Marc Higgins

CEO

Marc is a Wiradjuri man with a strong alignment to Community Resources’ vision, mission and values.

Driven to use his skills and experience to better the lives of people and care for the planet, Marc is a people leader who is passionate about creating the right environment for people to thrive and businesses to grow.

He has extensive leadership experience gained in the corporate and for-purpose sectors, both in Australia and overseas. He has more than 25 years' experience building and running successful businesses in culturally diverse environments, including in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, the UK and the US.

He has worked in agribusiness, arts/culture, consumer goods, finance, IT, media and tourism. Most recently Marc has been working with the Gunaikurnai Mob in Gippsland, an experience for which he will always be grateful.

Marc joined Community Resources as CEO in November 2021. 

Mark Chicken

Financial Controller

Before he joined Community Resources Mark spent most of his 20-year career in local government finance in roles including finance officer, finance manager and financial accountant. 

He found a passion for work in the not-for-profit industry, partly shaped by his life experience of having a sister living with Down syndrome.  

Mark believes in equal recognition of all parts of the triple bottom line (profit, people and the planet) and works for outcomes that achieve financial sustainability and better care for people and planet.  

Mark holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Advanced Accounting) and is a CPA. 

Outside work, Mark’s passions are his family and indoor cricket; in 2016 he represented the O40’s Australian team at the World Championships in Birmingham, England .  

Martin Paech

Chief Operating Officer

Martin is a senior commercial leader experienced in scale transformations and leading geographically dispersed teams. His focus is the delivery of organisational results while managing commercial and financial risk. Martin has worked across a broad range of industries including technology, telecommunications, energy, security, and corporate consulting, across Australia, Asia and Europe. 

He enjoys working with energetic people towards a common, meaningful goal and creating sustainable business systems and processes. He values compassion, inclusion, connection and, a safe and just working environment. 

Outside work, Martin loves walking in the bush, travelling, reading, being with his family and sharing food and philosophical discussions with friends.

Anthony Rohr

People and Culture Manager

Ant has more than 22 years of experience in human resources and safety, in roles across the not-for-profit disability sector, employment relations consulting and advice, warehouse and distribution, and labour hire.

 All his work is driven by his belief in the power of healthy relationships. “Bringing business strategy and people practices together is the foundation of effective HR, whether it’s recruitment, employee relations, performance management, organisation development, job design or benchmarking,” he says. “I love to balance the tension that exists in performance management and employee relations, between achieving fair outcomes for both management and employees, through openness and mutual understanding.”

Outside work Ant loves living in the bush, being with his family, and cycling. 

Rachel Walker

Communications & Marketing Manager

Rachel’s passion for social justice and creating environmental change has driven her excellent track record in achieving impact growth as well as leading high performing teams across both the NFP and corporate sectors, including as an NFP Non-Executive Director. She has delivered strong revenue, communications and marketing outcomes to high profile organisations such as Amnesty International and Camp Quality. As Head of the ABCN Foundation, a charity committed to overcoming disadvantaged youth educational inequity, she led its doubling of revenue and impact.  Rachel ran her own fundraising and communications consultancy before taking up her current position on CR's Executive team as Marketing and Communications Manager.

When not fighting the good fight at work, you can find Rachel either having adventures with her children, family and friends, on her yoga mat or in the ocean, enjoying the beautiful natural paradise of Worimi land (Mid-North NSW Coast).

Lisa Berry

General Manager
Community Services

Lisa started with Community Resources in 2014 as the Manager of Homebase Youth Services.

She came from a background of more than 20 years’ operational management experience in both commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Lisa is passionate about creating safe workplaces where individuals can thrive at their own pace – and empowering staff to learn and develop into their chosen career path.  

“With over 60% Aboriginal employment within the Community Services team, we have access to a wealth of knowledge on how to care for people and planet.”  

Lisa has seen Community Resources grow and diversify in recent years, and thrives as a leader of a team with a shared commitment to achieving results for clients, colleagues and communities. She has a Diploma in Community Services and Diploma in Business Management. 

Outside work she loves spending time with family and friends and looks forward to weekend escapes in her van. 

Matt Curtis

General Manager
RRA

Matt was experiencing barriers to employment when he joined RRA as an entry level trainee in 2005.  

He’d left school in Year 9, and later completed a literacy and numeracy course at TAFE to give himself the best chance of employment. Once he joined RRA he became shift supervisor within 18 months, then moved through the roles of area manager and regional manager before he became General Manager in 2019.  

Matt has driven and overseen significant expansion of RRA and leads a team of more than 120 people across ten local government areas in NSW, the ACT and Queensland, which now has four sites.  

A key achievement is the Mobile Community Recycling Service (MCRS), an award-winning, problem-waste collection service for three of the biggest Councils in Western Sydney. 

David Petrie

General Manager
Soft Landing

David is an experienced business professional with a successful career in private enterprise. He has held senior positions at several companies, including Alsco, Goodyear/Dunlop Tyres, Electrolux Home Products, and Dairy Farmers. His most recent role was General Manager of Kingsley Enterprises, a subsidiary of ARB Corporation. 

Motivated by his personal values of respect, fairness, compassion, and kindness, David moved into the not-for-profit sector to use his business management skills to make a more direct contribution to positive social outcomes. Reflecting his desire to help people reach their potential, he is currently an active volunteer with Youth off the Streets (YOTS), a non-profit organization that helps disadvantaged youth to reach their potential.  

He has a diverse range of interests outside of work, including film, live theatre, sports, nature, and current events. He is an active cricket and tennis player, although he has recently accepted that he is unlikely to be selected to play for Australia or win a Grand Slam tournament.  

David holds a Bachelor of Business degree, with a specialization in Marketing, from Charles Sturt University.

Robert Servine

General Manager
Green Connect

Robert is an Indigenous American with a passion for building sustainable environments and healthy communities.

His most recent role was in leading community services within the South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation where he oversaw 60 staff delivering 6 major programs supporting Aboriginal youth.

Prior to his community leadership work, Robert spent 7 years working on organic farms. Not only did he start his own organic vegetable farm (Good Karma Farm) Robert also managed a youth employment program, where he hired homeless youth to work on an organic farm at Seattle Youth Garden Works. Here they learnt valuable employment and life skills whilst getting the opportunity to earn a wage.

Robert Servine is a mindful collaborative leader who is determined with a strong sense of social justice. He is entrepreneurial and understands the importance of balancing passion with business, and the value of building a sustainable business model.