Ms Rhonda Phillips

 BA (Soc Sc), M Phil

Chairperson

Rhonda Phillips is the Chairperson and an Inaugural Director of the bric housing company Board of Directors. Rhonda is a housing researcher and human services lecturer at the University of Queensland. She has 25 years' social housing experience across the public, community and academic sectors, including in executive management roles in the Queensland Department of Housing. Her interests include social and affordable housing policy, Indigenous housing, homelessness and the governance and management of not for profit housing.

Rhonda has played a key role over the past two decades in social housing policy and community housing sector development and regulatory innovations in Queensland and nationally. She has contributed to numerous AHURI research and consultancy projects. Rhonda is a past President of the Australasian Housing Institute and a Director of the Palm Island Community Company.

Mr Christopher Miller

B Human Services, Dip. Business Management, Dip Community Services Management, Adv. Dip in Counselling, Cert IV Workplace Training & Assessing

Vice Chair

Christopher Miller is the Vice Chair of bric housing company Board of Directors. He has 15 years of experience in working in the human services field in numerous environments and settings including one-on-one and group counselling, residential, outreach and drop-in. Christopher specialises in youth issues, homelessness and youth at risk.

Christopher is currently the CEO and Executive Director of Youth Emergency Services; a specialist youth homeless service, providing accommodation, housing and support services to disadvantaged young people. He has over 10 years of experience in not for profit boards, having held many executive positions with local community based organisations including; RedBack Housing, Youth Housing Project and Nundah Community Association.

Mr Eddie Chung

BCom, MCom, MTax, FCA, FTIA

Treasurer

Eddie Chung is a Director and Treasurer of the bric housing company Board of Directors. As a Partner of the “Tax & Advisory: Private & Entrepreneurial Clients” division of the accounting and business advisory firm, BDO (QLD), Eddie specialises in providing business and taxation advisory services to a wide range of clients. These services include traditional compliance work (ie preparation and lodgement of financial accounts and tax returns) and advice on specific business transactions, business and investment structuring, acquisitions, mergers, and restructures, tax planning, succession and estate planning, and other specialist taxation matters.

With over 16 years of experience in the accounting and tax profession, Eddie has consulted to clients from a board range of industries, including professional practices and health care providers. However, his industry specialisation is in the property sector, which includes property development and construction, real estate agency operations, managed property funds, and property support services (eg, architects, surveyors, town planners, consulting engineers, etc).

Eddie is also a current Director and Treasurer of Cystic Fibrosis Queensland.

Mr Greg Mann

BA Law

Company Secretary

Greg Mann is the Company Secretary of the bric housing company Board. He has thirty years of experience as a solicitor and is a partner of Deacons Solicitors. His principle expertise is in the practice areas of property, trusts and estate administration.

An experienced draughtsman, Greg acts for developers in all aspects of land development and for purchasers of major commercial acquisitions. He advises on matters ranging from due diligence to retail and commercial leasing. He provides vital legal knowledge to the Board and plays an integral role in analysing risk.

Ms Alice Thompson

BA (Anthropology), Master of Social Planning and Development (Prof), Youth Connections Program Manager

Director

Alice Thompson is a Director of the bric housing company Board of Directors. She has a background in youth homelessness service delivery, housing and homelessness policy advocacy, and housing research. After eight years as a Research Officer with the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) Queensland Research Centre based at the University of Queensland, Alice has moved back to community based service delivery, and to working again with young people. Alice recently joined Brisbane Youth Service (BYS), a large inner city youth homelessness support agency, in a full-time capacity as the Youth Connections Program Manager.

The Youth Connections Program adds to the suite of education, employment and training services offered by BYS and focuses on assisting young people aged 14-18 with multiple barriers to re-engage with education, training and employment. The program offers intensive case management and outreach services, and aims to develop planned activity and group work with a focus on personal development, education and training.

Alice has 15 years committee experience in both representative and executive roles. Alice has been a BRIC Board member since 2008, joining BRIC in the final stages of its amalgamation. She has been involved with the Queensland Youth Housing Coalition (QYHC) since 1993 holding various Committee positions and she has been the Chairperson of QYHC for the past four years.

Ms Rebecca Castley

LLB (Hons)  BCom

Director

Rebecca Castley is a Director of bric housing company Board of Directors. She is a partner of the Property Group at Mullins Lawyers. Her practice covers a broad range of property law services but she particularly specialises in advising property developers of residential, commercial and mixed use developments, from site acquisition through to subdivision and sale. Rebecca is an Accredited Property Law Specialist by the Queensland Law Society, the only female practitioner with this accreditation in Queensland. She is also a current director of Nudgee International College and Cannon Hill Anglican College.

Mr Graham Billinghurst

Director

Graham Billinghurst is a Director of bric housing company Board of Directors. Graham is Chief Executive Officer of Colhurst Consulting Services. He is a Director of all Group Companies of the Lewis Land Group and a Director of Junior publicly listed Mining Group Rimfire Pacific NL.

Graham has extensive experience in investment banking, development, mining and the housing sector. Graham in the past has represented governments in off-shore development negotiations in concert with the Overseas Property Group. He has consulted for the Queensland Industry Development Corporation and the Queensland Department of Trade. His hands on property experience commenced in 1968 with site selection and construction of Service Stations and Robo Car Washes for an oil company. He then moved to a major land development company. He was Development Manager for some ten estates and developed over 3,000 residential blocks in this period. On his move to Citibank he ran seven development companies, developed a further 2,500 residential lots plus all forms of housing until 1986. This was in concert with his financing role and overseas involvement.

During 18 years as Vice President of Citibank Ltd, Graham managed a $750 million real estate portfolio in the 80’s and gained a comprehensive knowledge of compliance, financial structuring and corporate governance as well as all the product forms in Real Estate, physically completing the building of office / retail and commercial.

Graham’s 12 year involvement with the Lewis Land Group has encompassed all forms of development, financing and project structuring. Graham’s committee membership experience includes terms with the Government Housing Advisory Committee, President of the Urban Development Institute of Queensland and committee member of the Urban Development Institute of Australia.

Graham was an integral member of the board of Brisbane City Mission which has since integrated with Mission Australia. Also he is a current board member of the Lady Bowen Trust for the homeless. He is involved with Hamilton Rotary and the Kirra Surf Club Old Boys.

Mr Ken Ramsay

Dip.Eng.Surv., BA (Geography), M Urb.& Reg. Planning, Grad Cert Mngt

Director

Ken Ramsay is a Director of the bric housing company Board of Directors. He is a partner of Norris, Clarke and O’Brien Pty Ltd, town planners and surveyors, a Brisbane based firm which has been involved with both private and public sector land development for many years. His firm has been involved with negotiating successful planning outcomes on a range of affordable housing projects, and he has a particular interest in well located, transport/employment accessible housing solutions.

He has qualifications in both town planning and surveying, and previously held management positions in Brisbane City Council in development assessment, customer services, community consultation, and was chair of the Forest Lake Task Force. He is particularly interested in streamlining development application processes and timelines, has chaired the UDIA/BCC liaison committee, is a corporate member of the Planning Institute of Australia and a Certified Practising Planner.