Famey is a proud Githabul woman (Mother’s country); with connections to Gomeroi country (Father’s country), has more than 18 years’ experience working with Aboriginal communities across NSW in senior government and non-for-profit organisations. Her roles at the AHO include Acting Chief Executive and Deputy Secretary, Director of Housing and Client Services among other roles.
Raised on Gumbaynggirr Country of the mid-North Coast of NSW, Famey’s childhood and family have influenced her career and she takes those lessons into all her professional interactions with a broad range of stakeholders.
Mick is a Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri man from the south west slopes and plains of southern NSW and currently lives in western Sydney.
His experiences ranges from 15 years in the NSW public service across areas of Aboriginal public health, child protection, project management, community development, event management, policy and service development and design.
Prior to joining AHO in 2020, for almost ten years he worked in national and state-based Aboriginal peak bodies incorporating advocacy, policy and service delivery in the areas of out-of-home care, prevention and early intervention, human rights and legal services.
Taking a human rights approach, Mick possesses a strong passion for reducing the gap around critical areas of health, early education, housing and legal supports and, particularly around ensuring Aboriginal children are receiving the best possible start to their life and that they have positive connections to their culture/s and kinship networks/communities.
Loshana Karthikeya is a long-serving AHO staff member (13 years) and brings expertise across the finance and accounting industries with many years of experience in both the private (banking) and public sector.
Loshana holds qualifications in chartered accounting, business, project management and company directors, as well as a graduate diploma in applied finance and investments. Loshana has also worked for DPE Finance which gives her a broad depth of experience over the entire division of planning and environment as well as communities and justice.
Loshana has led the Performance and Finance division at AHO for over three years and has delivered exceptional results. Loshana is results focused and has been successful in building a high functioning division. Her team is highly regarded in the public service and has assisted in gaining significant extra funding for the AHO. This has resulted in increased housing, maintenance, grants and solar/air conditioning for Aboriginal tenants.
Loshana is a passionate advocate for improving the lives of our tenants at the Aboriginal Housing Office. Loshana feels she is greatly privileged to work for an organisation whose aim is to change people’s lives for the better.
Deslin Foster is an experienced senior manager, bringing over 20 years of expertise in workforce development, strategic planning and human services. Deslin has qualifications in business, mental health and project management, and has worked across corporate, not for profit and government sectors.
Deslin started her career at ANZ Bank, working in project and risk management, before delivering ANZ’s nationally successful Aboriginal Employment program. Since being seconded to Reconciliation Australia in 2004 Deslin has continued to work alongside Aboriginal people and communities leading initiatives to address social injustice and supporting communities to achieve their goals.
Deslin stated her ambition for the AHO Policy and Evidence Division is to provide a clear evidence base to underpin AHO’s work and inform future investment, and to lead strategic policy discussions with AHO stakeholders, collaboratively designing policies and ensuring their application delivers positive outcomes for Aboriginal people, communities and organisations.
Naef is a seasoned construction management professional with over 15 years of experience spanning the U.S. and Australia.
Naef recently led the AHO’s largest capital works program to date, delivering culturally appropriate housing solutions tailored to the needs of Aboriginal communities. He takes great pride in the quality and impact of the homes he has delivered at the AHO.
Naef brings a strong track record of delivery. In previous roles, he managed complex residential, commercial, and government projects, including high-end commercial fit-outs and large-scale residential developments.
As a leader, Naef focuses on enhancing team performance to ensure timely, quality, on-budget delivery. In his eight years at the AHO, Naef has shown exemplary skills in driving project efficiency, mitigating project risk and effectively managing stakeholders.
He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and is completing his Master of Construction Management. Naef is passionate about creating meaningful infrastructure that delivers lasting social and economic impact.
Emma is a proud Wiradjuri woman on her father’s side, with strong connections to Dunghutti and Biripi Country. She has 15 years’ experience across government and community sector roles in health and housing.
Her leadership style is creative, human-centred and grounded in Culture. She is passionate about cultural integrity, strengthening the AHO’s Aboriginal workforce and the Aboriginal community housing sector. She’s also a skill strategic thinker with experience in organisational transformation, workforce development, tenant outcomes and community engagement.
Emma joined the AHO in 2022 and has worked hard to take the AHO out into Community since stepping into the role of Northern Regional Relationship Manager in 2023.
Emma still lives on Biripi Country and draws great strength from that. In her spare time she enjoys road tripping to chase waterfalls and spend more time in nature – always recharging on Country. Her farm, where she lives with her wife and their four sausage dogs, is her happy place – she describes it as “a place of peace, connection and Country”.
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