One of Australia’s leading social innovation and enterprise researchers, Professor Jo Barraket, has been appointed as the first Director of the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne University of Technology, and will join the Centre in April 2014.

Since 2008, Barraket has led the social enterprise and innovation research program at the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, Queensland University of Technology. Prior to this, she was an academic in the University of Melbourne’s School of Social and Political Sciences.

With a PhD in applied sociology from the University of New South Wales, Barraket is Australia’s foremost expert on social enterprise, having led the first national mapping study in this field.

Australian Business Volunteers (ABV) has strengthened its team responsible for implementing IBM’s corporate volunteering programs in Asia with the movement of Melanie Kelleher into the position of Program Manager and the appointment of Jeanette Bruce as Project Officer.

Kelleher holds a Masters of Development Management and was previously ABV’s Strategy and Program Development Manager. Bruce joins ABV with prior experience with volunteer programs and community development.

RSPCA ACT has appointed Tammy Ven Dange as its new CEO. Originally from the United States, Ven Dange’s early career included more than year as a business volunteer with the US Peace Corps in West Africa. She held a number of senior management roles in the information technology industry in the US and Canberra. More recently, her Australian Capital Territory-based consultancy business provided strategic management advice to a range of not-for-profit (NFP) organisations.

In addition, Kyle Loades has been appointed as the new Chair of the HMRI Foundation. Loades is the Founder and Managing Director of Auto Advantage, an independent car-buying service. His business interests led to a ten-year involvement with the Hunter Business Chamber, culminating with Loades serving as President for two years. Loades also became an NRMA Motoring Services Director in 2005 as a natural extension of his automotive industry background and Chamber experience, a position that sees him lobbying with politicians and other stakeholders to address member concerns.