Executive leadership
Clare O’Connor
Director-General
It is an honour to be appointed as the Director-General of the newly created Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy. This is my sixth year as a Director-General, having served in two other Departments, including most recently leading the delivery of the National Disability Insurance Scheme to Queensland.
I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities our new department brings.
These will include shaping the Thriving Communities vision in the post-COVID context and strengthening critical social infrastructure to support vulnerable Queenslanders and their communities. The mix of functions and accountabilities within Housing and Homeless Services, Digital Economy and the Arts, present some fantastic opportunities for Queenslanders.
We will always put people first, making it quicker and easier for Queenslanders to interact with government and making our state more inclusive in every way, including through digital innovation. Enabling the cultural recognition and social and economic participation of First Nations peoples will be a key priority in all our work.
I also have a strong commitment to supporting Queensland communities during times of disaster through the department’s Community Recovery program and the critical work done in the Housing and Digital Economy to accommodate and connect people and communities. I look forward to building greater community resilience following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our department has strong partnerships with sector representatives, community and non-government organisations, other government agencies and communities that we will continue to grow to deliver on the Queensland Government’s priorities and support our clients.
I am excited to work with you all to support Queenslanders and their communities.
Katie Holm
Assistant Director-General, Community Services
Bachelor of Laws, Grad Cert. Public Sector Management, GAICD
Katie joined the department in July 2018 as the Assistant Director-General, Community Services Statewide.
Katie has 30 years’ experience working in the government and private sectors including roles with Disability Services Queensland, Queensland Public Service Commission and the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, as well as roles as a Presiding Member with the then New South Wales Guardianship Tribunal, and the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal.
Trish Woolley
Deputy Director-General, Housing and Homelessness
LLB, BSocWk
Trish joined the Department of Housing and Public Works in September 2016. She has almost 20 years’ experience in public administration, working across a range of social policy and service delivery agencies in State Government (Queensland and Victoria) and the Commonwealth Government (Department of Human Services, Department of Social Services and Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet).
Trish is an experienced leader of social policy reforms nationally, while contributing to the critical business transformation and modernisation of a number of social policy agencies to improve government delivery of key services and improve policy capability.
Chris Fechner
Chief Customer and Digital Officer
Exec MBusAdmin, BAppSc Computing, GradDipProjMgmt
Chris became Queensland’s first Chief Customer and Digital Officer in February 2020. A key focus for Chris in this role, is driving customer and digital transformation across government. Chris brings to the department a wealth of digital and ICT experience as a Senior Executive in both the Queensland and NSW Public Service.
Most recently as Chief Digital and Product Officer, Service NSW, Chris was the driving force behind the implementation of the global standard in customer service and digital excellence in delivering customer centric technology and services.
Andrew Spina
Deputy Director-General, Services Delivery and Operations
BSc (Comp)
Andrew has worked in the Queensland public sector for more than 35 years and has extensive experience in leading the delivery of digital transformation, digital service delivery and shared government services.
Andrew has undertaken a number of Deputy Director-General and Chief Information Officer roles providing strategic digital leadership in the Department of Communities, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation, Department of Public Works and Housing; and roles in CITEC and Treasury.
Dallas Stower
Acting Deputy Director-General, Transformation and Enabling Technologies
BBus (Comp), GradCert (PSM) GAICD
Dallas has over 30 years' experience in the ICT industry across a range of senior leadership positions. In his role as Deputy Director-General Transformation and Enabling Technologies, Dallas leads the development and implementation of initiatives that strengthen Queensland's ICT service delivery. Dallas is responsible for CITEC Enabling Services, CITEC Integration & Enabling Technologies, Data and Information Services, ICT Strategic Sourcing, Transformation Projects and Office of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).
Dallas commenced his ICT career with the Department of Defence in Canberra and followed up with a number of roles in the Australian Public Service before returning to his home state of Queensland. His senior leadership roles in Queensland include Assistant Director-General, Strategic ICT; General Manager, CITEC; Executive Director, Telecommunications and Digital Economy Coordination Office; and Chief Information Officer, Queensland Rail.
Irene Violet
Acting Deputy Director-General, Strategy, Governance and Engagement
BHSc, BA (Psych), MBA, GAICD
Irene leads the Strategy, Policy and Engagement division and has been part of the Executive Leadership Team at Housing and Public Works since 2017. Most recently, Irene, as Deputy Director-General, Customer and Digital Strategy, lead the government priority to develop and deliver responsive government services. This included whole-of-government digital and ICT policies, designed to improve the lives of Queenslanders. During that time, Irene also participated in a 6 month interchange with the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, as acting Deputy Director-General, Investment where she was responsible for the investment in the government’s vocational education and training programs, small business and employment grants and programs, as well as training infrastructure.
Previously, Irene was the Assistant Director-General, Queensland Shared Services with responsibility for modernising and optimising the shared services used by 25 Queensland Government agencies and departments. She has also held several senior executive roles at WorkCover Queensland, with responsibilities for corporate services, customer services and specialist advisory teams.
Irene is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Matthew Nye
Assistant Director-General, Corporate Services
Master of Business (Professional Accounting), Bachelor of Business (Public Relations)
Matthew commenced with the former Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors in September 2019 in the role of Assistant Director-General, Corporate Services.
Matthew has more than 25 years’ experience in the Queensland Public Service, including the past 11 years in senior executive positions.
Matthew has extensive experience and skills in business strategy, service delivery, planning, and project delivery to lead organisations through transformational change. Most recently, Matthew held roles as General Manager at Smart Service Queensland and, prior to that, as Executive Director, Finance Services at Queensland Shared Services.
Kirsten Herring
Deputy Director-General, Arts Queensland
Kirsten oversees the Department’s investment and policy activities in the arts. This includes the Queensland Government’s investment in the Queensland Cultural Centre and funding of major arts companies. Kirsten provides corporate governance support to the state’s arts statutory bodies and government-owned companies. She also manages arts investment and infrastructure funding programs.
- Last updated:
- 1 February 2021