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Our People

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

 

Meet Our Board

 

Yvonne Hong, Founder, CEO
Yvonne is the founding director of Pets of the Homeless (POTH). After several years managing and supporting various pet rescue groups, Yvonne started POTH as a passion project in July 2015 to respond to the joint welfare needs of people facing homelessness and their much-loved pets.  As CEO, Yvonne is considered both the face and the driving force of the organisation, managing POTH’s operations, fundraising, communications and marketing. Her passion for her community and the welfare of others extends beyond POTH, where Yvonne was also a board member of the Patterson Lakes Community Centre.

 

Amy-Lou Ockerby, Director – Secretary
Amy-Lou has a passion for social justice with a keen interest in housing and homelessness. A dynamic partnership manager, Amy-Lou brings to POTH a strong understanding of fundraising practice and principles within the homelessness sector. Proud to be dedicating her career to helping solve the issue of homelessness in Australia, Amy-Lou currently works for Homes Victoria, and is a current member of the Institute of Community Directors Australia. Above all, she is passionate about promoting preventative approaches, encouraging necessary support for vulnerable people before they reach crisis point.

 

Ellen Lim, Director – Treasurer
Ellen is another founding director of Pets Of The Homeless. Ellen is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow at ACCA UK with a broad experience working in various industries especially in start up companies. She specialises in financial planning and analysis and is able to think ahead and suggests solutions to tackle issues, both current and foreseeable.

 

Martha Coro, Director
Martha was drawn to be part of Pets of the Homeless because of our action-oriented mission and the opportunity to be hands-on and all-in as we establish the next stage of financial and sustainable growth. She began supporting not-for-profit Boards in governance from her very first job, and joined us after cultivating a grass-roots working knowledge of charities in aged care, mental health and animal welfare over 15 years. Martha is currently an advisor in the Victorian Courts and a seasoned advocate for a range of causes with experience that bridges health services and animal welfare in policy, donor and supporter engagement and charity development.

 

Lesley Coleman, Director 
Lesley has spent 30+ years as a business consultant specialising in advising community, not-for-profit and government organisations in the social justice sphere. Her projects ranged from multi-year program evaluations to ten-year strategic plans to organisation and strategy reviews. She served on the board of Family Life Pty Ltd for ten years (including roles of President and Vice President). She has a MBA and Bachelor of Arts from Monash University, and she is an accredited mediator. Lesley is also a community visitor, with her dogs Daisy and Sirius, for Lort Smith’s Pet Therapy program.

Emma Prideaux, Director
Emma is Pets Of The Homeless’ resident vet. She is one of the business owners of Port Phillip Animal Hospital where she combines clinical work with practice management. The best of both worlds!

 

Rachel Lehmann, Director 
Rachel Lehmann has more than 20 years experience working in Human Resource roles across various industry sectors including FMCG, Technology, and Software Development, and holds a Masters of Business (Human Resource Management). She currently works in the HR Tech industry assisting other organisations evolve and transform their HR functions.  Rachel joined POTH in April 2020 to assist with our employment and volunteer experiences as we continue to grow.  Rachel is passionate about the work that POTH does and as someone who considers pets an essential part of her family, she understands the importance of keeping best friends together.