The Foundation Board is made up of a group of people who have a strong desire to work for the benefit of humanity.

The Trustees come from a variety of backgrounds bringing with them a broad range of skills and experiences.

The Founder and President are highly regarded and known internationally for their pioneering and innovative work in elevating the standards for emotional care of people with dementia.

The role of the Foundation Board is to provide the governance and allocation of the Foundation funds in accordance with the guidelines for this Trust Fund.

The Board Members

Steve Shortis, Trustee and Treasurer of the Board

Stephen Shortis, B.Bus, FCPA, has a background in Public Accounting and has his own business, SVS Management, that has been based in Melbourne since 1976. Steve is a registered Tax Agent and was made a Fellow of the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) Australia in 1997. He is also a Fellow of the National Tax & Accountants Association (NTAA), a member of the Financial Planning Association and a Director of a number of small companies.

Steve has a generous nature and was a Rotarian actively involved in supporting many local initiatives. He brings a diverse wealth of knowledge, talents and experience to his position on the Foundation Board.

Sean Campbell, Trustee

Sean Campbell is Manager of Le Pine Funerals Ferntree Gully. He has been a Funeral Director for 6 years and finds it very rewarding to be able to help people at difficult times in their lives. Sean previously worked for 17 years in the Department of Employment, Education & Training and the Department of Social Security.

Jo Marshall, Trustee

Jo Marshall is a teacher in the Commerce & Enterprise portfolio at North Metropolitan TAFE in Perth facilitating student learning and projects. In 2000, Jo achieved her MBA from the University of Western Australia and in 2004 completed the Diploma of Coaching with the Coach School. She is passionate about facilitating a workplace or ‘schoolplace’ that is both challenging and satisfying – a place where people can grown and develop while making a meaningful contribution.

Jane Verity, Board Member, Founder and Chair of the Board

Jane Verity is Founder of the Spark of Life Philosophy and the Dementia Foundation for Spark of Life. Originally from Denmark, Jane has a background in Occupational Therapy, Family Therapy and is a Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

Jane is a world leader and innovator in the social and emotional care of people with dementia. She has the vision and courage to create a world that ignites the human spirit and gives voice to those without a voice.

As the international representative on dementia innovation, Jane has provided advice to the Ministry of Ageing in Singapore and to the Dementia 100 Experts’ Forum in Stockholm. She is a keynote presenter and has spoken at conferences in many parts of the world.

Hilary Lee, Board Member, President and Secretary of the Board

Hilary Lee is President of the Dementia Foundation for Spark of Life. She has studied Occupational Therapy in Oxford, England and has a Master’s Degree in Science from Curtin University of Technology, Perth Western Australia.

Hilary has a particular interest in the science behind rehabilitation in dementia. She is a pioneer in transformative community development, educates, mentors and supports Spark of Life Master Practitioners in 11 countries.

In collaboration with two professors at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, Hilary has developed a new ground breaking assessment tool to identify the abilities of people with dementia.  She has also edited the internationally acclaimed book Creative Approaches in Dementia Care.

Karen Warren, Board Member, Secretary Queensland

Karen Warren is the Administration Manager at Influence 3, a leadership and communication training and development consultancy. Previous to this Karen worked in Student and Academic Administration at the University of Queensland and Bond University. She was also an active first responder volunteer with St John Ambulance for more than ten years. Karen is always delighted when her work is contributing to community education, and personal growth.