Board of Directors

Ruth Davenport

Chairperson

As a resident of a small rural community, Ruth Davenport knows first-hand the importance of equity of access to services for remote communities. As the CEO of a small, community-based mental health service in the 1990s, she collaborated on community projects with the then Ovens and King Community Health before the service merged with Gateway Community Health in 2014 to become Gateway Health. Gateway Health’s place-based services approach resonates with Ruth and she brings a background in mental health and nursing to the board as it plans how best we can provide services to regional communities. Through her long association with the organisation, Ruth has seen the quality, reach and breadth of Gateway Health’s services contribute to the ongoing health and wellbeing of the communities. She sees early intervention and prevention, health promotion and the many and varied primary care services as key in continuing to support people to remain connected to their communities and prevent or delay the need for our already overloaded acute care services. Now retired, Ruth lives in Markwood, where she enjoys the rural lifestyle and living and working in small communities who connect and support each other. She is a carer for family and maintains a close connection to community through the community choir and book club.

Klaus Baumgartel

Deputy Chairperson

For an industrial chemist, an introduction to community health has opened up a different world in which he could make a significant contribution as a board member. Klaus Baumgartel is a long-serving board member of Gateway Health, having joined the then Gateway Community Heath in 1997 at the invitation of the then CEO. From volunteering with the Lake Sambell Management Committee to develop the areas as a public recreation reserve, he found a passion for community health. He sees one of the great strengths of Gateway Health being the ability to work with genuine initiative based on knowledge of the individual communities. He brings diverse experience to the Gateway Health board having recently retired from the position of Regional Coordinator of the NSW Industry Capability. Klaus lives in Beechworth. He is also on the Board of the Murray Hume Business Enterprise Centre and works as a part-time business advisor for them. 

Geoffrey Lowe

Treasurer

Geoffrey believes for many, Gateway Health is an unsung hero of the region. With extensive board governance and business experience, he has worked as a director in the not-for-profit space since the 1990s and hold an MBA with accounting and superannuation qualifications, bringing an array of business and financial expertise to the Gateway Health board. With a focus on those less fortunate or disadvantaged, he believes Gateway Health is key in providing services to those that need them the most to remain, be or become "People Living Well" and with 25,000 clients, it is a significant and important organisation to the community.  While interested in all allied health services, he says alcohol and other drug (AOD) services are a key interest as the people affected by issues related to AOD come from all walks of life and experience some of the worst circumstances, often over prolonged periods of time. A resident of Albury, he enjoys the mix of natural beauty and great living options, offering many of the things found in capital cities but small enough to be easy to get around, unpolluted and well-connected. Geoffrey is also a director of RDA Murray, MTA NSW and CareSuper and runs a niche manufacturing business supplying the motorcycle industry.

David Koschitzke

Tapped on the shoulder by a serving board member, David Koschitzke brings a diverse range of experience to the Gateway Health board from his time on community boards covering business, the arts and sporting organisations. His focus is on delivering essential services effectively, with a strong belief that preventing health issues and helping people change habits and behaviours is far more effective than managing the consequences. A former chair of the board, he sees Gateway Health’s strength is being there when it is needed, citing the work undertaken after the Black Summer bushfires where the services made a huge difference to people’s recovery and in many cases was a doorway to other services. David lives in Albury - which he says gives you the best of country and city living without the disadvantages of either of them - and works four days a week in his law practice.

Megan Pearce

Megan was drawn to the Gateway Health board by the incredible life saving work happening in the Gender Service and LBTIQA+ programs.  As a previous Youth Advisory Group member of headspace Albury Wodonga, Megan’s involvement in Gateway Health started in 2014, and she joined the Board in 2020.  Gateway Health’s role in the implementation and service provision of The Orange Door, along with the important work within the family violence space makes Megan proud to be a member of the Board.  A key focus area for Megan is ensuring client voice is central in decision making. Gateway Health makes sure that the organisation and services it provides are shaped by what our communities need.  Megan is a resident of Table Top and practices as a social worker locally. Her current role is Therapeutic and Allied Health Service Manager at Junction Support Services, and she lectures at La Trobe University.

Joy Hewitt

Joy lives near Alexandra and is a pharmacist. She works with universities, research institutes and biomedical companies to commercialise their life sciences technologies. She is also a consumer advisor to Alfred Health.

Kate Pargeter

Kate connected with the organisation through business connections which reignited her appreciation for Gateway Health’s impactful work in the community. From Howlong, where she appreciates the riverside location and community warmth, Kate is a mother of two and works with Aboriginal Affairs NSW. As a proud Wiradjuri/Ngyiampaa woman, she brings a unique perspective and diversity to the board. With 18 years of experience in the private and public health sectors, she offers proven leadership, a deep connection to the local community and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, demonstrated in her success in starting and scaling a private trade business. As a member of the board, she is eager to explore mental health and community health strategies and identify ways to enhance them. Her goal is to contribute to reducing preventable hospital admissions through a more integrated and proactive approach to holistic health. She believes Gateway Health plays a crucial role in promoting healthier, more connected communities, effectively addressing diverse needs across the region. Our commitment to a holistic, preventative, and inclusive approach which creates sustainable health improvements aligns closely with her own passions and values.

Lisa Ryan