Meet Our Team

Lisa Joye

Founder & CEO
Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner
& Nationally Accredited Mediator

PhD in Psychology (in progress)

B. Psych. Sc.
B. Psych. Sc. (Hons. 1A)
Grad. Cert. in Family Studies
Grad. Dip. Family Dispute Resolution (Law)
Cert. in Family Group Conferencing
Justice of the Peace

Lisa is passionate about families and keeping them connected in times of change. Lisa is a strong advocate for children and works to assist families maintain relationships following break down. As a registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and a Nationally Accredited Mediator, Lisa helps parents to reach agreement regarding the future care and living arrangements for their children whilst avoiding the stress and expense of Court proceedings.

Lisa also works as a casual academic at the University of Newcastle where she teaches psychology subjects to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Lisa's varied work experience spans from child care, statutory Child Protection with DCJ, youth homelessness, women's shelters and other domestic violence services.

Hope Family Cottage was born from Lisa's vision that children continue to spend meaningful time with both parent(s) and other family members following family breakdown in a place that is just as inviting and as comfortable as home.

Michelle Martin

Board Member &

Children's Contact Supervisor

B. Teaching (Primary)

Michelle is highly experienced in managing quality child services and has excellent business and people management skills.
Michelle's experience includes managing Sydney's largest OOSH Centre with an enrolment of 400 children each day. In this role, she led a team of 45 Child Educators whilst also managing a Specialist HR Consultancy Firm at the same time, where she worked to create ideal conditions for teams working with children to thrive and succeed. Now a Primary School teacher in one of Sydney's largest and highest academic achieving schools, Michelle continues to grow her skills in working with children to ensure their childhood experiences are safe, meaningful and memorable.

Having worked with children for almost 30 years, Michelle brings a wealth of child focused experience, best practice knowledge and expert people management experience to the Board & Team at Hope Family Cottage.

Melinda Doran

Board Member

Assoc. Dip in Social Science (Child Studies)

Cert. in Family Management
Cert. in Child Studies (Understanding Children 0-6yrs)

Mel is a caring and enthusiastic Childcare Educator with over 25 years experience working with school aged children, supporting them with their learning and developmental growth.

Mel has a broad range of experiences, including leading and motivating a team of staff, building strong working relationships with parents, as well as planning, implementing and evaluating stimulating, high quality education and extra-curricular programs.

Mel brings highly creative early childhood educational skills, exceptional leadership and a strong family focus to the Team and Board at Hope Family Cottage.

Michele Gower

Children's Contact Supervisor,
Counsellor & Parenting Coach,
Board Member

Dip. Youth & Community Services

Dip. Counselling

Certificate in Coaching

Michele has extensive experience in working with families, young adults, youth and children. Intertwined with her acute understanding of families as whole systems is her DCJ training in 'Healing from Trauma', 'Positive Behaviour Support' & 'Addressing Problematic and Harmful Sexual Behaviour'.  She supports adults, youth and children to make good choices every day through the consideration of 'out of the box' solutions to life's problems.

From her own personal experience, she also actively works
to raise awareness, reduce stigma, provide support and bring hope to those living with, and caring for, people with Autism and mental health issues.

Alongside Michele's work at Hope Family Cottage, she is the Founder and CEO of 'Choose Thrive' - a local Charity where her practice stems from values of faith, family and truth. It is here that she strives to help people live lives of purpose, passion and peace.

Michele brings a rich tapestry of experience to the Team at
Hope Family Cottage.

Donna Matthews

Board Member

B. Social Science (Community Welfare)
M. Social Work (in progress)

Donna is an experienced child welfare practitioner, having worked in Child Protection and Out of Home Care for the past 7 years. She also has experience working in refuges with young people at risk of being homeless and with young offenders in the Juvenile Justice system via the 'Shine for Kids' program. Her training includes counselling and suicide first aid training with Lifeline. In her other current role, Donna provides mental health support support for people at risk of suicide,
as well as counselling and support at HeadSpace locally.

Donna has first hand experience of the difficulties and rewards of being a foster parent, having been one herself for the past 15 years.

Her combined experience working with vulnerable children, young people, adults and families, knowledge of child protection laws and mental health, makes her an invaluable member of the
Hope Family Cottage Board.

Maree May

Children's Contact Supervisor

Dip. Child, Youth & Family Intervention

Cert III Education Support
- Teachers Aide (Special)
Lifeline Statement of Attainment
- Recognise & Respond to Domestic
& Family Violence

TAFE Statement of Attainment

- Identify & Respond to Young People & Children at Risk

Maree is an experienced Family Contact Worker who is passionate about every child having a happy, healthy childhood.  Her extensive experience spans from working with children from from birth through to 18 years of age.

Maree previously worked as a
School 'Learning Support Officer', where she supported children with additional needs in mainstream school education settings.

Her experience also includes working as a 'Residential Care Worker', where she provided daily care and supported to vulnerable young adults living in Out of Home Care to build life skills. Maree has also spent many years as 'Coordinator' for several Out of School Hours Centres on the Central Coast, where she successfully built strong relationships with children, parents/carers, peers and school staff.

Maree's vast experience, coupled with her ability to build mutually respectful relationships with children, young adults and parents/carers has enabled her to create a warm, friendly and non-judgemental environment for our families to connect and feel safe at Hope Family Cottage. 

Rosemaree Rettenmund

Bookkeeper

Cert. IV in Accounting

Rosemaree comes to us with 18 years of financial management and accounting experience, and a deep belief that in doing what you love, success will follow - a mantra we all share with her at Hope Family Cottage.

Rosemaree is passionate about empowering, connecting and supporting small businesses to shape a better Central Coast, and as such, is a Founding Member and the Treasurer of the newly established Coast Towns Business Chamber, representing the Upper Central Coast area.

Having owned her own successful bookkeeping business on the central coast, 'Retro Bookkeeping', for over 15 years, Rosemaree specialises in small businesses and is well placed to take care of our ongoing bookkeeping and financial management needs.

Belinda Haselhurst

Children's Contact Supervisor

B. Social Work

Belinda is joining our team soon and we are super excited to be welcoming her to our awesome team!