The board of Courage to Care NSW brings together diverse skills and experience.
Our four functional sub-committees all report to our board. Each has their own agreed Terms of Reference and members who are experts in their respective subjects. The four sub-committees are:
Education sub-committee: responsible for the integrity of our Upstander Program delivery
Volunteer and Survivor sub-committee: responsible for relationships with our volunteers and Survivor Speakers
Finance and fundraising sub-committee: responsible for raising much-needed funds and monitoring our financial performance
Executive Committee: responsible for financial and legal governance
Kathy Sharp (Chair)
Born in Sydney and educated at Macquarie University, Kathy Sharp has held a variety of professional roles – including board member of the Crows Nest Centre and serving as Manager of Ku-ring-gai & Hornsby Meals on Wheels for 16 years. A proud mother and grandmother, Kathy has a strong commitment to social justice issues and a keen interest in politics and world affairs.
Juliane Michaels (1st Vice-Chair) Born in Budapest, Hungary as the child of Holocaust survivors, Juliane Michaels arrived in Australia with her brother and parents in 1959. Based in Canberra with her own young family in the 70s, she led the Human Resources department of the Australian Bureau of Statistics before returning to Sydney. Completing a Masters in Adult Education, Juliane spent 25 plus years in Executive Recruitment, Executive Search and Leadership Development.
Tom Curtis (2nd Vice Chair)
Throughout his 40-year professional career, Tom has worked as a commercial and property lawyer; in operational business management in importing, manufacturing, brand development, retail and private label bottling in the liquor industry; equities funds management; and commercial real estate investment for both privately owned and ASX listed companies. Born and educated in Sydney, the child of two Holocaust survivors, Tom is currently the Managing Director of Crown Capital Investments.
David Taylor (Secretary)
Born in London and educated at Sydney University and the University of London, David Taylor practised as a lawyer for 40 years, including 20 years as a partner at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, one of the Big Six law firms in Australia. In his personal life, David has been an active member of B’nai B’rith for many years. David has also been active in the Maccabi Triathlon Club having held the positions of both Secretary and President.
Abie Greengarten (Treasurer)
Born and educated in Sydney,
Abie Greengarten is an accountant and business advisor who worked for many years for respected accounting and advisory firm William Buck. Abie’s passion lies with assisting SMEs and their operators grow and reach their potential. His goal as Treasurer of C2C is to ensure the sustainability of the organisation and to help lay the foundations for growth and outreach.
Faye Radom (Head of Education Committee)
Born in Tanganyika, East Africa after her parents escaped from Poland at the outbreak of WWII, Faye Radom grew up in Perth and completed her degree at the University of Western Australia. After working as a school teacher – including three years of teaching in Pittsburgh, USA – Faye undertook further study and started a second career as a psychologist and counsellor. Combining these two professional streams, she has worked extensively as a school psychologist.
James Altman
Born in Sydney and educated at Sydney University, James Altman was the child of Austrian immigrants who escaped to Australia in 1938. Jim has had a long association with our organisation; he was President of B’nai B’rith Australia / New Zealand from 2002 to 2006 and again from 2010 to 2013, he was the first Vice–President for Courage to Care, and subsequently the Chairman for several years. In January 2008, he was honoured with the award of Medal in the Order of Australia for service to the Jewish community
Mel Braun
Born and educated in Sydney,
and the child of Holocaust survivors, Mel’s professional background and experiences includes Marketing and PR roles with major corporations, museums, public programs, and tertiary education. She has also lectured and tutored extensively at University level. Mel works as a Courage to Care facilitator and exhibition guide and is currently involved in the development of our workplace program.
Maxine Cheilyk
Maxine joined our board in
2022 after a long association
with Courage to Care as a volunteer and member of the Queensland Executive. Born in South Africa, Maxine has lived in Australia since 1978. She was a National Fashion Buyer for Myer, based in Melbourne, and then ran her own business and fashion label for 11 years. A return to teaching led to work as a facilitator within the Retail Industry, which in turn led to a role as a National Marketing Manager.
Eli Tal
Eli Tal was the first commercial representative of any Israeli company when he opened the office of Zim Lines in Australia in 1970. He became the founding Vice President for the Australian Israel Chamber of Commerce, and in 1976 started Tal Travel, opening and managing 5 travel agency offices. For the next 15 years he was the Managing Director of Astonlea Property before co-founding Designer Rugs – an organisation of which he is currently the Chairman. Eli has been the President of the B’nai B’rith Sydney Lodge and a long supporter and contributor to C2C.
Trevor Zabow
Born and raised in South Africa under apartheid – and profoundly affected by the discrimination he witnessed first-hand – Trevor has lived in Sydney since 1981. His career as a litigation solicitor, including family law, led to work as an operational manager, most recently in a conciliation and arbitration tribunal. Communication, client service, and conflict resolution were central to his work, with roles including training and group facilitation.