acumen, the capacity to manage risk and ensure regulatory, legislative and organisational policy compliance. When not working or supporting community sport, Linda enjoys reading, adult ballet classes at the Australian Ballet, competitive sailing on Port Phillip and travel. Linda is also an enthusiastic amateur archaeologist, having volunteered at a number of digs within and outside Australia.

Samantha Chapman - Director

Sam's love of calisthenics began when she was introduced to the sport by a neighbour at 4 years old. She went on to compete at Knox Waverley Calisthenics Club (formerly Waverley Calisthenics Club) for more than 20 years across all sections, was a Level 1 coach and had success as an Assistant Tinies Coach and Head Junior Coach. In 2016 Sam took a forced hiatus due to an interstate move for work. Upon returning to Victoria in 2022, her eldest daughter joined the Tinies team at Ocean Grove Calisthenics College. Sam loves being a "Cali Mum" and has recently renewed her Level 1 coaching accreditation. In her professional life, Sam is a dedicated public health and health promotion professional. She holds a Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion, Master of Public Health and Master of Health Promotion. Over the past 14 years she has worked across a range of settings including a peak health promotion statutory body, territory and local governments, corporate health and the not-for-profit sector. Sam's broad range of experiences have shaped her to be a strategic and conceptual thinker and she enjoys combining her systems knowledge with strategic program development. She has extensive experience assisting sporting clubs to develop healthy partnerships and has gained deep insights into the challenges and barriers faced by clubs and state sporting associations. Sam is passionate about helping sporting clubs become healthy and welcoming spaces for participants from a range of diverse backgrounds

Darren Betts - Director

Darren is a commercially astute Fellow of CPA Australia (FCPA) with over 20 year’s financial experience within senior roles throughout Australia and Southeast ASIA. Successfully applying a strong, hands-on leadership style combined with excellent communication skills to navigate and operate in diverse markets and industries. A vast range of experience provides me with a strong foundation to drive financial performance and influence outcomes at all levels within an organisation.

Melissa Walker - Director

During her 10 years in Calisthenics, she danced with both North East Border Calisthenic College, Wodonga Calisthenics Academy and Westcoast Calisthenics, and served as a cadet and coach in Wodonga during her senior years at the club. Professionally, Mel is a management consultant and leads the Australia and New Zealand Operational Excellence practice for dss+. Her role supports organisations to manage risk, drive sustainable growth and solve complex problems across their business. During her years in operational based consulting, she has worked with boards and management teams across a range of industries in Australia, Canada, South America and throughout Africa. She has previously worked at Lodestone Partners, Partners in Performance and KPMG. Mel holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Management) and Bachelor of Arts (Criminology / Psychology) from The University of Melbourne, a Masters in Business Administration from RMIT and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Annaliese Murphy - Director

Annaliese commenced calisthenics at age 4 and was a calisthenics competitor for more than 15 years and in recent years also became a calisthenics parent. A passionate Cali Girl, Annaliese has no doubts that the many years of performing have positively impacted her professional career and personal life through improved self-confidence and being a team player. Annaliese is a dedicated Finance professional with 20 years’ experience across various accounting finance roles and industry sectors including PwC, BHP Ltd, Australian Unity Limited and General Electric. Her professional career has involved a number of leadership positions which has focused on audit, regulatory and financial reporting, technical accounting interpretation and management reporting and operational accounting processes. Annaliese brings strong financial and business operational skills to the Finance Risk and Audit Committee combined with a governance and risk mindset. Annaliese holds a Bachelor of Commerce; a member of Chartered Accountants ANZ and Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. When not working or supporting her daughter’s sporting interests and activities; Annaliese enjoys baking and cooking; is an avid reader; a supporter of the AFL and participates in a variety of social sporting activities

Yana Hall - Director

Yana Hall is a dedicated risk and quality management expert. With a Bachelor's degree administration, specialising in Human Resources and a Master's degree in Health, Safety, and Ergonomics, Yana possesses a unique blend of academic expertise and practical industry knowledge that enables her to effectivley navigate complex regulatory landscapes and mitigate organisationals risks. Yana has spent the past 10 years as the Risk and Compliance Manager at Mentone Grammar where she has leveraged her extensive background in manufacturing, health, and mining to develop a pragmatic approach to risk management, health and safety and policy implementation. Drawing upon her multifaceted professional background, Yana adopts a practical and proactive appraoch to risk management and prides herself on making each policy 'live and breathe' the culture of the School to best serve to organisation. Yana looks forward to making a positive impact on the Calisthenics Victoria Board and engaging with the community. Outside work Yana enjoys going on hikes and runs with an aim to run as many places around the world as she can.

Tara Hicks - Director 

Tara was first introduced to the world of Calisthenics at 3 years of age by her mum who had participated in Calisthenics during her youth. Over the years Tara participated with a few different clubs in both metro Naarm and regional Victoria, walking away from the sport with great memories and friendships. Tara following a family tradition enrolled her daughters into the sport at one of their local clubs in central Victoria on Djaara Country 12 years ago where one of her daughters still competes. Tara had been talked back on stage over the last few years in the Seniors and Masters team within the club. Tara is a proud Wiradjuri woman and a passionate social worker, she has a bachelor of human services, master of social work, master of mental health and currently undertaking a PhD. Tara is passionate about advocating for safe and inclusive spaces that ensure positive experiences, she is also actively involved with other community groups locally and nationally.